It can be a zoo if you don’t have an appointment.

Get an appointment in advance with the DMV by going online. By the way: you need to do all this within a few weeks of arriving in CA so start the process with your lease company even before you move. Bring your out of state drivers license (and your passport if you also want your CA drivers license). Ask your lease company to send a “limited power of attorney for registering car in another state” and a copy of the original title to your home address. Make sure you get a smog check done and have the report with you. Have your out of state car registration document with you. A friend had gone through this process herself and guided me. That process didn’t make enough sense to me - I just didn’t see how I could just show up and say “Hi Mr/Ms DMV: can you please, ummm, call my leasing company on this number and get whatever you need?” I didn’t want to waste a day at the DMV.Īnyways - I asked friends on FB and Twitter if they had any advice, and lo and behold, social media came to the rescue. I was told by the lease company that somehow once the DMV gets that information I will need to go back to the DMV and fill out the application forms etc. They told me there is a special firm for this at the Dmv but didn’t know its name/number, and i searched the DMV website but didn’t find any such form. They kept telling me to go to the DMV and ask them to contact the car lease company and request a copy of the original title. Car lease companies actually gave me some if the most confusing information.

Transfer plates to leased car