If you are working in Alaska or establishing residency, the Division of Motor Vehicles says you must register your vehicle within 10 days of entering the state or beginning employment. A non-resident may operate a vehicle in Alaska for up to 60 days on a valid registration from another state. Every vehicle must be registered unless a statute exempts it. A vehicle with no lienholder must have the title transferred into the owner's name as part of registration. The general registration page also says that if the vehicle is located outside Alaska, it must be titled in Alaska.
Liability insurance comes first in the practical order, because the same page states the minimums you must carry. Those amounts are $50,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. The page does not say the policy has to be written by an Alaska-only insurer. The mandatory-insurance page repeats the same minimums and says proof must be in the driver's possession and shown on demand.
What has to happen, in order
- Carry liability insurance at the minimums above before you drive the car on a public road.
- If you bought the vehicle, the new-vehicle page says Alaska statutes require you to apply for a title in your name within 30 days of purchase. A move of a car already titled in your name uses the transfer process below, which does not repeat that 30-day purchase rule.
- Submit the out-of-state title and Form V1, in person at a DMV or partner office, or by mail. The transfer page says an in-person application with documents in order can produce an Alaska title and registration at that visit.
- Pay the title fee and the registration and plate fees for your vehicle type. The transfer page states a title fee of $15. Registration fees are not a single number. Use the DMV calculator linked from that page.
Documents to bring
The transfer page lists three items. First, the most current out-of-state title. If it is already in your name, do not sign it before the transfer. If you recently purchased the vehicle, the previous owner must assign and sign the title to you. Second, Form V1, filled out and signed in ink, with your mailing and residence addresses. Third, payment. Cash, check, or card works in person. Mail a check or money order payable to "State of Alaska." Do not mail cash or credit card information.
If the loan is not paid off, the transfer page says you get registration only, and the title goes to the lienholder. Recording a lien for the first time costs $15. The new-vehicle page says that when the title is already in your name and the lienholder holds it outside Alaska, the $15 title fee and the $15 lien fee are waived because no Alaska title is issued. The vehicle must be in Alaska under AS 28.10.201. You provide the out-of-state registration or a photocopy of the title. The DMV will not request the title from the lienholder for you.
Inspections
The transfer-from-another-state page does not require a VIN verification, a safety inspection, or an emissions test. The foreign-vehicles page is different. It says vehicles with foreign ownership documents must be inspected by an authorized Alaska DMV inspector, law enforcement, or a State Trooper on Form 811, and that U.S. Customs paperwork is required before titling. Do not use the foreign-vehicle steps for a car that has a standard title from another U.S. state.
Tax
The DMV pages opened today list title and registration fees. They do not state a statewide sales tax or use tax on a vehicle, and they do not state a credit for tax paid to another state. The Alaska Department of Revenue tax site, opened the same day, does not state a motor-vehicle use tax or a credit rule. The agency pages do not state this tax outcome. Confirm with the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Revenue before you treat the move as tax-free. Local sales taxes, if any, are also not stated on these pages.
Temporary permits and fees
Do not drive the car without valid registration or an exemption. The mailed-in title page says vehicles may display temporary registration while an application is processed, and that a dealership usually issues it. If there is no dealer permit, or the sale was private, temporary registration is available with a completed V1 and proof of purchase. Full title and registration fees are due at that time. That description is tied to a purchase. The transfer page for a car you already own does not describe a separate trip permit. Registrations last two years. The general registration page says most vehicles keep the same expiration month when ownership changes.
Military, leases, and a shipped car
The new-vehicle page says a notarized power of attorney is required when someone signs for the owner, including leased vehicles. The transfer page does not add a military or student exemption. The general registration page's 60-day non-resident allowance is the closest statement, and it does not mention students or service members by name. Ask the DMV which category you are in.
A car that arrives by ship is still subject to the 10-day rule once you are working here or establishing residency, because that clock runs from entering the state or beginning employment, not from the day you drove across a border. There is no emissions test on the transfer page to schedule, but you still need registration, or a registration that the non-resident rule still allows, before you drive it. Alaska shipments are an ocean move. See car shipping in Alaska and the cost calculator. Related guides: registering a car after you move and temporary tags and trip permits.