How to Register a Car in Austin

When relocating to Austin, new residents have 30 days to get a vehicle inspection and register their vehicle. Your car must pass inspection before it can be registered. Here’s how to register a car in Austin.

Step 1: Get a Vehicle Inspection

Inspecting your car is pretty easy. Simply take it to any service station (most of them have signs saying they do vehicle inspections). There is a website where you can look up service stations, but its much easier to just pay attention next time you’re out and find a station that does the inspection as most are not listed on the website.

What to Bring to Vehicle Inspection

You’ll need to bring a copy of your current, out of state vehicle registration and proof of insurance. The service station will give you a copy of the vehicle registration certificate when complete. Keep that document as you’ll need it to register your vehicle.

Step 2: Gather Required Documents

You’ll have to register your car in person the first time. Then, you’ll be able to renew easily by mail or online and save time. For the first visit, you’ll need to bring the following documents to the county tax office:

• Vehicle Inspection Certification
• Proof of Liability Insurance
• Vehicle’s Odometer Reading if Less than 10 Years Old
• Ownership Document (title, proof of registration)
• Application for Texas Certificate of Title – Form 130-U
• Application for Registration Purposes Only – Form VTR-272 (if you don’t have a Texas title)
• Checkbook to Pay the Registration Fee ($50-$55), Title Application fee ($28-$33) and new resident tax ($90)

Step 3: Head to Your County Tax Office

Next, you’ll need to take all of your documents to your local tax office (same place you’ll pay your property taxes in January). There, they’ll register your car and give you a Texas license plate.

Travis County Tax Office

The main office is located at 5501 Airport Blvd., Austin TX 78751 and is open from 7:30am-5:30pm Monday through Friday. The main office also has a drive through service.

There are also 4 satellite offices that may be more convenient:

Southeast: 4011 McKinney Falls Parkway, Austin 78744

North: 15822 Foothill Farms Loop, Pflugerville, Texas 78660-3422

West: 8656 Highway 71 West, Austin, TX 78735

East: 4701 Heflin Lane, Austin TX

Williamson County Tax Office

There are 4 tax offices in Williamson County. The Georgetown location is the main office and is the only location with a night deposit drop box. The Round Rock office has a drive through service for registration renewals and tax payments. For Motor Vehicle Info in Williamson County, call (512) 943-1602

Georgetown: 904 S Main St

Cedar Park: 350 Discovery Blvd Suite 101

Round Rock: 1801 E. Old Settler’s Blvd. Suite 115

Taylor: 412 Vance St. Suite 1

Hays County Tax Office

The tax office in Hays County is located in San Marcos.

San Marcos: 102 North LBJ Drive

Next Step: Get Your Driver’s License

Once you’ve registered your vehicles, you can get a driver’s license. We have a step by step guide for getting your drivers license in Austin as well.

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