Photo: Washuotaku, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Moving to South Carolina permanently with a valid license from another state? SCDMV says you must apply for a South Carolina license within 45 days of moving, and you have 45 days to transfer your vehicle registration too. Most movers with a current license skip testing. This guide explains the deadlines, when tests come back in, what to bring, the property tax step for your car, and what teens should expect.
Key facts (South Carolina, as of November 2026)
- License deadline: apply within 45 days of moving to South Carolina permanently.
- Tests: if your out-of-state license has been expired for more than nine months, you must pass the knowledge, skills and vision tests.
- You must turn in your out-of-state license or ID to get a South Carolina one.
- Vehicle: 45 days to transfer registration, and you pay county property tax first.
- One-time fee for a vehicle previously registered in another state: $250 (SCDMV fees page).
- Temporary residents such as students and active-duty military don’t have to switch licenses.
Who has to switch, and by when?
SCDMV’s Moving to SC page says anyone with a valid out-of-state license or ID who moves to South Carolina permanently must apply for a South Carolina license or ID within 45 days of moving. Active-duty military members and US government employees are exceptions.
People moving to South Carolina temporarily (for example, students or service members stationed in the state) aren’t required to get a South Carolina license, but they must keep a valid out-of-state license to drive.
After you are licensed, SCDMV gives you 10 days to update your address whenever you move within the state.
Will you have to take a test?
Here is how SCDMV’s rules sort out for movers:
- Valid license, or expired nine months or less: no knowledge or skills test, but a vision screening is required when you surrender an out-of-state license (free at branches, or a Certificate of Vision Examination dated within 36 months). Bring documents and turn in the old card.
- License from another country: SCDMV waives the knowledge and skills tests only if your country has a formal reciprocity agreement with South Carolina and the license has not been expired more than nine months. Otherwise you start with a beginner’s permit.
- Expired more than nine months: you take the knowledge, skills and vision tests before you get a license.
- No old license to turn in: bring a driving record from your former state as proof of driving.
If you do need to test, see the South Carolina knowledge test guide and the South Carolina road test explained.
Documents to bring to SCDMV
- Your out-of-state license or ID card, or a driving record from that state if you don’t have it.
- Proof of identity, Social Security number and South Carolina address. SCDMV publishes the accepted document list; bring originals.
- Extra proof if you want a REAL ID. See REAL ID and your first US license.
- Payment for the license fee. Check the amount on SCDMV’s fees page.
Registering your car: tax first, then SCDMV
South Carolina is unusual: you can’t register until you have paid local property tax. SCDMV’s vehicle moving page sets out the order:
- Contact your county auditor with the VIN and your most recent registration card. The auditor produces a property tax bill.
- Pay the bill at the county treasurer and keep the original paid receipt.
- Apply to SCDMV for title and registration with the paid receipt and your out-of-state title or registration.
- Pay SCDMV fees. The fees page lists a one-time $250 fee for a new vehicle previously registered in another state. SCDMV’s own estimate for a typical passenger car is about $305 in total, not counting the property tax.
- Deadline: SCDMV says you have 45 days to transfer registration. Its title application warns that missing 45 days from the date of purchase, or the date the vehicle began operating in South Carolina, triggers a penalty fee.
- No SC license yet? If you keep your car in South Carolina without an SC license (for example, as a student or active-duty service member), SCDMV uses Form TI-006C, Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina.
Line up South Carolina insurance before you register. See minimum car insurance by state and title, registration and inspection in the US.
Moving to South Carolina as a teen
Ask SCDMV how a license or permit from another state converts for a driver under 17. Plan on South Carolina’s teen rules applying:
- A beginner’s permit holding period of 180 days for ages 15 to 17.
- Driver education (8 hours of classroom and 6 hours of driving) and 40 hours of practice, 10 after dark, for the conditional license.
- Conditional license limits on night driving and passengers until full privileges.
The details are in South Carolina conditional and special restricted license rules and driver education and the 40-hour practice requirement. Bring your out-of-state permit, license, driver ed certificate and driving log, and ask SCDMV how your time and training will be counted.
Common questions
How long do I have to get a South Carolina license after moving?
45 days from moving to South Carolina permanently.
Do I need to take the written test to transfer my license to South Carolina?
Not if your license is current or has been expired for nine months or less. Beyond nine months, you take the knowledge, skills and vision tests.
Why does the DMV need a property tax receipt?
South Carolina requires you to pay county property tax on the vehicle before SCDMV will register it.
How much does it cost to bring a car to South Carolina?
The SCDMV fees page lists a $250 one-time fee for a vehicle previously registered in another state. SCDMV estimates about $305 in total for a typical car before property tax.
I’m a college student from Georgia. Do I need an SC license?
No. SCDMV treats students as temporary residents who don’t have to switch, but you must keep a valid license from home.
What if I can’t find my old license?
Bring a driving record from your former state as proof of driving.
Moving between other states? See moving to a new state: transferring your license, or the full South Carolina license guide.
Sources
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “Moving to SC: License” (dmv.sc.gov)
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “Moving to SC: Vehicle” (dmv.sc.gov)
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “Fees” (dmv.sc.gov)
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “Form 400: Application for Certificate of Title and Registration” (dmv.sc.gov)
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “TI-006C: Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina” (dmv.sc.gov)
- South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, “Teenage Drivers” and “Beginner’s Permit” (dmv.sc.gov)