8.08.2009

the nightmare of becoming a TN resident

I'm trying to become a TN resident. It's not as easy as it sounds.

1. Contact USPS and cancel my mail forwarding.
Back when I wasn't sure I'd be staying in Nashville during August, I signed up to have my mail forwarded back to Kansas. Now I need to tell USPS to stop forwarding mail because I need to be receiving things like car titles here in TN.
Goal: Call on Monday or walk in a post office and do it. Estimated time: 15 minutes.

2. Driver's license and voter's registration.
Here are the requirements for getting a new license:
- Current license
(x)
- Proof of U.S. citizenship (I don't have a passport and my birth certificate is in Kansas. Why isn't social security card on this list? Call and make sure it'll suffice.)
- Primary proof of identity (current license or birth certificate)
- Secondary proof of identity (health insurance card, SS card)
- Social Security number
- 2 proofs of TN residency
: (1) Auto insurance policy; renter's contract, utility bill, paycheck or paystub, current bank statement, motor vehicle registration, W-2 form)

Here's the problem -- my proof of residency. I do have an auto insurance policy with my Madison address on it, but...
-I do not have a renter's contract.
-I do not pay utilities.
-My paychecks are direct deposited and my paystubs have my Kansas address on them.
-My bank is in Kansas.
-I have not registered my vehicle (#4); I must have a license first.
-W-2's don't get sent out until January.
Oh, and my address will change in one month so even though I can simply notify them of this, my license will be wrong until it expires or I pay to get a new one.
Goal: Call on Monday about SS card in place of birth certificate. Ask about residency. If necessary, choose option B: "letter from employer verifying address." Then, wait for birth certificate in mail from Kansas or employer letter. Get in there by Friday, August 14.

3. Emissions test.
Cost: $9, cash. I have to take my car in and get a certificate that says it's not a pollution machine so I can get a registration and title.
Goal: Do this Monday or Tuesday. Doesn't seem like I need any paperwork for this.

4. Car title and registration.
Bring: $90 for fees, copy of driver's license (see #2), current car title and registration, passed emissions certificate.
Goal: Complete by August 21.

Up next on my plate:
*Tonight/tomorrow: edit October BTX
*Tomorrow: church, Shoffner visits
*Save money like a mad person.
*ASAP: Contact a banker to be pre-approved for a mortgage loan. (Goal: Call Monday.)
*August 16: Start working full-time.
*See if I can get a refund for my current health insurance that I paid for all of August.
*September 1: Move to townhouse in Antioch.
*House searching with my realtor.
*December 1: deadline for closing on a house. (Goal: November 20.)

Whew. Why don't I feel like I'm just 21?

2 comments:

  1. Getting a driver's license in TN is a lot like where the devil lives! I had to go 4 times before getting all of the right information together. They are pretty inflexible unless you are an illegal alien.

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  2. Missouri isn't any different. The fact of the matter is, they only tell you what you are missing one item at a time, forcing you to come back multiple times. The DMV is one of the most horrible places on the planet...if only Adam had not eaten the apple!

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