I've moved between AZ and MN for 12 years now, as a "snowbird". Only one of those times involved a whole stack of paperwork, the time we established our change of state of residency. We knew Arizona would be tough, with all their issues with their border, and even more so with my last name sounding Hispanic. (By the way, it's an anglicization of the French name Rouseau, and according to "legend" in the family I first married into, done because people couldn't spell all those vowels correctly. That means the Canadian officials way back when, not the original immigrant. Or who knows, maybe the immigrant as well.)
Knowing the potential hassles, we arrived at the AZ license bureau with half a ton of paperwork, or so it seemed. We sailed right through unquestioned: new drivers licenses, car license plate (rear only), voter registration. AZ was even among the first states to adopt the "real ID".
It's a bit more complicated returning to MN. But even worse for Steve. This is my home state: born here, changed my last name here, learned to drive here, bought my last car here, though that last doesn't help much, yet. Steve was born in Colorado. At least he didn't have a name change to complicate things.
Let's insert a definition here: "safe place". You put something in a "safe place" in order to be able to find it again when it's needed or wanted. Said "safe place" turns out to be somewhere you yourself invariably can never find it when you need/want it again. So you are successful in creating a place that is safe from you. Congratulations!
I have created several such places over the years. Not all have stayed safe, including from the hands of others. I do know where the safe place for all my paperwork is, and for now it is truly safe from everybody, or so the PODS people assure us. Steve and I have the only two special keys for the unique lock on the unit our stuff is sitting in back in Arizona. The papers I need, like birth certificate, marriage licenses, car title, all are in a smaller container inside a packing box labeled "Heather's closet" or something like that, one of several identically labeled, buried somewhere in the 8' x 8' x 16 ' Pods that won't be here until a few days after we call for it to be hauled up here. Meanwhile it's collecting storage fees in Arizona.
I wouldn't worry much about exactly when we switch our paperwork over from Arizona to Minnesota, except for one thing. After all, we've been up here for months each summer with an AZ license on the car, and an AZ handicap hanger for parking when Steve is in the car. We both have AZ driving licenses and it doesn't matter when we're driving around up here until we head back down. But this year is different. It's an election year, and we both want our votes to be counted. That means in Minnesota. Which means new driver's licenses, which leads to new car licenses, and new voter registrations. All of it means lots of paperwork.
Take a drivers license. We've been out of state for long enough that we have to start over from scratch. We have to prove all over again who we are. They can't just take our AZ license, copy everything but with a new address and number, updated vision checks and photos, and so forth. Start with a birth certificate. Now, I have the original one, fairly small, with all kinds of info on it that they don't collect any more, like my birth weight (who cares any more?), the time of day, and even whether or not I was "legitimate". If you're so young you don't understand how a person can be legitimate, it means your parents were married at the time of your birth. It used to be important for social standing, inheriting, and the church's concept of sin, all falling on the new babe's shoulders and determining its life course.
For replacing that, any records office will do, in any county, as long as you picked the right state, know the date, and can spell your parents' names correctly. I had a question there. My dad hated his middle name and used his initial only. He even swore to the military that his middle name as "initial only". So did I put down his full name or just the initial? It's not like I can go dig either of my parents up, literally, and ask. So I chose his full name. Then there was Mom's middle name. Muriel or Murial? I can pronounce it but not spell it, so I guessed. Apparently it was close enough since I got the new large blue bordered form of my birth certificate, just another $28 out of my finances, thank you.
But wait! My name now is not my name then. I have to locate documents proving we are the same person. In my case, it's a marriage license. Now I'm restricted to the county we were married in. That meant a drive to St. Paul, a wait in line, and another 20 minute wait at the desk while that clerk disappeared into a back room, found the record, and printed off a certified copy of that too, just like that birth certificate had to be certified, only this time it was only a $9 fee.
But wait! The names don't quite match. It's the middle name thing again. I always hated my middle name too. Must be a family thing because nobody seems to like theirs. Anyway, after marriage I now had 4 names and only needed 3, so I picked my maiden name as my middle name and have used it ever since. I just never went through an official name change to do so. My names, my choice, no intent to defraud, so no problem, right? Except now, apparently.
My documentation allows me to drive with a regular MN license, fork over another $47.15 please. I just can't get a "real ID" license. A flight to anywhere might be a problem. I am not planning one, but you never know. So now what? It doesn't matter that Arizona gave me a "Real ID" star on my drivers license. No document of the name change from 55 years back, no real ID. No time machine for fixing things, no real ID. The woman at this counter - my 4th so far - asked why Social Security didn't raise a fuss? I don't know. I just worked under that combination of 3 names, and they took my money and are now paying it back, no arguments. But.... When I asked how I can fix the problem, she suggested I apply for a passport. I've never had one, never wanted one, never needed one back when I was crossing into Canada or Mexico. So... now what kinds of paperwork did I need? Everything I already had, plus proof of whatever address I had at the time I applied (so wait till after the permanent move), and dig out that Social Security card once the PODS lands because I'll need that too.
Uffda!
You want to know what I'm going to need for the car license? There's the car registration, which I keep in the car by law, next to insurance proof in the form of a cab card, and a few other gems for "just because", like records of repairs or oil changes. It seems that those are not enough, because I need the title. Guess which box in the PODs that is in? It will be a bonanza when that comes up for air. If I find a need to get the title before then, I'll have to try to figure out which state issued that. Did I pay the car off while we were in MN? Or AZ? I was assured that it would be from AZ because I should have needed it to get my AZ license plates (1 commercial, one regular, sequentially). Really? I have no memory of needing it down there. So I get to wait or start calling around. It was paid off so long ago I have no memory of even who financed the car in the first place, but one or the other state must have information. I really only need it if I sell the car (heaven forbid!) or decide to get a state parks sticker for the year. Being a resident is a huge savings. There has to be some savings somewhere, right?
All this documentation and need for some benefit from it holds for Steve as well. He thought all his vital papers were in one of his two briefcases, where they always are. It seems only one of them got in the car. The other - we most sincerely hope - must be in the PODS. He needs his Colorado birth certificate, and he informs me that the running around I've been doing is nothing compared to what he'll have to do. It's not as simple as going to his county recorder. Apparently it's a huge problem from out-of-state, with terrible online software to fight through. (Or maybe he's just like me, hating all the various forms with different procedures and requirements and ways to get from A to B to....Z.) I didn't have the heart to ask him what his cost was going to be. He was hoping to have his new drivers license and his new handicap parking hanger as soon as possible after moving back up here. In his case it's for a special reason: free fishing! Years ago he already qualified for handicap status. One of the perks at the time in MN was a free fishing license - a permanent one! When we left the state but returned for summers he couldn't use it, but had to pay over $50 per season to fish here as a non-resident. He still kept the free license, and as soon as he reestablishes state residence he can legally fish free again. But that doggone birth certificate.......
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