Moving to Alaska: Register Your Car Within 10 Days, Get Your License Within 90, and Wait a Full Year for the PFD

Alaska’s tightest deadline for newcomers is the car: the DMV says to apply for registration within 10 days of entering the state or taking a job here [1]. You have longer for the license: 90 days [2]. And if you’re counting on the Permanent Fund Dividend, plan on a full calendar year of residency first [10].

1. Insure the car

Alaska requires a motor vehicle liability policy with at least these limits, covering you in the United States and Canada [7]:

If you’re bringing a policy from another state, check that it meets these limits before you arrive.

2. Register your vehicle (within 10 days)

Two rules work together:

• A nonresident can drive a car with valid out-of-state plates for 60 days after entering Alaska [3].
• But once you take a job in Alaska, or do something that shows you intend to become a resident, you have 10 days to register [3]. The DMV’s guidance for newcomers says to apply within 10 days of entering the state or taking a job [1].

Bring the most current title, or the manufacturer’s certificate of origin for a new vehicle [1]. All trailers must be registered, regardless of size [1].

What you’ll pay:

• Registration: $100 for two years for a noncommercial passenger car, pickup, truck or van [5]. Registration is generally for a two-year period [1].
• In-person fee: an extra $10 if you register in person rather than by mail, online or at an emissions station or contract office that registers vehicles [5].
• Local taxes: total fees vary by location and vehicle type; the DMV has an online calculator [1].
• Seniors: a resident 65 or older can apply to be exempt from the registration fee for one vehicle [6].

3. Get your Alaska driver’s license (within 90 days)

A nonresident 16 or older with a valid license from another jurisdiction can drive in Alaska, but must get an Alaska license by the end of 90 days after entering the state [2]. The DMV says commercial drivers have 30 days [1].

At the DMV you’ll need [1][12]:

• One primary document proving your name, date of birth and lawful presence, such as a U.S. birth certificate or passport.
• A document showing your physical Alaska address, such as a utility bill, lease or pay stub. P.O. boxes aren’t accepted.
• Your Social Security number, which must match Social Security’s records.
• Name change documents, if your name has changed.

You’ll take a vision test and a written test on Alaska driving rules [1]. If you hold or have held a license from a U.S. state, U.S. territory, Canada or South Korea in the last five years, you won’t need a driving test [1]. Bring your old license to surrender, or a certified driving record if it was lost [1].

Cost: $20 for a standard Class D license, or $40 for a REAL ID [4]. A road test, if you need one, is $15 [4]. A new license expires on your birthday in the eighth year after it’s issued [13].

4. Register to vote

To vote in Alaska, you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18, and have lived in Alaska and your house district for at least 30 days before the election [9]. You can register any time, but if you register in person within 30 days of an election, you can’t vote in that one [8]. Mailed forms count if they’re postmarked at least 30 days before the election [8].

Applying for the Permanent Fund Dividend also registers eligible applicants to vote, under state law [8].

5. Know the PFD rules

The Permanent Fund Dividend is paid to eligible residents each year. The 2026 dividend was $1,200, including a $200 energy relief payment [14].

To qualify for a given year’s dividend, you have to have been an Alaska resident for all of the previous calendar year and intend to stay indefinitely, among other requirements [10]. Applications are taken from January 1 through March 31 [15]. So if you move to Alaska in 2026, the first dividend you could apply for is the 2028 dividend, in early 2028, if you live here all of 2027 and meet the other rules [10][15].

6. Homeowners: ask about local exemptions

Alaska’s property taxes are set by boroughs and cities. If you’re 65 or older or a disabled veteran rated 50% or more, the first $150,000 of your home’s assessed value is exempt where property tax applies, but you have to apply to your local assessor [16]. See our guide to Alaska property tax relief.

Your first-month checklist

1. Make sure your auto insurance meets Alaska’s 50/100/25 minimums [7].
2. Register each vehicle within 10 days of taking a job or settling in [1][3].
3. Get your Alaska license at the DMV within 90 days [2].
4. Register to vote at least 30 days before the next election [8].
5. Mark January 1 to March 31 on your calendar for the PFD year you’ll first qualify [15].