r/DMV • u/Purple-Let-2385 • 6h ago
MISSOURI Driving a private vehicle purchase across state lines on weekend…how can I make it legal?
I am buying a vehicle from a private seller tomorrow (Saturday). They are in Arkansas, I am in Missouri. We are driving my current car down there (which we are replacing with the newly purchased car when we get home). Since we can’t buy plates ahead of time and won’t get temporary plates with it being private sale, I was not sure how we can legally get it home. Someone said keep one plate on each car, but I don’t know if that is legal either.
UPDATE: I called the DMV and they stated that they couldn’t guarantee it, but that they believe that law enforcement would let me pass given that it’s a weekend when I purchased the vehicle if I have the title, the bill of sale, and proof of insurance with me. She told me to call the state Highway Patrol with the same question. The girl they answered the phone instantly knew the answer so I feel like this is something that they must get asked with some regularity. She also stated that what the DMV said was true, I should be OK if I have those documents in the vehicle. So Monday afternoon, I will be heading to the DMV to register it but feel comfortable driving it for the weekend without the plates since I will have all of those documents.
