How to become residents of Texas so you can RV full-time!

Trent will be your driver for this post.

We chose to become residents of Texas after a bunch of research. Technomadia has a good blog post about choices and keeps it up-to-date. In summary, people who decide to become full-time RVers generally choose between Texas, Florida, and South Dakota if they don't stick with their home state. We picked Texas because given those three choices we would rather end up in Texas.

This is our step-by-step guide to getting Texas residency. We did steps 2-6 in a day and quarter.

1) Sign up for the Escapees Mail Forwarding Service.
This gives you a Texas address to use on official paperwork.

2) Take your RV to Livingston, TX.
Stay at the Escapees park (where we are right now with a good Verizon signal). You can complete these steps elsewhere in Texas but Livingston is an RV friendly town and state agencies here are used to dealing with full-timers. This makes everything easier.

3) Visit a local insurance agent
Get your insurance transferred to Texas or sign up for Texas insurance for your RV and towed vehicle. We used State Farm* since have been with them for a long time. The important part here is getting the paperwork showing you have the required insurance coverage for Texas on any vehicles you need to get plates for and the insurance paper work showing your Livingston address counts as one of the two pieces of paperwork needed to prove residency.

(*State Farm will not issue new policies for full-time RVers but if you are an existing customer with RV coverage you can transfer to Texas and keep your coverage.)

4) Get your vehicle state inspected. 

Bring your insurance paper work because it's required at the time of inspection.  This costs a total $5 per vehicle. We used Soda Auto at 6709 U.S. 190, Livingston, TX 77351 at the suggestion of the Escapees club and suggest you do, too. A single guy appears to run that somewhat rundown place but he is a member of Escapees and was extremely easy to work with. The inspection takes less than 10 minutes (maybe 5). We didn't even have to take the cat out of the RV. It was super easy and he later installed our plates for free (he needed to drill holes in front of the car) in exchange for a plate for his wall.

5) Know your GVWR and UVWR (or CW). 
The GVWR is probably posted in a plaque inside your driver's side door of your motorhome (I don't know where it would be in a 5th wheel). You will need to print or email a copy of this photo to the tax collection agency (the next step). We didn't know this ahead of time but I had taken pictures of every plaque in/on/under the RV and so was able to email the photo from iCloud as we were in the office.  They don't require proof of the UVWR or CW (I think they used a different abbreviation here - basically they want the unloaded weight).

6) Visit the local Texas Tax office to get your plates (M-F 8:00am - 4:30pm)
In Livingston the office is at 416 N. Washington Ave.  Take your insurance paperwork, state inspection paperwork, a check (or lots of cash - our cost was $438 for the RV and car), a passport, your loan(s) lien holder name and address, and registration paperwork from your old state. You will need to fill out a form. As stated above, you will need to print or email a photo of the GVWR plaque and know the unloaded vehicle weight. Pay your fee and get the plates and texas registration. The registration paper counts as your second proof of residency.

You don't have to have the passport as there are alternatives listed but having that makes it easier.

7) Visit the Driver's License office of the Department of Motor Vehicles (M-F 8:500)
at 1737 N Washington Avenue, Livingston, TX 77351.  It's across a parking lot from the police station. Take your passport, SS card, current driver's license, car/RV registration (1st form of residency and otherwise required to have), and your insurance forms (2nd form of residency and otherwise required to have).  You do not have to take a driver's test - just an easy eye test. I wear glasses for reading and was able to pass it no problem.

8) Have a drink
You are now a Texan - or as Susanne would say, a "Fexan" (a Fake Texan).