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I doubt it. Check the DMV website. LA to Vermont sounds like a big move. A bit different here than there. Buy the warmest coat you can find.

No you won’t. You just give them your unexpired license, take the vision test and they will punch a hole in your old license and issue you a VT one (a temporary paper one and then mail you your actual one in a couple of weeks). Look at the list of additional documents you will need to bring listed on the DMV site to prove your VT residency.

The other poster is right, you just need to bring your unexpired California license to the DMV with some paperwork and you’re good to go. Just look on the website, Vermont government is very user friendly.

As a Vermonter who lived in LA for a bit, you are in for a big change. Literally everything is different. Like, it felt like I was on a different planet in LA vs. here. Keep in mind anything you may see as a convenience in your present life doesn’t exist here. I prefer it that way, but you should be aware that you will have to 100% reset your expectations for how society functions.

You're 100% right. I've been preparing my mindset. I've spent my entire life in Los Angeles. super big change.

thanks for getting back to me

thanks goodness. thanks forgetting back to me

Went through the same process recently :-)

>A to Vermont sounds like a big move. A bit different here

You're right. I've spent my entire life in Los Angeles. super big change. i hope i find a good Gym/Barber in St Johnsbury lol

That's a huge relief. because it is still fresh in your thoughts. Did you schedule an appointment? Or did you just walk in? And how is the DMV over there, is it equally as horrible as the one in Los Angeles/California? as in 2- to 3-hour wait times?

last time i went to the DMV, i was the first person in line at 6am over here and gotten out at 8am

I scheduled an appointment at Montpelier for a 2pm appointment. I showed up at 1.45, checked in and was seen at 1.55. I registered 2 cars, and got my new licence and was out by 2.40 ! Probably the smoothest DMV experience I have ever had. I think some of the other DMV sites in the state will be a lot different since they are smaller, not open most days etc. I would def recommend the Montpelier one if you can get there. The lady that helped we was super helpful and very friendly.

thanks so much for your info and time

No worries. If you weren’t aware there is also a sub called r/newtovermont which has some helpful questions and answers which you might find useful.

thank you!

[deleted]

You are trolling right ?

nope

Wellllll... at least St. J has a couple nice craft beer bars

damn. Unfortunately, I am not a drinker. except in rare situations

I grew up there that place is a frozen shithole except for the high school. With no car you are trapped with absolutely nothing to do.

That's what I'm worried about. I intend to obtain a car as soon as my ID is renewed. I was advised to get a new one rather than a used one due to corrosion and other issues.

Lease a new car, best way to deal with it IMO. Otherwise once you finish paying the car off you now own a rusty car. You will also have to get snow tires for Nov-April. You will desperately want that car if you don't have one.

Closest commercial airport from St. J is 1.5 hours away in good weather and expensive. Closest airport with a direct flight to the west coast is 3ish hours (Boston or Montreal). Be prepared to give up most types of food, concerts/shows, sunshine, and pleasant weather. First year we moved to St. J it snowed 12ft over the winter starting in late Nov/December and it never melted until late March/April. Three weeks of below zero in January that year too. Most things close early. There's a farmer's market and some half decent local type things going on but that's about it. It is miserable if you are a single adult with no family. Not the worst place in the world overall and a good place to be a kid because of the awesome high school, but multiple people who visited us from other places said the town has an evil aura. I disagree but I also totally see what they mean. You'll figure it out.

Good luck.

I get the feeling you haven’t put a lot of plan in into this, and if you did it was a poor job. You will NOT be able to get around in Vermont without a car. Even short term, it’s a terrible decision to attempt. St J is also a FAR cry from LA. St J has nothing, like nothing. It’s an old dead mill town. The only thing it has going for it is the High School. Having lived there for a number of years, it’s umm not great…

I work from home, therefore I don't need a car. I'll take my significant other if I absolutely need to travel about, but I'd rather not. I want to get a car asap, so I asked whether I needed to retake the written test or whatever. I'm planning to arrange an appointment before I arrive. So, as soon as I arrive, I'm heading to the DMV to update my ID and acquire a new car With winter tires and get my car covered etc

DMV requires an appointment. Office in St J is only open 1 day a week. Otherwise you are driving 40 miles to Montpelier or Newport to their office which also require an appointment.

You will be very hard pressed to find anyone doing undercoating if this is happening any time after 1/1 (even now?). It’s a messy process that takes setup and cleanup, the places that do it, usually devote a bay to it during the peak season (sept-nov), it’s not something that they will schedule like an oil change on a rando Tuesday afternoon (at least most won’t want to do that).

Good luck. I stand by my statement about St J. It’s cute on the surface, but it’s just not great…

For sure and I really appreciate your time and input. I definitely learned something, especially about the coating and the once a week opening part.

Yeah, I understand about the whole St. John’s I’ve been prepping my mindset to have lower expectations that’s for sure

I didn’t when I moved from NY but that was 20 years ago

I lived and worked in downtown st j for 2 years. I waabke to walk to work, restaurants, and both movie theaters easily. Also a decent grocery store. Plus there were always interesting small events at the academy. Now if you live outside of the village, then yeah it's rough without a car.

lol

'St. Johns'

Don't call it that, no one will know what you are talking about.

😬☠️😂

I just moved from (escaped) TN and went to the DMV to get an new driver license and register my car. I was in there about 1 hour to do it all. But, I came prepared with all the documents needed. Definitely check the website for requirements, its about what you're thinking you'll need, nothing crazy. If you already have an out-of-state DL, you don't re-test. You will do a vision test but it takes 10 seconds: you look into a viewer and read a few lines of letters.

Bonus: all of the DMV workers (and I mean ALL) were actually cheerful, cooperative, and helpful. It was refreshing!