New South Carolina Resident Checklist

The first things to do after moving to South Carolina: driver's license, vehicle title, registration and property tax, state income tax, voter registration, hunting and fishing licenses, primary home property tax (4% legal residence), school enrollment. Each step quotes the agency's own page, with the deadline where the agency sets one.

• Steps7with agency links
• CheckedOct 262026

The Short Answer

• If you have a valid license or ID from another state and move to South Carolina permanently, SCDMV says you must apply for an SC license or ID within 45 days of moving. source
• SCDMV says you have 45 days to transfer your vehicle registration to South Carolina. source
• You must pay the vehicle property tax bill to the county treasurer before you can register the vehicle in South Carolina, and bring the original paid receipt to SCDMV. source
• South Carolina has no length-of-residency requirement to register to vote; you must be registered at least 30 days before an election to vote in it. source

Driver's License

• Apply for an SC license or ID within 45 days of moving to the state; you must turn in your out-of-state license and/or ID when you get the SC one. source
• Bring proof of identity, U.S. citizenship and date of birth; your Social Security number; proof of current physical SC address dated within nine months of issue (two proofs for a REAL ID); and proof of legal name change, if applicable. source
• Checklists of accepted documents: United States Citizens' Checklist (SCDMV Form MV-93) and International Customers' Checklist (SCDMV Form MV-94). source
• You must pass a vision test to get a driver's license. An eight-year driver's license is $25. source
• If your out-of-state license is expired by nine months or more, you must also pass the knowledge and road tests. If you do not have your out-of-state license to surrender, you must provide a driving record from that state. source
• If you are surrendering a REAL ID from a REAL ID-compliant state, you still must provide SCDMV the required documents to receive a South Carolina REAL ID. source

Vehicle Title, Registration and Property Tax

• You have 45 days to transfer your vehicle registration to South Carolina. source
• Update your vehicle insurance company with your new SC address; the company must be licensed in SC. source
• Contact your county auditor with the VIN; you must pay the property tax bill to the county treasurer before you can register the vehicle, and bring the original paid property tax receipt to SCDMV. source
• Bring the Title Application (SCDMV Form 400), out-of-state title and/or registration, identification, liability insurance information, the original paid property tax receipt, and the fees. source
• In most cases a regular passenger vehicle costs $305 per vehicle at SCDMV on entering the state: the $250 Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF), $15 title fee and $40 registration/license plate fee; this does not include the county property tax. Vehicles with a higher gross vehicle weight may have a higher fee. source
• The IMF is paid once per vehicle; the registration/plate fee is paid every two years. source
• County example (Greenville County): to get a tax bill you present your unexpired SC driver's license or SC ID card and vehicle ownership documents to the County Auditor's Office, pay at the Tax Collector, then present a copy of the paid tax receipt to SCDMV. SCDMV does not currently accept receipts printed from the county website. source
• SCDOR: most property taxes, including tax on cars and homes, are administered by your county, not the SCDOR. source

State Income Tax

• You are considered a part-year resident during the first year you move to South Carolina and can choose to file as a resident (all federal taxable income, with the SC1040TC credit for tax paid to another state) or as a nonresident (Schedule NR with income earned in South Carolina). source
• South Carolina's Individual Income Tax has a top rate of 6.0% for 2025; your federal taxable income is the starting point, and the SC return is due at the same time as the federal return, generally April 15. source
• If you are an SC resident who works in another state, you are taxed on all income and can claim a credit for taxes paid to the other state. source
• The statewide Sales Tax rate is 6%, and your county may add local sales taxes; residents age 85 or older get a 1% Sales Tax discount. South Carolina does not have an estate tax or a gift tax. source

Voter Registration

• Register online (requires an SC driver's license or DMV ID; if you have moved, first update your address with DMV), by mail, email or fax to your county board of voter registration, or in person, including at the DMV. source
• To register you must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 on or before the next election, and a resident of South Carolina in the county and precinct where you register (plus the other conditions listed by the State Election Commission). source
• There is no length-of-residency requirement; you must be registered at least 30 days before an election, and mail applications must be postmarked at least 30 days before it. source
• South Carolina does not have registration by party. If you move to a different county, you need to re-register in the new county. source
• When registering by mail or in person, provide a copy of a current valid photo ID, or a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document showing your name and address in your county. source

Hunting and Fishing Licenses

• SCDNR defines a resident as a person who is a domiciled (permanent) resident of South Carolina; proof at license vendors is an unexpired SC driver's license or ID card, and residency is determined from that card's date of issue. source
• Residency periods: recreational license 30 days, lifetime license 180 days, disability license 365 days, commercial license 365 days. source
• A person licensed by another state as a resident for any purpose is not eligible for any South Carolina resident license, permit or tag. source
• If you hold a driver's license from another state you are considered a nonresident and must buy nonresident licenses; owning property does not automatically make you a resident. Active-duty military and their dependents stationed in SC for 60 days or longer and full-time students are exempt. source
• People 16 and older are required to buy hunting and fishing licenses (SCDNR FAQ). source

Primary Home Property Tax (4% Legal Residence)

• Legal Residence is the special 4% assessment ratio for your current, primary home; contact your county assessor's office to apply. source
• State law taxes the legal residence and not more than five contiguous acres, owned and occupied by the owner, on an assessment equal to four percent of fair market value (S.C. Code Section 12-43-220(c)). source
• The owner must apply for the four percent ratio before the first penalty date for paying taxes for the first tax year the owner claims it, and must sign a certification under penalty of perjury. source
• The Homestead Exemption exempts taxes on the first $50,000 of fair market value of a legal residence for homeowners over 65, totally and permanently disabled, or legally blind; contact your county auditor. For Tax Year 2026 the State temporarily authorized an additional Homestead Exemption for certain qualifying recipients. source

School Enrollment

• S.C. Code Section 59-63-30: a child may attend the public schools of a district without charge if the child lives with a parent or legal guardian who is a legal resident of that district. source
• The local board of trustees has the authority to assign pupils to schools within its district; the State Department of Education cannot override those local decisions. source
• Kindergarten (5K): children may enter if they turn five on or before September 1 of the school year, or have substantially begun public kindergarten in another state with a different age rule. Attendance is compulsory for five-year-olds, but parents may sign a waiver at the district office. source
• State-funded 4K: children may enter if they turn four on or before September 1; state-funded 4K serves children in the "most at-risk" category, and some districts use local funds to serve others. source

What We Could Not Confirm

Sources

1. SCDMV Moving to SC – License
2. SCDMV Moving to SC – Vehicles
3. SCDOR Moving to SC Guide
4. SCDOR Exempt Property (4% Legal Residence, Homestead)
5. S.C. Code Title 12 Chapter 43 (Section 12-43-220)
6. SC Election Commission – Register to Vote
7. SCDNR Resident License Pricing
8. SCDNR License FAQ
9. SC Department of Education – Pre-K / Kindergarten
10. SC Department of Education – Public Schools
11. Greenville County Auditor – How to Register a Vehicle

Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.