How to Become a South Dakota Resident for Full Time Travelers

 There are three states that are friendly to Full Time Rv-ers: Texas, Florida, and South Dakota. 

We chose South Dakota because of its homeschool laws, no income tax, it seemed the simplest to become a resident, and the savings on our vehicle registration (We ended up saving $1,400).


I have to be honest, we had never been to South Dakota before, but once we were there we fell in love with the Black Hills.

How to establish a South Dakota Residency

1. We signed up for a mail forwarding program through the  South Dakota Residency Center, located in Spearfish . Once you sign up, you will receive a receipt for proof of address, which you will need to give to the DMV.

2. Stay one night in South Dakota, be sure to obtain a receipt which you will need to show the DMV. We stayed at Spearfish KOA Campground.

3. Now, all you need to do is go to the DMV. We went to the Spearfish Driver Exam Station.

• This is a very small DMV with particular hours, so make sure to check before you book your stay in South Dakota.

• We did not need an appointment. We got there 5 minutes before it opened, we were first in line and in and out within the hour, what a stark contrast from California!

• Make sure to bring all your documents:

• Campground receipt WITH YOUR NEW ADDRESS

• Receipt from SDRC for proof of address

• Original passport or birth certificate (no photocopy)

• Proof of social security number

• Proof of name change (marriage, adoption, divorce)

• Prior Driver’s license

• Piece of mail with new address OR invoice proving you have a mail service agreement with SDRC 

We surrendered our driver’s licenses, and walked out with new ones the same day. Scott was a little sad to give up his driver’s license number that he had since he was 16, but surrendering isn’t always giving up, sometimes it’s joining the winning team. 

How to register your vehicles in South Dakota

Take a little drive down to the historic town of Deadwood and visit the County Clerk.

If you don’t have the title in hand for your vehicles, make sure you have the certified copy sent from your state to South Dakota. (It took California two months).

If you have everything in hand, you can walk out with your brand new South Dakota license plates the same day. 

We did not have everything in hand, plus we wanted specialized Veterans plates, so we had them sent to us while we were in Maine through our new mailing service, simple as that!

How to Homeschool in South Dakota

1. Familiarize yourself with South Dakota Laws through HSLDA

2. Send in an Alternative Instruction Notification to South Dakota Dept. of Educatiion

3. Begin Homeschooling!

We are very happy with our decision to become South Dakota Residents.

Prior to becoming residents, we encountered many issues due to our CA license plates. 

It is no secret that many states despise Californian’s due to the stereotype of being extremely liberal, driving up home prices, unfriendly, and egotistical. Most Californian’s are not this way, but we get a bad rep from the news and California’s extreme politics. 

We were run off the road, cursed at in front of the children, flipped off, all for no other reason than our license plates.

Since switching our residency to South Dakota, we have had zero issues, in fact people are much kinder to us. It is unfortunate, but that has simply been our experience. 

Bible Verse of the Day

Joshua 22: 4-5

Now that the LORD your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

As we were reading these verses this morning, it spoke to us in two ways:

1. Our faith has grown tremendously, our family has been transformed, and we have fostered such a deep reliance on God since starting this journey. 

• It can be scary going back to the place we used to call home. We are nervous of being like the Israelites. We don’t want to forget God’s blessings and slip back into our old routine of negativity and apathy . We are scared of losing that excitement, positivity, and adventure that God has bestowed upon us through our full time journey.

• Nevertheless,  we have come to realize that it’s not about where we live, but about WHO we serve. Should God’s path lead us to settle down, even in our old hometown, we find solace in embracing Joshua 22: 4-5 as our guide. 

2. Regardless of where you are from or your political beliefs, these distractions hold no importance to me on a personal level. 

• We are called to love God with all our hearts, mind, and soul. How do we do that? By dedicating time to Him daily, by immersing ourselves in His teachings, and by actively applying them. 

• We serve God by transforming love into an action devoid of discrimination. Once we surrender our flawed will over to His perfect will, we will have joined the winning team. 

• Everything will harmoniously fall into place according to the One who loves us beyond comprehension and the One who understands what is best for us, our perfect Shepard. 

• I challenge you to look up Luke 6:32 and put it into action. Pick one person who is difficult to love in your personal life, or even in politics. Then not only pray for them, but ask God to give you His heart for them. 

My prayer for us all is that we will be an example of God’s love to others. May Jesus give us His strength to follow in his footsteps in order to love those who are difficult to love. I also pray that God will remove any division due to political differences starting in our families, our schools, our workplace, and finally in our country. I praise God for His love that does not discriminate!

*Never miss out on future posts by clicking here to follow me!

* I'd be THRILLED to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a  comment below.