How do we have a mailing address while living full time on the road without even having an actual house?! Let’s face it, to do things like have a license, register your vehicle, and get insurance you have to show proof of a legal address.
We went months with using our parents addresses but since we are full time nomads we knew eventually we wanted to have an address of our own, especially in a state we can CHOOSE. Through our research and talking with other full timers, the best states for nomads are South Dakota and Florida. These states allow mail forwarding services, have no state income tax, and no state vehicle inspection.
Traveling Mailbox – A mail forwarding service that scans your mail and emails it to you. You can also request a physical copy to be sent wherever you are.
- You will get a physical street address (NOT a PO box).
- They will email you when your mail is ready to be viewed.
- They will mail any checks directly to your bank to be deposited.
- Your mail and packages can be forwarded to you anywhere in the world.
Choose an address in South Dakota (best option), Florida (second option). We’ve heard Texas and Nevada are nomad friendly as well.
Why South Dakota?
You only need to stay in the state for one night to get a driver’s license. You just need to show your new Traveling Mailbox address along with a receipt from a hotel or campground showing proof of your stay and fill out their Residency Affidavit. You do not need to be in state to register vehicles or renew your license and Traveling Mailbox can send you your license plates, docs, etc. They have some of the lowest auto insurance rates in the country. There’s no state income tax. It almost sounds too good to be true but we know a few travelers who have changed their residence to South Dakota.
Why Florida?
Our residency is in Florida, mainly for convenience but also because it was hard getting insurance in our home state, New Hampshire. We knew being from the East Coast if we ever had to go to Florida for any reason it’s easily accessible rather than having to drive to South Dakota. Florida has most of the same benefits as South Dakota – no state income tax and no state vehicle inspections. You’ll want to make sure to sign up with Traveling Mailbox and switch the address on your insurance and banking so you can provide proof of residence statements when getting your license. One negative about Florida is that unlike South Dakota, you cannot do your registration online. We actually had to re-register our van this past December and luckily we had already planned to be in Florida for winter. Another downfall is that Florida also has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country.
South Dakota seems to be the easiest and best option but if you spend a lot of time on the east coast Florida is a good choice as well. Or if you are based on the West Coast look into Nevada or Texas.
This isn’t legal advice, this is all based off our own research and you should do your own research as well. We get asked this question a lot and we just wanted to share that it is possible to have a legal residence while living a nomadic lifestyle!
