Before you start

Connecticut residency, and 90 days from the date it began
Your original, unexpired foreign or out-of-state licence — or one expired less than two years
Proof of Connecticut residency
Connecticut insurance to register a vehicle
An emissions test once the vehicle is four model years old

Step-by-step

1
Transfer the licence within 90 days
Once you establish residency you have 90 days, or 30 for a commercial licence. A current out-of-state licence, or one expired less than two years, transfers after a vision test at a full-service office. If it has been expired more than two years you need a learner's permit, an eight-hour safe driving practices class and a skills test — which is a substantially longer road, so do not let it lapse while you are settling in.
In personWho: YouWithin 90 days
2
Transfer the vehicle registration within 90 days
The DMV requires an out-of-state registration to be transferred to Connecticut within 90 days of establishing residency. Bring the title, the out-of-state registration and evidence of Connecticut insurance. Registering the vehicle is also what puts it on the town's grand list for the annual car tax.
In personWho: YouWithin 90 days
3
Book the emissions test when the car is four model years old
Connecticut's programme is statewide, unlike the metro-only schemes in Virginia and several other states. The fee is USD 20 and all test centres take cash. Exempt: vehicles fewer than four model years old, model year 2001 and older, vehicles over 10,000 lb, fully electric vehicles, motorcycles, farm vehicles and certain others. Look up your specific vehicle's due date rather than assuming a cycle.
In personWho: YouUSD 20
4
Understand how the car tax is now calculated
From the 1 October 2024 grand list, Connecticut assessors value a vehicle by applying a statutory depreciation schedule to its manufacturer's suggested retail price, then assess it at 70% of that value and apply the town's motor vehicle mill rate, which the state caps at 32.46. This replaced the old reliance on trade-in guides, and it means the tax follows what the car cost when new rather than what you paid for it.
OnlineWho: YouBilled annually
5
Check the town's mill rate before you choose an address
The Office of Policy and Management publishes every town's mill rate. Hartford's real property rate is far above the 32.46 vehicle cap, and neighbouring towns are much lower — which is why a five-minute drive across a town line changes the annual cost of a house materially. On vehicles the cap flattens the difference; on property it does not.
OnlineWho: You
6
Test whether you need the car at all along the two transit corridors
CTfastrak runs a dedicated busway west from downtown to New Britain, and the Hartford Line runs commuter rail to New Haven and Springfield. A CTtransit two-hour pass is USD 1.75 with unlimited transfers and works on CTfastrak too. Along those corridors a one-car household is realistic; a few streets off them it is not. Ride your actual commute for two weeks before buying a second car and taking on a second annual tax bill.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Original foreign or out-of-state driver licence
Vehicle title and out-of-state registration
Proof of Connecticut residency
Evidence of Connecticut insurance
Passport, visa and I-94 where applicable

Things most newcomers don’t know

The way Connecticut values your car changed with the October 2024 grand list.

Assessors statewide now apply a statutory depreciation schedule to the vehicle's manufacturer's suggested retail price rather than working from trade-in guides, then assess at 70% and apply the mill rate. The practical effect is that the tax tracks what the car cost new. A well-bought second-hand luxury car is taxed like a luxury car. Anyone comparing an old article's numbers to a current bill is comparing two different systems.

Source: Connecticut assessors — motor vehicle assessment changes effective 1 October 2024

The motor vehicle mill rate is capped at 32.46 statewide, which flattens the town-to-town difference on cars only.

Connecticut's OPM confirms the cap. Because Hartford's real property mill rate is far above it, the city's car tax is at the cap and a much lower-rate suburb may be below it — so the vehicle gap between city and suburb is smaller than the property gap. Do not generalise from one to the other: on a house the town line is worth thousands a year, on a car much less.

Source: Connecticut Office of Policy and Management — mill rates

Emissions testing here is statewide, not metro-only.

Virginia tests only in the northern counties, Arizona only in two metros. Connecticut tests everywhere, at USD 20, with exemptions for vehicles fewer than four model years old, model year 2001 and older, full electrics and motorcycles. Someone moving from a state with a metro-only programme assumes a small city is outside it. There is no outside here.

Source: Connecticut DMV — emissions testing

One bus ticket covers the busway and the ordinary network.

A CTtransit two-hour pass at USD 1.75 includes unlimited transfers and is valid on CTfastrak, the dedicated busway to New Britain — which is proof-of-payment, so buy at the platform machine before boarding rather than on the bus. For a household weighing a second car against a second annual property tax bill, the corridor is worth two weeks of testing.

Source: CTtransit — fares

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting an out-of-state licence expire beyond two years, which converts a vision test into a permit, a course and a skills test.
Assuming emissions testing is metro-only — Connecticut tests statewide.
Comparing an old article's car tax figures to a current bill; the valuation method changed in 2024.
Choosing a house on rent or price without checking the town's mill rate.
Buying a second car before testing whether CTfastrak or the Hartford Line covers the commute.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.