What are Washington state rules about paying sales tax if you buy a car in another state and bring to Washington three months later?

Answer 1

you pay use tax when you eventually register it in washington.... DMV will collect the fee... if you paid sales tax elsewhere, you will get credit for taxes already paid (difference between sales tax paid and WA use tax). the use tax is the same as sales tax. there is a 0.3% motor vehicle tax as well. I think the only exemption is if you bought the car 6 months before you moved to the state (you must show proof you were not a resident of WA at the time of purchase and the vehicle was registered continuously out of state until you moved) they have cracked down on people parking cars in Oregon for several months prior to registering in WA to avoid the tax. doing that is illegal. By law if you are a resident of WA at the time you purchased the car and it is intended to be used in WA you must pay the tax... now if you are a student or other worker temporarily relocated and can prove you were living out of state for 6 mos while you owned the vehicle I think you may be exempted. call DMV to verify...