Out of state registration in CA - can they tell employment dates?

Question

I was curious as to whether or not the CA DMV will know the exact date that I moved to the state... or more like when I first gained employment (as that's one of the things they say make you a resident). I gained employment in CA back in July last year, but was unsure whether I was going to stay in CA or move back to TX. Only found out in the last month I'm staying here - also gained new employment in the last 2 weeks. Basically...the registration fee calculator is killin' me on the website ($700 total) if I put in the truth (July 2007). Even putting in September 2007 makes the difference of $400.

So yes, does the DMV know whether or not the date you put down is the truth? Could I even get away with putting down my new employment date from a couple weeks ago?

And for the record, CA DMV must be stingy. When I moved from CA to TX a couple years back, they didn't try to get an extra year's worth out of me while I was letting the CA registration expire. Sigh. :-p

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

What is stopping them from checking with your employer after you certify you were truthful in the documents you signed? Then you can be charged with fraud.

Answer 2

They likely won't check, but, you sign a document.  If they pull your number for audit, you could end up with nasty charges.  You are really lucky you didn't have an accident, triggering an insurance investigation, and possible denial of claim.

Every state has rules about the time you can live there before transferring licence and registration.