Moving to Nevada: residency checklist

Your domicile is the place you treat as your permanent home, so the new home has to be the one you really live in. States compare your homes: California's FTB lists the location of your principal residence as a factor, New York's Tax Department reviews the homes you keep and how you use each, and Utah's code compares the living accommodations you have in each state.

Keep as proof: Signed lease or deed, move-in date, and a first utility bill at the new address

File IRS Form 8822 for your home mailing address (the form's instructions say a change generally takes 4 to 6 weeks). USPS says mailers such as banks and government agencies do not forward sensitive mail like driver's licenses, voter registration, credit cards, bank statements or insurance papers, so change your address with each sender directly. Utah's code counts the address you list on mail and tax returns.

Keep as proof: Copy of Form 8822 with proof of mailing, plus address-change confirmations from your bank and insurers

California's FTB lists the state where you are registered to vote as a residency factor, and New York's guidelines look at where you are registered and whether you vote there, including in primary and local elections. The federal National Mail Voter Registration Form can report a change of address and asks for the address where you were registered before; follow your own state's instructions on it, because each state runs registration differently.

Keep as proof: Voter registration confirmation (card or online confirmation page)

Applies if you have children

States look at where your family lives. California's FTB lists the location of your spouse/RDP and children, New York's Tax Department says where minor children attend school can be one of the most important factors, and Utah's code counts where a dependent is enrolled in school.

Keep as proof: School enrollment confirmation and the first report card or school record showing the new address

California's FTB lists where your banks are and where your doctors, dentists, accountants and attorneys are. Not every state weighs these: Minnesota's statute says the Commissioner and courts may not consider where your attorney, CPA or financial adviser is or where you open accounts, and New York's guidelines call the mere location of bank accounts a non-factor. Treat this as supporting evidence, not proof on its own.

Keep as proof: New-patient and account-opening confirmations showing the new address

New York's guidelines list legal documents that name a place as your domicile or primary residence, such as a will, as a factor (a secondary one), and Utah's code counts asserting residency in a document you file with a court or government body. Ask your attorney to review your will, trust and powers of attorney so they match your move.

Keep as proof: Signed copies of the updated documents

iReside logs where you are every day, so you have auditable proof of the day you moved and of the days you spend in your old state. Day counts matter: Minnesota's statute requires adequate records of days spent outside the state, and New York's guidelines treat a diary or calendar as support for where you spent your time. Keep the record for as many years as your old state can still check.

Keep as proof: iReside day report for the year

Applies if you drive

Deadline: Within 30 days of becoming a Nevada resident

When a person becomes a Nevada resident, they must within 30 days obtain a Nevada driver's license as a prerequisite to driving any motor vehicle in the state. The DMV says you must switch to a Nevada license within 30 days of establishing residency.

Keep as proof: Copy of the Nevada license (front and back)

Applies if you own a vehicle

Deadline: Within 30 days of becoming a resident or when you get your license, whichever is earlier

A person formerly a nonresident must apply to register each vehicle they own that is operated in Nevada within 30 days after becoming a resident, or at the time they obtain a driver's license, whichever occurs earlier. Under NRS 482.385 the same 30-day clock also starts when you take a job in Nevada or enroll a child in a Nevada school.

Keep as proof: Nevada registration card

Deadline: Fourth Tuesday before the election by mail or in person; online through election day (NRS 293.560)

NRS 293.485 says a U.S. citizen 18 or older who has lived continuously in Nevada and the county for 30 days and in the precinct for 10 days before an election, and who has registered, may vote in it. NRS 293.560 sets the last day to register: the fourth Tuesday before a primary or general election by mail or in person at the county clerk, and election day itself online. Voter registration is a common domicile marker.

Keep as proof: County voter registration confirmation

NRS 41.191 lets a person who has established Nevada domicile file a sworn statement with the clerk of the district court for the county where they reside, saying they maintain a residence there that they intend as their permanent home. A person who keeps another residence elsewhere may file a statement that the Nevada residence is their predominant and principal home. It must list the prior place of residence and any other residences, and be signed under oath. It is optional.

Keep as proof: Recorded copy of the sworn statement

Nevada has no income tax to audit you, but the state you left may. Nevada's residence statute looks to physical presence, and time away with a good-faith intent to return without delay is not counted against residence. A dated log shows where you were.

A home you keep is the first thing a state looks at. New York's guidelines weigh whether you made real efforts to sell it (for example by hiring a real estate firm) and moved your belongings out, and California's FTB lists the location of your principal residence. If you keep the old home, the old state may compare it with your new one, and keep a day log.

Keep as proof: Listing agreement, closing statement, lease termination or new rental lease for the old home

New York's guidelines treat the location of items you hold near and dear (family heirlooms, art, collections, photo albums, pets) as a primary factor, and note that a mover's bill of lading or an insurance statement can document the move. Items left behind in the old state can suggest you have not given it up.

Keep as proof: Mover's bill of lading or inventory, and an insurance policy showing the new address

File a permanent change of address at the Official USPS Change of Address site (identity verification required) or at a Post Office. USPS says to allow at least 7 to 10 business days after approval for it to start, so file before moving day.

Keep as proof: USPS confirmation email

Applies if you are a registered voter

California's FTB lists where you are registered to vote as a residency factor, New York's guidelines look at where you are registered and how you voted, and Utah's code treats voting in the state, without being registered in another state, as establishing domicile there. Register in your new state (the federal form asks for your previous registration address), then stop voting from the old one and ask your old election office how to cancel.

Keep as proof: Confirmation that the old registration was cancelled or moved

California's FTB lists where your social ties are, such as your place of worship, professional associations and clubs, and Utah's code counts membership in a church, club or similar group in the state. Resign, transfer or switch to non-resident status where you can, and join local groups in your new state.

Keep as proof: Resignation or transfer letters and new membership confirmations

Keep iReside running through the move year and after: it logs where you are every day, so you have auditable proof of when you left and of any days you spend back in the old state. Minnesota's statute requires adequate records of days spent outside the state, and New York's guidelines treat a diary or calendar as support for where you spent your time. Keep the record for the years your old state can still check.

Keep as proof: iReside day report for the year

Deadline: The date you move out

Nevada's legal residence is where you were physically present for the period claimed, and it starts the day physical presence begins. Absence with the good-faith intent of returning without delay and continuing residence does not count, so a move with no plan to return should be dated and documented, for example by a lease or closing in the new state.

Keep as proof: Move-out date records, new-state lease or deed, travel records

Applies if you own a vehicle

Deadline: When you register the vehicle in your new state, and before dropping Nevada insurance

The DMV says to cancel online in MyDMV, by mail with the plates, decal and a signed letter, or in person at a DMV office. Cancel the registration before you drop the Nevada insurance, which the DMV says avoids potential fines. You get a credit for the unused part of the registration fee; refunds are limited to Nevada residents.

Keep as proof: Plate-surrender or cancellation confirmation

Applies if you drive, own a vehicle

Deadline: Per the new state's rules

Nevada's own 30-day license and vehicle deadlines apply to people becoming Nevada residents, not to people leaving, so the clock that matters is the new state's. Switching the license and vehicle registration promptly keeps the paper trail consistent with your move date.

Keep as proof: New-state license and registration

Applies if you are a registered voter

Register in your new state first. Under NRS 293.540 the county clerk cancels a registration at the person's request. Staying registered in Nevada while you claim residency elsewhere is a tie your new state, or the one you left, can point to.

Keep as proof: Cancellation confirmation or new voter card

Deadline: Follow the new state's due date for the year you move

Nevada has no state income tax, and its constitution says no income tax shall be levied on the wages or personal income of natural persons. You file no Nevada return, but your new state may require a part-year resident return for the year you move.

Keep as proof: The new state's part-year return