State residency problem

WheatenLover

WheatenLover

Senior Member
Location
Georgia
I moved to Mass to live with my cousin and my son. It took me awhile to adjust -- I am just now over that. I had to move because I could no longer afford to rent the house I was living in in PA.

I am not a resident of Mass. I am a visitor. I cannot get a Mass driver's license. I cannot register my car, etc. This because I cannot find my car's title, my birth certificate, or my passport. I brought all my files with me, and have looked through them twice - paper by paper. I have searched every unpacked box, every drawer, to no avail. I contacted my friend/landlord, and there are no files or paperwork in the house. I have searched my car, my purses, my coats.

It will take several months to get these documents replaced, especially since my birth certificate was issued by the State Department. I was born in a foreign country to an American father and a German mother.. I have been here for about 2 months, but hadn't decided whether I would stay here until now.

I cannot be a US citizen without a state of residency, so I am still a resident of PA. I renewed my driver's license there, and I changed my address to my husband's (and now he has been evicted), just because I need an address in PA. I cannot return to PA permanently right now, because I would have to live with my husband. I can change my address again to receive mail in PA. It would cause a huge problem if I changed my address to Mass because I would appear to be a resident of MA, even though I am not qualified to be one by Mass.

In a few weeks, my son will be moving back to CA. He will be living in an Airbnb with his brother. The rental housing situation in southern CA is just awful. (And because of that, my daughter will soon be moving to Pittsburgh.)

It is not my preference to stay here, but right now, I don't have a choice. I can visit for months, though. But it feels like I am doing something wrong because I am stuck here due to finances. I literally have no place to live if I return to PA.

What do you think about this, besides urging me to get replacement paperwork, which I have already applied for?

Can a person be a citizen living in the U.S. in a situation in which they are without a state to be a resident of? That doesn't work.
 

"What do you think about this, besides urging me to get replacement paperwork, which I have already applied for?"

I don't think you can do anything about that except be patient and wait for the replacement paperwork. There is no way around the documents that are lost.

"Can a person be a citizen living in the U.S. in a situation in which they are without a state to be a resident of? That doesn't work."

The only way I know of is to establish a domicile in another state the way nomads (van lifers or rvers) who live on the road do. That is using a mail forwarding service and registering all your bank accounts and other legal documents in the new state (or state of your choice), but you still need those lost documents to do that. You have to prove your intent is to live in the new state even if you are not there. The states have all different kind of regulations on doing this though. Maybe PA has an address forwarding service you can use as an address until you get the replacements.
 
WheatenLover said:
I cannot get a Mass driver's license.
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Can you find your Pennsylvania Driver's license? If so you can probably get a new one in Massachusetts, if you have a Massachusetts address you can use. I have moved several times and never had to show more than the old license to get a new one.

On the auto registration, once you have the Mass driver's license you can probably get Mass registration just by giving them your car license number. Also if you get back to Pa you may be able to get a replacement registration just by going into your DMV, I have done that without waiting, they just printed the replacement out. Never lived in or moved to or from Pa or Mass, this is just based on my experience elsewhere.

Have you gone to the Mass DMV to explain things? They may have suggestions. If you do it will work best if you just tell them you have moved to Mass, no need for a long story.

I am assuming your can use your cousin's address, that is where it sounds like you live.

The passport and birth certificate replacements may take longer, but I have never needed those so long as I wasn't traveling outside the country.

Best of luck to you. This one should be easier to fix than the problem of what to do about your ex...
 
I had to show my marriage license as my birth certificate had my original last name. Big hassle, when I switched back to NY from Mass. Big, huge, hassle while Chinese speaking people with their docs all in Cantonese and no interpreters just sailed through the process. It's that 911 syndrome.
 
Pepper said:
I had to show my marriage license as my birth certificate had my original last name.
Click to expand...
Forgot about that, it was harder for my wife.

Best to start by explaining your problem to the Mass DMV. However as I said above start by telling them you have moved to Mass and have an address. Any more information that that will just confuse things. And it sounds like it is true.
 
WheatenLover, as Bill Clinton used to say, "I feel your pain." I was in the middle of turf war between New York & Pa over unemployment benefits. It's you have to do Y, but you can't, because you haven't done X. But you can't do X, because you haven't done Y.
You're just going to have to slug it out.
 
@WheatenLover

“It is not my preference to stay here, but right now, I don't have a choice. I can visit for months, though. But it feels like I am doing something wrong because I am stuck here due to finances. I literally have no place to live if I return to PA.”


Based upon the information you’ve shared, your predicament is indeed an uncomfortable, painful situation, yet not a hopeless one.

All the answers lay waiting in your lap, as you’ve described.

Your plight is upsetting, shocking, making it difficult for you to accept the answer and alternatives at hand, only because it hurts to deal with so much loss, all at once.

Faced with multiple trouble and unwanted change; it’s natural to feel distraught, and overburdened. I can only imagine it must seem as if, “you’re struggling to survive”, which you are.

My only suggestion is that you allow yourself to grieve and meet your sorrow. Take one hour at a time, as you advance through your day, and be ever grateful for your loved ones, as they are for you.

Wishing you warm blessings as you move forward.



 
WheatenLover,, sorry to read of your predicament.
Is your daughter willing to help you with this?

When I went to get my Real ID driver's license, they wouldn't recognize the form I had.
Went to the courthouse paid $10 to get a legal copy of marriage certificate.

Hope this helps.

IF you come back to PA to say,, can you live with your daughter for awhile?

Here in Northwest Pa we do have apartment buildings for low income people.
Pittsburgh probably does too,, but the neighbor hood may leave a lot to be desired.

Good luck.
 

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