Moving to Georgia: what is different for newcomers

This page is about the U.S. state of Georgia, in the Southeast, not the country in the Caucasus. The steps that are the same in every state are in our first 30 days checklist; here are the Georgia ones.

License first, car second. You must apply for a Georgia driver’s license within 30 days of becoming a resident, at the Department of Driver Services (DDS) (DDS). For non-citizens, state law requires DDS to check immigration documents through the federal SAVE system before it issues a card (DDS). Documents, tests and each step: Georgia driver’s license and ID.

Car tags come from your county. The Department of Revenue (DOR) gives you 30 days from your move to title and register a vehicle at your County Tag Office, and you need a Georgia license or ID card first (DOR). When a new resident registers a vehicle for the first time, Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT), and new residents pay a lower rate, and DOR has an online estimator (DOR).

Georgia taxes your income. The state’s individual income tax starts from your federal adjusted gross income, so DOR asks you to complete your federal return first (DOR). If you lived in Georgia for only part of the year and must file a federal return, you file Georgia Form 500 with Schedule 3 (DOR). More: state income taxes.

A state refugee program. The Georgia Department of Human Services administers the federally funded Refugee Program, with a State Refugee Coordinator and a consortium of refugee voluntary agencies (DFCS). For help reading its information or talking with the agency, call 1-877-423-4746; interpreters are free (DFCS). See refugee resettlement services.

Renters settle disputes in court. The Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook says no government agency can step into a landlord-tenant dispute; unresolved disputes go to court (DCA). If your landlord owns more than ten rental units or uses a management agent, you get a list of existing damage to inspect and sign before the landlord takes your security deposit (DCA). More: tenant rights.

Storms reach far inland. Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage hundreds of miles inland, so the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) asks every resident to look up their evacuation zone (GEMA). The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (Ready.gov). In extreme heat, GEMA suggests time in air-conditioned places such as public libraries, and never leaving children or pets in a closed vehicle (GEMA). Make your plan: emergency preparedness.