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I am a dual US/DK citizen, living in the US, and looking into spending about 6 month, driving in Europe. Buying a car In Europe (Denmark, where I will be mostly) is hugely expensive, with the registration fee's etc., and since I know that one can legally drive a car with US plates for 6 months, I was wondering if someone knew if it would be possible to buy a car in Europe, and have it registered in my own state in the US? Plates will of course be sent to my US address, and then forwarded to my address in Europe, but, - is it possible and legal?

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    Tax evasion? Sure!
    – Moo
    Jan 3, 2020 at 7:54
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    @MichaelHampton then don’t go there. Simple as that. You aren’t avoiding a countries tax laws if you are never subject to them - in this case, the op is subject to the laws because they are (voluntarily) going there. Sympathy or not, evading tax is illegal in most jurisdictions and the answer to high taxation levels is not “break the law”.
    – Moo
    Jan 3, 2020 at 8:11
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    @Moo the question is literally "is it possible and legal?".
    – Chris H
    Jan 3, 2020 at 9:19
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    @MichaelHampton What's unreasonable about Danish laws? Who gets to decide that?
    – Relaxed
    Jan 3, 2020 at 9:20
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    Not an answer to your question, but a solution to your problem nevertheless: Look in to a short term car lease. There are several companies, that offer this, all based in France because France allows tax-free leases to non EU residents. You get a brand new french car for about 4500$ for six months, and you do not necessarily even have to go to France to pick the car up.
    – Krist van Besien
    Jan 3, 2020 at 9:57

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If you buy a car in Denmark you must register it there. You cannot drive off with the car from the seller without a valid Danish registration. As long as you own and drive the car you will need a current Danish registration, unless you export the car. Whether your home state in the US is willing to register your car abroad is irrelevant. Driving a car temporarily in Denmark on a US registration is allowed under certain conditions, but only if the car has been brought there from the US.

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  • The same for Germany. The car itself will have it's own registration papers (issued in Europe) and will not match an US licence plate. Then there is the insurance, with a US plate you would have to have a green insurance card. Jan 4, 2020 at 12:56

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