10.080 Members of NATO

Members of a force or civilian component of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), who are not United States citizens and are shown as the registered owner or lessee of a vehicle are exempt from the vehicle license fee (VLF) portion of the registration. NATO member countries are listed in the Nonresident Military (NRM) Exemption section in Chapter 12.

The following must be submitted:

• A completed North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Status of Forces Agreement (REG 5046) form.
• If applying in person, NATO member identification (ID) must be presented as follows:
  • A member of a force of a NATO country must present both of the following:
    • A personal ID card issued by the member’s home NATO country showing their name, date of birth, service organization, and a photograph.
    • Movement orders in the member’s home NATO country language and English certifying they are ordered to be in California. Scan each document to ensure it identifies the applicant, the member’s country, and the applicant’s assignment to duty in California (movement orders do not have a common format.)
  • A civilian component of a country that is a member of NATO must show a valid passport from their home country that describes their status information.
• Verify the applicant’s eligibility for the exemption.
• If applying in person, verify the applicant’s NATO member ID.
  Mail applications may be processed without verification of NATO ID.
• Dateline stamp and initial the ID and Movement Order or Passport Verified line on the REG 5046.
• Continue processing the transaction as usual.
  It is not necessary to verify an applicant’s ID on returning report of deposit of fees (RDF) applications, if the REG 5045 has an original dateline stamp and initials.

Refer to Chapter 12 for additional NATO members exemptions.