Anonymous wrote:The rest of the replies basically answer the question but I'll reply anyway.
When you move to the state, you must do a vehicle safety inspection which requires someone at a shop to inspect the vehicle and repair as needed. Many states have annual safety inspections. Maryland does not have an annual inspection. You only do it once, when bringing the car into the state from out of state.
Once you have your car inspected, you can register it i in Maryland.
Maryland has an emissions inspection that is done every other year (many other states also have this per federal regulations). Once your car is registered (also every other year when the registration is renewed), you will have to take it to an emissions inspection station. Basically, all you do is get your car in line, wait until it's your turn, then get out. They plug your car's computer into their machine to make sure it's operating normally then you pay some nominal fee and leave.
Good summary. I’ve lived in Maryland forever and didn’t get all of this until I bought a used car at a dealer in Jersey, and then he explained it completely wrong and I had to go to MVA twice to do everything in the right order.