SB100 newbie question

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Hi guys,

sorry if this has been covered but wasn't obvious to me in reading posts here and the CA DMV site, etc.

Once you complete the kit (in my case planning on an ERA) you do all steps per this DMV page http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/spcnsreg.htm prior to your first visit to the DMV, and then are you in the queue for the 500 SB100 certs that are given out on Feb 2 the next year?

Seems like I must be missing something, you can get a temporary registration in order to drive the car for the various inspections right?

I read a google groups thread on this someone posted but it still wasn't clear to me the sequence to get a VIN and temp reg versus getting one of those 500 certs each year!

thanks....Steve