jtj1

Hi All,

Just thought I would share some information, to help others, again, everyone's circumstances differ and this was my experience and am putting it out to help give an insight and help others, I am writing all this from memory as I did some of these a few months ago, so apologies for any omissions, but I'll try my best, am sure I will be corrected.

State ID
This is the first document I obtained and will prove invaluable in helping you obtain your driving licence and social security number easier, in my opinion, so go to your local DMV office and take proof of residency, visa, passport, marriage certificate, etc. cost me I think something like $7 but this will reduce the amount you pay for your driving licence. Be preparred to be sat waiting in a line for your number to be called out... even though it appears that there are plenty of people stood around just talking.. lol

Social Security
You will need a copy of your most recent I-94, this will be given to you by the custom agent on entry to the US or you may be given a website to obtain this, print this off, take this along with a copy of your visa paperwork, passport, marriage certificate, state ID. You need to be in the US for 10 days before applying for this and it can take up to 14 days to arrive after your application, the worst part is sitting in the office waiting to be called up.

Driving Licence
If you have a state ID this process will be very easy, go to your local DMV office, with your state ID, if not take all your legal documents, proof of residency, visa, passport, etc. You will take a written test, there are plenty of online tests to practice for each state, 27 questions and only allowed to get 5 wrong, with 2 passes that don't count very easy questions, common sense, just take care with your left and right turns :-) Once you have passed your test, you can call the local DMV office (as your test is taken with a member of the police department) to give you a waiver to take the practical test immediately otherwise you may have to wait 30 days in some states, and within the 30 days you are not allowed to drive unsupervised, the practical test is the easiest test you will take, it took me 5 mins, I circled the test center, taking 4 rights, it was the middle of the day and not one other car was on the road where I took my test. You will then be given paperwork to go back to the DMV office and upgrade your state ID if you have one, for a driving licence and pay any associated fees, I think it was around $20 for me.

Mobile Phones
Search your local area for the main provider, check coverage as some providers have poor coverage in certain areas, as I didn't have a credit status or a social security number (I applied straight away) I was hit with a service charge from At&t, but took out a shared plan, so I can add other numbers for an extra $10 a month to share the data, minutes, etc. Seems ok to me, I get something like 20gb, unlimited texts, minutes for $20 as I utilized my companies bring your own device plan, where a discount is offered on the rate for also using my phone as my company phone, I did this in the UK to, so no hardship to me.

TV/Internet
As I originally went into a leased apartment in a gated community, until I knew where I wanted to buy/lease my own please, I was only allowed to go with At&t, seems okay I dont rate American TV so I stream TV online, but I didn't come here to sit and watch TV so spend most of my free time outside, again I was hit with a service charge from At&t, after looking around, there are plenty of better deals elsewhere so just make sure you shop around.

General
So one of the strangest things for me, is mobile phones and driving, it is unusual to see someone driving around me when they are not on their phones, which took me a bit of getting used too.

In the first few weeks, I found myself converting the price of things I was buying back to pounds to see if I was getting a deal, do not do this, what does it matter, you are not taking it back to the UK, this is where you live now, so just pay it and get on with it, yes check other US places but don't waste your time converting it back.

Petrol is so much cheaper, at the moment its like $1.90 where I am and falling, I am amazed at how cheap it is, but saying that you do drive every where with the air conditioning on full blast, people look at me funny when I walk places.

The banking side of things over here, appears to be a little bit behind what you may have experienced in the UK, but it is catching up, so for example you can buy things under a certain amount, without entering a pin or signing for things, a lot of places wont accept pin at the moment, its signature and shops wont check the signature or ask for ID, my advice is to keep all receipts and double check your online statements in a few days, especially if you have tipped, to make sure the right amount is taken from you account.

Clothes are dirt cheap out here in my opinion, especially named brands that charge a bomb back in the UK, so that's a massive tick in my box.

Facebook always helps get connected and learn things out, its used much more other here, I didn't use it back in the UK, but have found it invaluable other here, so I found local soccer camps, gyms, events, attractions, so I'd recommend that.

That's all I can think of at the moment, ask any questions and I'll share my experience, I know I had loads of questions prior and during my move, so would love to help anyone out.

loubiblu

A nice summary, but several of your points are State specific. In Illinois, you need the same verification documents (ie SSN) to obtain a State ID as you do for a drivers license. Also your description of the procedure for obtaining your DL is different to our experience in Il.

People will get more from your advice if you mention where you're located.

Good summary of TV/phones/shopping experiences.

jtj1

Sorry thought I had put that at the top, silly me.. lol

Arkansas

rpjs

Only people entering on non-immigrant visas can get I-94s. Those entering on immigrant visas will need to show the endorsed immigrant visa (or actual Green Card if it arrives quickly) when applying for a social security number.

Good write up nonetheless - thank you for adding to the hive mind!

sparkleandglitter

Thank you for posting this. I agree with loubiblu, the difficult thing is that many things are state specific.

IMHO it is worth doing at least a few practice tests for the theory test and to have a quick read of the driver's manual (a free PDF download in MA). Most questions are common sense but there were quite a few questions that threw me on the MA permit practice tests. There are also a lot of facts and figures you need to learn about fines and suspension periods (some of which only apply to Junior Operator Licences, and not you as an adult drive, but you will need to learn these as the test is the same!)

For example, in MA, one of the test answers states that you must turn using the hand over hand steering method. This is not taught in the UK, where (at least with every instructor I had) you are taught the push-pull feed method.

jtj1

In Arkansas it was the hand over hand method, which is not what I was taught in the UK, that i found strange as it was my opinion that this method was more dangerous as you could end up with crossed arms...

One thing I would say to people also is when out shopping for households goods, such as sofa, tables, tv's, chairs, wardrobe, anything big, I would definitely haggle a discount with the seller, which is not that common in the UK, I managed to get reductions on all my items and/or free delivery and setup, so bear that in mind when out shopping for goods. I'd imagine this is similar across all states.

One thing I have noticed here in Arkansas and has been the same in some of the other the states I have visited is that when you are out having a meal they are quick to clear your table to move you on, as they want to turn the table around again, not something I am used to, as I like to sit and chat for a while, so don't be alarmed when they are bringing you your bill.

When you get your bill, they will bring you a receipt and you have the choice of cash or card, if you pay cash, straightforward, leave the cash and tip, if paying by card, they will take your card away and bring you back 3 receipts, the top copy is for the seller, so include a tip amount, new subtotal and sign, you take away the actual receipt and copy of card swiped receipt, it is advisable to record the tip amount on your copy to check at a later date. This was a bit unusual at first as its not common practice in the UK.

Bob

When the missus did the MA test, it was all related to under 21's, bar 2 questions on actual driving for the theory, only need 14 from 20.

A few more questions up in Maine, something like 30 from 35 when I did it, but similar proportion of questions related to under 21's and the penalties etc.

It is easy, just need to read the drivers hand book and learn stupid stuff you don't need.

Driving test is for the most part pretty simple, couple of minutes with minimal skill and manoeuvres. If you're really unlucky, you might have to actually get on the road and do more than one block

State ID's, from experience have generally been a waste of money, unless you're not eligible for a drivers license. MA, you can get a liquor ID, which is different from a state ID but still rather useless as a lot of places still don't accept them, especially out of state...good money racquet for the state mind

Folks in MA, get a Charlie card, even if you're not in Boston, because if you do head in, T, bus etc get better rates and there are some other places that get discounts on entry for having one.

Anyone with a BoA card can get into a bunch of museums free on certain days of the month.

Library networks, if they're anything like MA, worth joining as many as you can. Only need to be a state resident in MA, so if you're in the burbs, join the Minuteman Network and out further in the Metrowest, join the CMas Network and you'll be able to book out a different array of museum passes for free or big discounts, which is handy for anyone with kids as they're horridly expensive otherwise for the most part.

sparkleandglitter

Bob, thanks so much for this info! I followed your suggestion in another post and joined one of the Boston Brits meetups and had a lovely time.
Working up courage to sit my driving test - glad I didn't bother getting a state ID after reading your post

Bob

It really is easy, once you're done a bit of driving here. Much nicer folks and less waiting if you head to the burbs.

Milford is just horridly busy, Worcester is worse, Leominster I don't know but it's not a nice place anyway but I hear Attleboro RMV is really quick and nice, so might be worth a detour out for and it's not that far from Boston or most of the metrowest region as long as there isn't a Patriots game on.