S.Susan

Dear all ,
hope you all having a great Easter.

I have eaten far too many Kinder chocolate eggs , feeling awfully guilty ... I hope by moving my fingers on the key board will help me to consume all the extra calories ....lol....

Anyway , my questions are :

-does anyone know how long I can use my UK licence once I have landed there?

-if I bought a car straight away , is the insurance going to be much more expensive if it is not US licence ?

- what is the procedure to change it ? Can I we just transfer the licence ? Or do I need to take a new test for it ? If it is the case, I hope it don't involve a parallel parking because I m absolutely crap at it.

- I have 8 years no claim on my car insurance , is it going to be a bonus when I purchase the car insurance in US?
Or the foreign driving history will not be considered at all.

Many thanks for your help in advance !

Have a great Esster ! No more chocolate eggs for me !!

S.Susan

how can I edit the topic of my post ?

Chesten

I'm sure you'll get more knowledgeable replies than mine but here goes from my experience.

The limit to update to local licence seems to vary by state. As far as I can tell you need to visit a local DMV office to take a test. You can't convert licenses.

In Tennessee where we are, it's 30 days. (My husband hasn't done it and we're 9 weeks in). I downloaded the local manual (don't think there's a national Highway Code equivalent) before we left uk. Study your manual, theory test questions come from this. I could do my theory test without pre booking. But the wait for the practical test was several weeks which took me outside my 30 day window. I couldn't do anything about it so I didn't sweat it.

My practical test was different to others described on other threads as I *did* leave the parking lot but I didn't go on main roads, just neighbourhood roads with a 25mph limit. I didn't do any manoeuvres, see any traffic lights, see other cars, change lanes, cross any tricky intersections and I only reversed when I backed out of my parking spot at the start of the test. We chatted about kids and travel throughout. Surreal.

I encountered the uk licence when applying for insurance thing. I found Progressive accepted this OK but options may vary by state and time spent searching. Liberty mutual wouldn't entertain it for example. But my car bought from Carmax took so long to transfer that I amended my quote to a US licence in the end before I bought my policy. Didn't make much difference to premium probably because didn't take my no claims history. I'd love to find an insurer that does. My progressive policy is for six months so maybe I'll do better when renewing.

Edited afterthought:
My husband's employer only gave 2-weeks hirecar in the relocation package. May not be relevant but if negotiating a package, get longer to take you beyond this driving test stage. What we did manage to do was continue with the same hire car on the heavily discounted corporate rate, but free would've been better!
Good luck.

scrubbedexpat099

CA I thought was 10 days? DMV site will tell you.

Yes it will cost you more and US dies not have a NCB system as such, they will tell you you get discounts for everything.

Noorah101

I can do it for you. What would you like it to say?

Rene
Moderator

S.Susan

Hi , on the title , I should have typed change driving license but it is hand driving license .

Thanks

Noorah101

Done!

Rene

S.Susan

thanks ! I will make sure I drink my morning tea before I type anything next time....thanks !

SanDiegogirl

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1...dl_info#two500

- The above states that you need to get a Californian driving licence within 10 days of becoming resident. That is totally unrealistic but you should APPLY to get a new licence as soon as possible following arrival. If stopped by police if you cannot show that you have at least applied they can get pretty shirty.

- the insurance is going to be very high whether or not you have a Californian driving licence as you have no credit history.

- some insurance companies take a no claims record into account, others no.

- yes, you will need to take a written and driving test.

Pulaski

Wot she said!

The clock starts ticking when you rent or buy a home, start a job, put a child in school or college, etc. So pretty much anything that says you have made California your home.

The twelve months some people cite is a federal concession for visitors and is overridden by the state laws when you take up residence.

Twinkle0927

Obviously things vary from state to state so your experience may be different... In Washington I couldn't buy a car until I had a WA license. I could be added to the insurance on The Husband's car with my U.K. license when I arrived but not buy my own car. Washington also seems to be (from what I've read here about other states) one of the only places where you have to do a driving test similar to the U.K. - no parking lot test for us! I was on a multi-lane highway in the snow, around roundabouts and so on.

LeavingLondon

.

BEVS

Note: Pop up post from new registration asking about how to edit posts has been moved to Site Feedback.

S.Susan

thanks a lot for your reply. the company provide 1 month car rental in the relocation package .I hope I can get the US licence asap, ideally within the first month . if not, we will definitely do what you suggested, continue renting the car with corporate discount !honestly I m still traumatised by my driving text in Sidcup , southeast London . after so may years, I still remember I was shaking so much and cant even pressing down the clutch ! that's why I was desperately hoping we don't have to take a test in US...lol !!

Pulaski

I am not sure that what you will take in the US could be reasonably called a "test".