henryh

Yes, this is exactly what has happened.

markonline1

Can I butt in on this thread if the OP doesn't mind? So, I'm about to take my written CA test next week. I was under the impression that only entitled me to a learners permit that entitled me to drive with someone who has a full licence alongside me, regardless of the fact I've been driving for 22 years in the UK. Are guys saying that when I pass the written test, I can also get a temporary DL that allows me to drive alone until I pass the on the road test or until the temporary licence runs out?

Sally Redux

Yes, as long as you have your UK licence and visa/green card or whatever.

markonline1

Great. I didn't even know they existed until I read this thread. That's good news.

avlm24

Sorry for using this thread, but as my question is related it might benefit from being in the same thread.

So, is there a benefit of having temporary license as opposed to driving based on your UK license ? e.g. Insurance costs, longer validity period etc.

Thanks.

Michael

California only gives you 10 days to get a California license once you become a resident. You can push that number a bit and normally if you get stopped by the police, he/she probably won't ticket you for driving without a valid license but the longer you keep driving on your UK license, the greater the chance of being ticketed for driving without a valid license. The easy way for them to know is that if you have a car registered in California for a period of weeks or months and are driving on a UK license, they know you have been a resident for at least as long as you registered the car.

Usually your insurance premium will also be higher if you drive on a UK license. The temporary license is issued since is impossible to get an appointment for the road test in the ten days that the law requires so the state issues you a temporary license for 90 day giving you time to make an appointment and take the road test without losing your driving privileges.

miggy_magic

Hi avlm24,

If you intend to stay in California, then you are required to obtain a CA driver license - or state ID if you don't intend to drive whilst you stay here. Both forms of ID are issued by the DMV. There may be similar requirements in other states. You may continue to use your UK license for a while but that exception is really intended for visitors/tourists driving a rental vehicle during their business trip or holiday, not those who stay for here on a visa for employment. That's my interpretation anyway.

In your case, I imagine your UK license is no longer valid since you don't stay in the UK any more, presumably.

The benefits of having a US driver license include:
- compliance with the law
- lower auto insurance premium (in time, maybe not immediately)
- possessing the de-facto recognised form of ID
- purchasing vehicles is soooo much easier, believe me

Your auto insurance broker may quote you a lower premium if you present evidence of a clean UK driving history. You can write to the DVLA and for a small fee, I think five quid, they'll send you a letter confirming your history that you can show the insurance company representative. Not all insurance companies may consider this, though.

In California, the DMV will tell you to obtain a driver license within 10 days. My interpretation of that requirement was that it's aimed at US residents moving to that state from another US state. For UK citizens such as myself, obtaining a license within 10 days of arriving here was not possible since I needed to wait about 8 weeks for my SSN to arrive, which is one of the pre-requisites of obtaining a license with the DMV - except if you are legally exempt from requiring an SSN during your stay in the US.

Based on my experience, and for the benefit of others just arriving here, I would recommend you make an appointment at the DMV immediately upon receiving your SSN to first do your written test. Assuming you pass the written test, which is rather simple but worth preparing adequately for, you SHOULD immediately be issued a temporary driver license. Warning: I say "SHOULD" because in my case, the admin person at the DMV office printed off a permit in front of me, which looks almost identical as a 'temporary license', even though she was telling me at the time she was giving me a temporary license. She must've pressed the wrong button on her computer. By the time I realised, I was back at home. I tried calling the DMV but they would not do anything about it. I could tell they weren't interested in fixing their own error. So do please check at this point whilst you're still in the DMV office that your paperwork is in order. See my OP, photo and responses ad nauseum.

To potentially stray further from your question but perhaps for the benefit of others new to the States, in California at least, you cannot do the behind-the-wheel test on the same day as your written test, as is well documented here and elsewhere on the web. There will probably be a minimum of 2 weeks between each appointment as there is a significant backlog at the DMV building up. (Other states may have more relaxed operations and allow the written and behind-the-wheel test to be performed on the same day). During that period between tests, you may drive unaccompanied with only a temporary license that I referred to above. I think you have a maximum of 90 days to arrange and pass your behind-the-wheel test. So until you pass the entire test process, your current license status is important. If the cops pull you over for whatever reason, and you only have a driver's permit (not a temporary license) or a UK license which may not be valid any more, then you should not be surprised if they take a keen interest in your circumstances and probe you in an uncomfortable manner. This was my worry for a few weeks until I passed my behind-the-wheel test.

Thankfully that's all behind me now. I hope sharing my experiences with others may be useful.

Cheers, mm

CAdreaming

Im in CA - passed my written test and was issued with a permit which said I could drive only with someone else in the car with me until I passed my test

This was fine as it motivated me to take my practical test asap
Good luck

FinnDiego

Technically a longer validity period as others have noted, although you won't realistically be able to even get the temporary license before the ten-day window is over if you are a new arrival...

Most importantly it does give you an actual California license for insurance and other purposes, making it easier to buy a car. My insurance company couldn't find me in the system even with the temporary license though... Taking the driving test in your own car is much more relaxing than dealing with an instructor's car, a rental with inconsistent paperwork requirements etc.

Plus it's not like you need to do anything special to get one. If you are eligible to get a California license you'll definitely want one (for driving and maybe even more importantly to use as an ID - it's nice to just be able to show a local piece of plastic and not have to explain yourself every time you want a drink...) and you should get one once you've taken the mandatory written exam.

Michael

Did you have a UK license? If you did, then the clerk at the DMV screwed up by issuing you a driver's permit instead of a temporary license.

CAdreaming

yep had my UK licence for 30 years
I did receive a temp licence to start with but then a few days later got a drivers permit in the mail -rather than try to sort it all out I just took my test

Doesn't matter now as im all passed and good to go and don't have to keep repeating to myself "keep right keep right keep right"

markonline1

Just to add, you need more than just a SSN to take your written test here in California. You need state issued I.D such as your EAD or green card if you have one. As said, the written test is fairly straight forward. I was issued a temporary license that was good for 3 months if I remember correctly. I had quite a wait to take my behind the wheel test, which I have a week today. Can't wait LOL
Oh, and the 10 day limit applies to anyone staying permanently in the state. If you've moved over here and you're driving past the 10 day limit on your UK license, you are breaking the law.

miggy_magic

Mark,

Indeed you do need more than an SSN, which is why i said it was one of the pre-requisites, not the only one.

For those about to do their written test, you should show the DMV clerk your passport with visa and, if you entered via a port with electronic I-94 processing, a print-out of your i-94 which can be retrieved via this US govt website: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html

Good luck next week btw. Have you remembered your hand signals and how to use your parking brake??? Think they're often overlooked by those sitting their tests! :-)

mm

Zez

Hand signals? Not read my drivers handbook yet! Are they for if your indicators break?

We arrive on 7sept and planning on taking written test ASAP. I don't have a SS number and won't get one as I'm accompanying my husband and don't have work authorisation. Not legally being able to drive will be a big issue... Likely to have a school for the kids that I can't walk to! What will I need to take my test?

miggy_magic

Hi Zez,

Yes, hand signals! Need to know these when the sun's too bright for other road users to see your actual lights, not necessarily when the lights don't work.
http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/signaling.htm

Re. SSN, if you are legally exempt from requiring an SSN, as you are, then you don't have to provide one. See:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#SSN

You will need your passport with visa and your i-94 to present when you turn up at your local DMV office (scroll up to see one of my previous posts). Depending on your port of entry, the i-94 may be done electronically and no longer stapled into a page on your passport. If it is done electronically, then you can retrieve your I-94 from this website:
https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html

The relevant section for you to look at is this:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#two500

Hope that helps.

mm