Beaky99

Hi all,

I've recently relocated from the UK to live in Northern Virginia (L1B Visa for those who are interested) and am just getting round to getting my US License (after having to wait for the SSN...) or so I thought...

Off I head to the DMV Passport, UK Licence, SocSecurity Card and Lease Agreement (Proof of residency in hand) only to be told I don't have enough documentation.

What is required (for VA at least) is two pieces of documentation from a quite long list the problem being is consists almost predominantly of US Government documentation available to long US residents and Citizens. The only item I could match (or possibly even own) is the "Unexpired Foreign Passport with Visa". The list can be found here: http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/pdf/dmv141.pdf

Apparently my UK Drivers License is enough to get me a pass on having to take the drivers ed training but is not enough to certify who I am.

It appears essentially makes it impossible to get a license unless you were born in the US if the list is followed to the letter. There is a statement that other official documentation can be offered and considered. However I offered my UK birth certificate but the genius at the window asked if I had a US one instead as he couldn't accept it.

Has anyone else had issues with getting a US drivers license with UK based docs? (It was good enough to get me admitted to the country, but not to drive!)

What they have eventually done (after speaking to around 5-7 different people) is fax copies of the documents to the head office (in Richmond) and I'll apparently receive a letter in 3weeks letting me know if the secondary documentation requirement can be waived as I'm a special case - surely they must have had experience of this?!?

Anyway, apologies for a bit of a rant (I'm starting to get fed up of the process of moving now!). Any advice/opinions/shared experiences would be appreciated.

James

JAJ

What about a USCIS I-797 form mentioning you by name. There might be one in existence due to your L1-B sponsorship.


Each state has its own processes and what is valid in another state is not necessarily going to work in VA.

Have you asked your employer for assistance? Or any other employees who have transferred from overseas?

Beaky99

Thanks JAJ - Good suggestion but... unfortunately I came on a Blanket petition so there is not an I-797 with my name on.

I've got a few e-mails sent out to people I know who have transfered over also at my company but no-one who's got back to me is exactly in the same position dealing with the Virginia DMV. The ones who have replied so far had no issues in Boston or Plano, TX. Looking at the Mass DMV site this is because they have a different requirements list which includes a foreign DL as an option for proof of ID.

Cheers,
James

bevinva

Virginia is touchy about it because some of the 9/11 hijackers had VA drivers licenses. I got mine before the new requirements came about so I can't help there, once you get it don't let it expire or be suspended because then you have to prove who you are all over again. Good luck and let us know what they say. You might try going into a different DMV office if there is another one you can get to, sometimes it is as simple as the personal experience of the person you talk to.

lisa67

I drove around Michigan for 18 months before i went and sorted my US driving license out.With all this agro. I'd be tempted to say "stuff it" and not bother !!! (although I'm sure there's a "law" regarding this)
Good Luck .

Jerseygirl

Driving without a valid license probably means your insurance is invalid.

lisa67

Good job I didn't hit anyone then !!

Beaky99

I was told by a guy at CarMax that I couldn't buy a car from them without a US DL as you can't title or register it.

Although now I've read through the full DMV website and it appears the guy had no idea what he was talking about - the only requirements for a title/registration I can see are to have a Virginia address (which I do) and to get insurance (and this can even be waived for a $500 fee).

But now insurance means I still need to definately get it sorted soon, although I should be able to buy a car in the mean time... The two insurance companies I've now spoken to have said they can insure me on my UK DL, but that I need to get a US license within 30 days.

James

JAJ

I think you need to have an urgent conversation with your company HR ... if you can't get a VA driving license then it's hard to see how you can be expected to live in that state.

Bluegrass Lass

Hmmm, what if you applied for a state ID card first? It appears that the only forms required for this would be proof of legal presence and proof of residence. So show a few bills, and perhaps a few paycheck stubs along your passport to get the id card.

Could you then use the state ID card, along with your passport, as proof of eligibiltiy for a driver's license? Seems a roundabout way of doing it, but maybe it would work?

Good luck!

md95065

Looks like you have been caught out by Virginia's enthusiasm to comply with the Real ID Act of 2005 which seeks to finally transform the driver's license from a license to drive into a universal ID card (something which happened de facto a long time ago but, of course, without any standardization between the states).

Most states have dragged their feet on this for as long as possible (partly because of the cost but mostly, I suspect, just because they don't like being told what to do by the federal government) and have applied for extensions that mean they don't have to comply until 2009 or, possibly, 2011.

Bob

the requirements for a liquor/state ID less over there then? They're the same in MA....which is a big waste of money as none of the boozers in NH accept it, the missus was gutted

augigi

I had semi-similar issues, although they accepted my passport as ID. I ended up getting a state ID, with which I could buy and register my car and then got my D/L within the 30 days required by my insurance company (actually, it was about 35 days until I could schedule the test but they were fine with that).

AJP1

Welcome to VA!

I had similar problems earlier in the year, although I was here as a permanent resident. In the end I had to wait for the Green Card before the DMV would even entertain giving me a license. Not sure what you get on the L1, but it looks like something from INS/USCIS is your best bet. Just don't try using it as proof of residence - in my case I was living with the in-laws and therefore didn't have a tenancy agreement - VA DMV simply refused to accept any correspondence from the Federal government addressed to me there as proof of residence in VA!

On the positive side, the test is easy - just learn the road signs as you have to get 10/10 on those; and look forward to a gentle drive up and down the road!

Bluegrass Lass

A green card will be several years down the line for the OP. He was transfered by his company here, and I believe you have to have been living here for several years (5?) before he's eligible to apply for a GC. Unless he marries a US citizen, of course.

Sounds like you arrived via a spousal/fiance visa route, which is speedier in obtaining a GC.