timetogo

I have a UK driving license, but it's the old paper kind, which i lost a long time ago. Just before coming out here (US) I tried to get the new photo kind so i could drive a car, but without a paper license you can't get the photo kind without sending off your passport. I couldn't send off my passport because i was coming back. I am not a resident, yet...does anyone know what my situation is in relation to driving a car? What do i need to do, is there a license I can get without being a resident?

Elvira

Not true. All you need to do is go and show your passport at a Post Office, and they'll process the application for a small fee.

You need some sort of recognised licence to drive in the US. What is your status here?

md95065

You should be able to take a driving test and get a license in the US, but the precise rules vary from state to state (don't they always!).

In California and (I think) pretty much everywhere else you don't have to be a resident to apply for and get a driver's license (after taking the driving test, of course) , but you do have to prove that your in the US legally and, if you are not a resident, you will be issued with a license that expires on the date that your "legal presence" in the US ends.

Your state almost certainly has a web site for its Department (or, possibly, Bureau) of Motor Vehicles which will give you the exact information that you need. A Google search for something like "Illinois drivers license" substituting the appropriate state should find it for you.