DarrellS

My son is on a Soccer scholarship in Missouri and would like to get a car to get him from game to game, can anyone tell me what he needs to do to be able to drive in the US and generally what are the costs to achieve this, he is 20 but will be 21 later this year, he has held a full UK driving licence for just under 3 years and has no claims or violations.

civilservant

The premise of your question is incorrect. It's not 'what does he need to drive in the US' it's 'what does he need to do to obtain a license in Missouri'? Driver licensing is a state issue and is administered as such.

https://dor.mo.gov/driver-license/guide/

Note that a UK license is unlikely to be considered at out of state license. Some states do accept it as such, but I am not sure about Missouri.

Glasgow Girl

He needs to get a MO drivers license. Very easy, just make an appointment, bring the required documentation and take the driving and other theoretical tests. If he passed a UK test he will have no issues passing a US test, provided he studies the Highway Code.

His bigger challenge may be insurance. Most new arrivals from the UK can expect to pay in excess of $2,000 a year for the first year or two. Car insurance Is very expensive over here compared to the UK, and is compounded for foreign residents by the lack of a US driving record and US credit history. It gets better after a couple of years. Being under 21 will also hike the rates considerably. If he does get a car, he should be careful in what he selects, a fast or expensive car will only add to the cost. It may be more cost effective to use Uber or the like.

civilservant

Yep. My 19 year old stepdaughter doubled our insurance premium.

Nutmegger

It seems unusual that the team members aren't transported together to games.

excpomea

I would agree,
He wont need a car for transfers to matches.
He will need a car for absolutely everything else.

S Folinsky

I’m also not sure about that. By definition, an F-1 in status is a full time student. The manual is expressly not binding law. It may very well be that that OP’s sone does not need a MO license. I wonder how OP can find out.

Nonetheless, I think insurance will be problematical.

civilservant

The United Kingdom is not a state.

We might act like the 51st sometimes, but we are not.

So in the absence of a valid DL from any State it seems he will need to obtain an MO one.

DarrellS

Thank you all for your responses.
Just as a clarifier, my son has been in Missouri now fr the past year and this year starts his second year. For the most part he has had to share lifts with other members of the team to games that are within an hour of the college that he is at games further afield the college has laid on a coach. As most of you have said for everything else he does need a car as most of the facilities are a 15-20 minute drive from his apartment.

S Folinsky

We are using the term “state” in two different fashions. Of course, the UK is not one of the “states” that constitute one of the United States. In the international scheme of things, a “state” has 1) a definite geographical location, 2) a permanent population and 3) its own government. By that definition, the UK is definitely a “state.”

Curiously, the US Immigration & Nationality Act definitions have reference to “foreign state” and “state.”

101(a)(14) The term "foreign state" includes outlying possessions of a foreign state, but self-governing dominions or territories under mandate or trusteeship shall be regarded as separate foreign states.

101(a)(36) The term "State" includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

101(a)(38) The term "United States", except as otherwise specifically herein provided, when used in a geographical sense, means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

I would submit that the question for OP is whether or not the State of Missouri would recognize the UK driver’s license. By way of example, I have transited Missouri on my California license. My understanding is that a UK resident visiting the US could do the same. Inasmuch as the UK is outside the state of Missouri, any driver’s license is from “out of state.”

Hence my question if the UK license will suffice. The manual quoted does not really answer that question but suggests the possibility.

Glasgow Girl

This is becoming way over complicated. The driving test is easy to pass, and the documentation required is your I94, I20, passport, proof of residential address and social security number (or a letter refusing an SSN), all of which should be readily available to the OPs son. You are require to get a MO license within 30 days, unless there is a carve out for students. The school providing the scholarship should be able to assist the OPs son but as I said getting a license is easy and has many benefits so why not press the easy button.

S Folinsky

The above cited manual notes that there is a carve out for students with an out of state license. If a UK drivers license fits within that carve out, problem solved.

Nutmegger

At the bottom of the checklist page on the Missouri DMV site there is a way to contact them and ask a question. Perhaps the OP should inquire about the situation re licenses from other countries and let us all know the answer!

Missouri DMV