DavB

Hi All
I have been living in Florida on a b1 b2 visa off and on since sept 2017
my question is can i apply for a Florida drivers licence when i am there.
Some say you cant and others people say it is possible to apply for one.
Reason i want one is so that i can take my motorcycle test while i am there.
I own a property there and would just like a motorcycle.i know i could take the test in the UK but it is much easier and cheaper to do this in florida
that is if i have a Florida drivers licence
I read somewhere that actually, in FL you can apply for the driver license. It only will be good for the remaining period of your I-94. It will be just temporary is this true
hope someone knows the answer
I have been to my local DMV and to be honest they don't seem to have a clue as i dont
Cheers Dave

BenK91

I can't see how you could, neither visa allows a permanent intent to reside there. That'd be no different to an American coming over to the U.K. to visit, getting a six month stamp in their passport and then getting a UK license.

You can't use your U.K. motorcycle endorsement/license to ride a bike out in FL...?

civilservant

You have a B2 - you are not 'living' in Florida you are visiting for 6 months of the year (or however long you stay) The terms are not interchangeable.

I disagree with the above, I believe that you can so long as you are in a valid status (which you are as a B2 holder) - the problem I forsee is that it would probably expire at the end of your B2 stay and you would have to replace it every time. I know certainly when I had one in GA as a GC holder, it expired at the end of the initial 2 years. I cannot imagine FL is any different with respect to Duration of Stay.

BenK91

This will be handy for you, I'd personally disagree with the above but I have no real evidence to back up my thoughts so I'm just going with an assumption.

FL DMV

civilservant

Page 69 onwards discusses the specifics required for a FL DL. I don't see anything that would preclude you as a non-immigrant B1 holder from getting a DL, but that it would expire when your B2 stay expires which would make it largely pointless.

It even says specifically:

DavB

That is what i thought so if i passed my motorcycle test in Florida when my I94 expires so does my motorcycle licence. When i returned to florida would I have to take the cycle test again or just reapply for another licence for 6 months
cheers

sun_burn

I can't speak for FL, but I got my first US DL (TX) while here on a B1 visa. Later got another state DL while on an F1 student visa while in graduate school, and yet another state's DL while on H1, extended during my I485 years, through naturalization .

Rete

NYS would give you a DL on a H-1 and on the F-1 but definitely not on the B1-2 visas. Each state, different laws.

TheKingOfHearts

TX will issue a DL to anyone with legal status, be that non-immigrant visa, immigrant or citizen.

However for those issued to non-immigrants it has "Limited Term Drivers License" written on it and it'll expire when your i94 does - however, it is a simple process to renew it when you have a new i94 date. It is a pain in the ass though none the less.

zzrmark

Correct, FL licence will be valid for only as long as the I-94 is.
You could probaby do the bike 'test' (which, to Florida's credit, isn't a test but a motorcycle handling and safety course - a great idea when you consider that they give driving licences away with every purchase of a packet of M&Ms) without having a licence but would have to check that with the training school.

Adding a motorcycle endorsement to my driving licence was the first thing I did when I became a permanent resident, I had looked into it when I was just a visitor on the VWP but renewing the licence every three months was going to be a tad daft. I have been here permanently for three years now and haven't had much desire to become another traffic statistic, Florida drivers are absolutely abysmal, so still no bike.

It's the first time I've not had two wheels since the early eighties, a good portion of which they were my only transport. Speaking as an experienced biker, I would advise anyone who doesn't have a death wish to get their experience elsewhere and avoid riding in Florida at all costs.

DavB

Thanks for the info guys much appreciated

scrubbedexpat099

In Colorado you do not even need legal status.

zzrmark

So how do you get round the Colorado DMV's own stipulation that you must prove 'lawful residence'? What is it that they call an urban myth nowadays?

scrubbedexpat099

CO-RCSA SB251 Driver Licenses and IDs

Colorado Road and Community Safety Act (CO-RCSA SB251)

Senate Bill 13-251, The Colorado Road and Community Safety Act authorizes the issuance of a Colorado driver license, instruction permit or identification card to those individuals who either cannot demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S. or can only demonstrate temporary lawful presence in the U.S.

For those unable to demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S.:

Appointments are required for individuals who are unable to demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S. To schedule an appointment, please click here and choose the yellow box at the top left of the page that says "CO-RCSA (SB 251)" or call 303-205-2335. Appointments can be scheduled up to 90 days out. New appointments are released at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. each business day.

Services are offered at the following offices:

• Westgate - 3265 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood – 78 first time applicant appointments and 15 renewal appointments per day.
• Grand Junction - 222 S. 6th St., #111, Grand Junction – 26 first time applicant appointments and 5 renewal appointments per day.
• Colorado Springs - 2447 N. Union Blvd., Colorado Springs – 26 first time applicant appointments and 5 renewal appointments per day.
• Aurora - 14391 E. 4th Ave., Aurora - 52 renewal only appointments per day.

Individuals who are unable to attend their appointment should call 303-205-2335 to reschedule or cancel.

Renewal: Please see question 48 on the frequently asked questions document (Español) for renewal instructions. Renewal only appointments at the Aurora office may be made only by calling 303-205-2335.

For those able to demonstrate temporary lawful presence in the U.S.:
Individuals who are able to demonstrate temporary lawful presence in the U.S. may apply at any state driver license office. An appointment is only required for the driving test. You can make an appointment (use gray boxes) via our appointment scheduling website at the offices that have scheduling capabilities or call 303-205-5901 to schedule a driving test.

zzrmark

Interesting
Strikes me as odd that the only way people will know about that is either by word of mouth or by some other previous knowledge of the act, the average Joe reading through the state's DMV site is only told 'lawful presence only' need apply.

Either way, Florida likes you to be legal, it doesn't give two hoots as to whether you're a crap driver or not and I should imagine you'd need to go to a metropolitan type office to use your I-94. The office I received my licence from seemed to have fairly knowledgeable staff but it didn't matter how nicely I'd written down my SSN they weren't going to accept my application until they saw the actual card, anything diverting from the norm might well overload the officers brain in a slower, more rural office!