pipsi

Hi All,

In a couple of weeks I'll be moving to FL, my British driving licence photo card expires in 2016 at which point the photo will need updating. My licence is valid until 2052 when I will turn 70.

My visa is valid expires in 2019 and from reading other posts on here it seems most people have been given licences that expire around the same time as their visa. Is this irrespective of the date when the photo card needs updating?

The question I'm really asking is, will my FL licence be valid until my visa expires in 2019? Or will it only be issued until 2016 when my photo card needs updating?

MidAtlantic

Your British licence has absolutely no bearing on your FL licence.

Jerseygirl

Whether you have a UK DL or not you will be required to get a Florida DL. IMO getting a Florida DL should be high on your list of priorities.


EU law states that you cannot renew your UK DL if you are not a UK resident.

pipsi

It is, I didn't say it wasn't. My question was how long would it be valid for?

I will be maintaining an address in the UK, but that has no bearing on my question.

Ray

A florida licence last until the date on your I-94

Pulaski

Every other state too.

pipsi

As I'll be studying, I believe the date on my I-94 will be replaced with D/S (Duration of study) which is basically as long as it takes me to complete. With this is mind are they then likely to go off the date of my visa?

sir_eccles

Duration of status.

Bob

If you're coming here on a student visa, it's one of the situations where you won't need to get a local state license.

Would mean you'd not get in state tuition rates for most places though.

Would also need to maintain a valid UK license.

pipsi

My fees are paid for as part of my teaching assistantship so in state or out of state makes no difference to me.

I've been told that I do need a FL by the university and it's actually on the list of stuff they require me to do in the first few weeks. I'm also under the impression that the finance company I'm getting my car through require me to have a FL licence too.

md95065

Not necessarily - as always, it depends on which state you are in and precisely what the law in that state requires.

Yes - you should definitely get a FL license, even if only for the convenience of having one.

As for when your FL license will expire - who knows - ultimately it probably depends more on the particular DMV employee that you encounter then what the law actually says. What most states are looking for is "proof of lawful presence in the US" and the date on which that "proof" expires. Given an I-94 endorsed with D/S they might give you a license with whatever the "normal" expiry date is for Florida, or the might give you one that expired on the date that your visa expires (even thought that doesn't make much sense) or the date on which your passport expires.

Bottom line is that, regardless of what *should* happen, it is hard to predict what *will* happen - so just go and get a license and see when it actually expires. Anything else will just be a waste of time because whatever someone at the DMV may tell you will have little bearing on what actually happens.

pipsi

Thank you for your reply, great advice. Definitely the most useful response I've had, thanks again.