Thackattack

Somewhere i read that my Uk licence was good for a year but i cant find where that was. I did get one speeding ticket and the Cop thought that my licence wasnt good but i got insured with it. he was fine with it but then again he didnt fully know what the law was with it.

Texans, will i need to take both the driving and written test or what?

Any help is much appreciated

Jaxbar

http://driversed.com/DMV/Texas-foreign-drivers.aspx

This link seems to say you will need to do both tests.

If it is anything like Florida you will have nothing to worry about.

BigDavyG

Except possibly for still not having a Tx license

scrubbedexpat097

Who do you have insurance with as I can't believe you managed to get it without a Tx drivers licence

The driving test and written test (if it hasn't changed in the last 19 years) is very simple and straightforward so you shouldn't have a problem.

dbj1000

Like you, we left it nearly a year before getting our Texas licenses. To answer Sugarmooma, we were able to get insurance through Progressive, who were more than happy to insure us on British licenses... for $3800 per year! :scared:

Thackattack, you have to take both the written and practical driving test, and both are a total joke. If you can put the car into drive, you'll pass. Schedule a test, get it over with and then laugh about how much the test tells you about why Texans are the worst drivers on earth!

Bob

check out the Texas DMV to see what you need to take the test, but you'll need to do the written and the two min practical which is pretty easy.

Texas is one of the few states where you can use your foreign license for 12 months, but it can't have been cheap on your insurance...

snorkmaiden

We drove for a year as well and I can't find the site that had the info on, but a few days after the first 30 days were up, my husband was pulled over for speeding, and the officer gave him a ticket for not having a Texas Driving Licence. We told him we didn't need one but he didn't believe us, so my husband went to the court and told the judge instead, he said the officer should have known the law and that was that.

I had to do both parts of the test but the written part was just answering questions on the computer, you can pass any you don't know and not all of them come back up, it's frightening how easy it is, the kid in the cubicle next to me was on his mobile phone with his friend giving him the answers.

Then all I had to do was drive around the block. The instructor was in the car for less than five minutes. He told me I was a good driver and I just had to go back in to get my photograph taken

Thackattack

Thanks for all your info, so yes it was valid for one year, THANKYOU!

I got insured through State Farm in Wylie, my 2004 saturn vue and my wifes ford focus cost us about 140 a month so less than 2 grand a year and this year it dropped to about a grand! Not bad at all.

I really appreciate the info about the test, the uk tests are hard and it seems like these are a pushover.

hey where in Dallas did you go for your test?

Toontje

DMV is the old name. Search for DPS (Department of Public Safety).



Have a good evening.

Pony

A year, wow. I got mine after 2 weeks. But my insurer said he could half my policy premium if I did. That was all the motivation I needed.
You need to sit both tests, they are very simple to pass.
The written (actually a written or touch screen PC - your choice) is simple. It contains some questions I did not prepare for and that were frankly irrelevant to me (example "what is the maximum sentence for an 18 year old convicted of DUI" - not being 18 I didn't bother to learn that one). The actual driving test lasts about 15 minutes. It is very basic and a competent driver should easily pass. If your ever in College Station, Texas around A&M then you'll notice that even a moron can pass their driving test - the town is full of kids in raised trucks and SUV's on a mission to end either yours or their life (or both).


Main web site:
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/

Office locations:
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/adminis...dex/search.asp



Staff are rude, very rude. It is apparently a known problem. I guess that Marge Simpsons twin sisters are a valid representation of the average experience. Don't take it personally.

snorkmaiden

I went to the East Dallas office on Northwest Highway. My husband works down in that area, so I just dropped him off at work one morning and then went along and did the test without telling him because I wanted to get my licence before he got his, it gave my hubby a good chuckle when I turned up with the temporary licence paper they give you while you wait for the real thing to arrive. I think he said "you bloody cow" which was exactly the reaction I was looking for

gsnichol

For good reason I think - when I went to the main Tucson MVD office for my test/licence getting I noticed that the demographic of people there was 'interesting'; my boss later commented that the only people who go to the MVD to do things are those with no internet access, since all payments, licence renewals etc in Arizona can be done online. So the folk who work there probably get a lot of hassle from some of society's miserables and thus are rude to everyone.

As for the practical test - piece of cake. For the written/touch screen it's probably best to memorise the alcohol limits and penalties. Otherwise, it's just common sense.

anabella

Here I've been told that I can only use the British license for 90 days from date of arrival..

TruBrit

yep both written and driving here but so easy, no probs and good luck just incase

Bob

depends on the state your in, some have 10 days, some have 12 months, most are between 30-90 days though.