richyje7727

We are moving to TX shortly. My son has now turned 16 and will be eager to get his US driving licence.

Has anyone any experience of a son acquiring a driving licence as an E2 dependant ?

Also, is it similar to the UK how they learn to drive ? Can they drive with Parents supervision ?

What about Insurance for a 16 year old ? Expensive ?

Thanks

Noorah101

Your son won't be eligible for a SSN which is usually required to obtain a driver's license. He can go to the SS office and request a letter from them stating he is not eligible to receive a SSN so he can show that to DMV when they ask for his SSN.

He probably needs to get a learners permit first.

insurance will probably be expensive, yes.

Rene

scrubbedexpat099

Every State has its own rules so head over to the Texas DMV site, a lot of Children seem to learn through School.

Insurance for a 16 year will of course be expensive.

naomi

My kid is going through this now (but in WA state). The rules may be different in Texas. Here, the teen has to get a permit first. Most teens then take a driver's education class (either through school, or close by). They have to accrue so many hours of driving and classroom time. After the course has been completed, and they've held their permit for 6 months, they can then take the driving test.
Naomi.

petitefrancaise

I was looking into this for a client recently.
For a new arrival without a parent with at least 1 year of driving history in the USA it is very difficult. You need to have someone who is prepared to drive with your child for 30 hours at no charge.

From the official Texas DPS website
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/driver/dr....htm#education

Noorah101

Which part says at no charge? It just says it's not required to be a driving school. But seems it also could be, if you don't know anyone else.

Rene

petitefrancaise

https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/driver/parenttaughtfaq.htm

scrubbedexpat099

No mention of the driving experience being in Texas.

petitefrancaise

I didn't write that the driving experience needs to be in Texas. However, I was unable to get the DPS officer to agree that a non- USA license history would be ok. A UK license is not valid in Texas after 90 days of living here and he wouldn't accept the UK driving history.

civilservant

Seems to me that the 'at no charge' part has holes so wide that you could drive an 18 wheeler through it - the problem is actually the first part, that in this case none of the designated participants in the parent taught section actually qualify.

scrubbedexpat099

Sounds like an individual mis understanding the regulations. Especially if the officer would have accepted say a Colorado DL.

petitefrancaise

there are 2 scenarios at play here:
1. Start with a licensed driver school - the driver's ed either online/classroom then use a driving school for the next 7+7 hours. Most of the driver's ed schools offer a combined deal for that ranging from $350-$600 depending on the number of hours offered. However, it sounds like you could then use a driving school for the remaining time which is about 30 hours depending on the amount you paid for upfront. Going rate around here is about $80 per hour so that would be a considerable cost. Or you could find someone with 1 year's + experience and a clean license who will drive with the little darling for all those hours. Or a mix of both since the requirement is that it is "monitored" by the parent - we fill out a form.
2. You go the parent taught route - it doesn't say this in the link I showed but the requirement for the PARENT is different again...trying to piece all this information together took forever and multiple trips to my local DPS ( in a very international area so they were used to handling this question ), asking my fellow consultants in Austin - one said she had been told UK license was acceptable but hadn't actually done it, the others all said they hadn't managed to do this or hadn't had it come up.
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/driver/parenttaughtreqs.htm
This isn't really an option (unless you have really kind friends) because the "no charge" section is for this one and unless you can persuade the DPS to accept your non USA license the parent can't do it.

I would caution the OP to go to the DPS in advance of paying anything out or making promises to the kiddo because you are warned that you are responsible for checking you meet the criteria and if you don't go in advance then the first time your eligibility is checked is after the 32 hours of online/class driver's ed. It is at this point that you would normally go to the DPS with all the residency/legal immigrant proof and driver's ed documents to get the permit to start driving.

petitefrancaise

well, it wasn't just one individual...and as I have repeatedly said - "unless you can persuade the officer to accept your non-usa license"
I'd always advise to go and try but in my experience with this one , I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope.

sherbert

You can get a drivers' licence without a SSN. In California you are just required to show your legal presence document (valid visa in passport and print out of latest I-94). You need to find out from the Texas DMV what is required there though for legally present foreigners (probably the same).

petitefrancaise

Well, it has to be a visa category that can't get a ssn and in that case, you sign an affidavit at the office to that effect.