Denis Barlow

Another thing to be aware of is that DVLA consider your UK licence to be invalid once
you leave the country. i.e. when you no longer have a valid UK address you no longer
have a valid UK driving licence. They told me that I will have to use my Arizona
licence to hire a car when I return to the UK. I would suggest getting a local
license as soon as possible.

--
Denis

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.

"Ameriscot" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > There is an international treaty that allows visitors to the US to drive on their
    > own national license for one year, and this covers you when you first arrive.
    >
    > However, you then have to follow your state law for new residents. Most (all?)
    > states require you to get a state license soon after taking up residence, around a
    > month being a typical timeframe. There is often a debate about whether a K1'er is a
    > new resident or not because they aren't yet permanent residents in the eyes of the
    > INS, but the state licensing authorities do not use the same rules as the INS - if
    > you are living in the state, then you are a resident as far as they are concerned.
    >
    > I cannot recommend strongly enough that anyone arriving in the US gets a local
    > driving license as a priority. Insurance rates are likely to be astronomical
    > without a local license. A driving license is also the standard form of
    > identification in the US and is frequently demanded by all sorts of officials.
    >
    > Frankly, when you first arrive in the US, you don't have a awful lot to occupy your
    > time - no job yet, etc. It's an ideal time to sort out the driving license. Even if
    > your state is fuzzy about how they deal with your immigration status, I think it is
    > still worth presenting yourself at their offices early on, rather than just
    > accepting what they have on their websites. If they are going to reject you for any
    > reasons related to immigration, get them to give you the rejection letter in
    > writing.
    >
    > Road test or not? Some states will give you a license without testing you (which
    > seems really weird to me). Expect a written test, maneuverability test, and road
    > test. It won't be a big deal compared to the UK test, although it is worth swotting
    > up for the written test.
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > http://www.ameriscot.com/i130
    >
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Johnson Pervis

Not true. In Florida, we were told that they will NOT accept an International DL but
they DO recognize MANY foreign country DL's. By showing a Taiwan DL, one can get out
of taking the BTW test.

--
Johnson "Maarten W.G. Andriessen" <@.dutchusa.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "the fox" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > i have a full uk car and bike licence can i use it when i move to the states and
    > > for how long, and do i need to take the US driving test or just convert mine
    >
    > The United States does not recognize any foreign driver licenses. (I am
told
    > this is because every single state has slightly different traffic rules
and
    > every DMV would have to make its own deal with a foreign country. Too much hassle,
    > so they did not bother).
    >
    > You will need to take a written test, and a driving test.
    >
    > Maarten

Ameriscot

I agree with Johnson. An International Driving Permit has no legal significance. It is nothing more than a translation of the national license.

Individual states *do* recognise most foreign licenses. There is an international treaty that forces them to do this, allowing *visitors* and *temporary residents* to drive for up to a year. This is the same treaty that enables American residents to drive in foreign countries.

The only place where state law makes a difference is in deciding what criteria new residents must fulfil in order to get a local license. Each state will have its own rules about how to deal with someone moving in from another US state, as well as how to deal with foreigners (and they may have different rules for those from countries who drive on the left too).

Ameriscot

If anything, it's just a temporary suspension of your license as it is valid until you are 70 years old. If you return to the UK, you can get your address updated without having to do a new test (and becoming an expensive-to-insure new driver). BTDT.

It's worth hanging onto your UK license when getting a US one. Don't let them take it off you!

I agree about not using a UK license when you are there for a visit. Car hire firms won't care, and you wouldn't really want to risk points (given that you may have forgotten how to drive properly in the US) on it; nor do you want to risk not being insured given that your address on the license isn't your real address.

Pulaski

I don't know where you got your info, but when I moved to New York (Westchester county, just north of NYC) I quickly discovered that my UK licence was good for 30 days only, but that was no problem as it took me only about three weeks to do the written test, compulsory classroom training, and 7 minutes of road test.

When you schedule a road test, if the wait is long near where you live, try somewhere else in same state as far as possible from large towns and cities as the wait is often minimal.

Please ignore Marco as he is giving dangerously misleading advice - and you don't want to find that out if you are stopped by the police. Also, you won't be able to get insurance on a UK licence.

Strike

Hi! I'm actor Troy McClure. You may remember me from such threads as 'Re: uk driving
restrictions in the states' and 'Pulaski: tasty but deadly.'

    >I don't know where you got your info, but when I moved to New York (Westchester
    >county, just north of NYC) I quickly discovered that my UK licence was good for 30
    >days only

<snip>

    >Please ignore Marco as he is giving dangerously misleading advice - and you don't
    >want to find that out if you are stopped by the police. Also, you won't be able to
    >get insurance on a UK licence.

From the NY DMV website:

****
Non-US Resident Applicants: Although there is nothing in the Vehicle and Traffic Law
which prohibits a non-US-resident from applying for and receiving a New York State
license, we recommend against this because it is not necessary; New York will honor
your foreign license.
****

This has been confirmed in phone calls and personal visits to the NY DMV in
Manhattan. I tried to schedule a road test at the DMV and was told by the clerk, and
her supervisor, that it was not necessary.

Once you get the Green Card, though, you'll be resident and should get a license.

In addition, a friend of mine who is also an H1-Ber obtained insurance for his car
with his French driving license.

Cheers,

Marco

Strike

Thinking about it further, the H1-B could be all the difference. Since it's a
non-immigrant visa and you're supposed to maintain a residence in your home country,
that is different from being a K1-er with intent to immigrate, so your individual
circumstances may vary.

Cheers,

Marco

Dave A Hall

Im in this status ..

The situation with the DVLA is that you have to have an address within the UK that
you can be contacted at...

The way I handle this is I have my grandparents address as My home address in the UK
.. The DVLA sends all letters etc there ..

They are very happy with this and know the situation fully..

To the extent that I am a diabetic so every 3 years have to renew my licence ..

They are happy to accept a letter written by my US doctor stating I am fit to drive..

As long as you have an address you can consider your Home one in the UK.. They just
assume you are living between the two ..

It is worth noting that the new UK licence needs to be replaced every 10 years with a
new photo .. so dont let it expire ..

If you change your address on your current one and dont already have a photo licence
that will be a pain ... you will need to provide similar evidence of ID as appling
for a UK passport ..

That hit me when I first came over

Ameriscot wrote:
    > Denis Barlow wrote:
    > > Another thing to be aware of is that DVLA consider your UK licence to be
    > > invalid once you leave the country. i.e. when you no longer have a valid UK
    > > address you no longer have a valid UK driving licence.
    >
    >
    >
    > If anything, it's just a temporary suspension of your license as it is valid
    > until you are 70 years old. If you return to the UK, you can get your address
    > updated without having to do a new test (and becoming an expensive-to-insure new
    > driver). BTDT.
    >
    > It's worth hanging onto your UK license when getting a US one. Don't let them take
    > it off you!
    >
    > I agree about not using a UK license when you are there for a visit. Car hire firms
    > won't care, and you wouldn't really want to risk points (given that you may have
    > forgotten how to drive properly in the US) on it; nor do you want to risk not being
    > insured given that your address on the license isn't your real address.
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > http://www.ameriscot.com/i130
    >
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Just Jenney

To all you Virginians and potential Virginians out there...

Unless this practice has changed since I got my last license renewal (a year ago), be forewarned that the Virginia DMV usually uses your SSN as your drivers license number, unless you specifically ask for a different one.

Why does this matter?

Your SSN is increasingly becoming THE number to know to commit such crimes as identity theft, and to gain access to your financial, medical, tax and other personal information. If someone knows your SSN, that opens so many doors for them to screw up your life -- with or without you knowing.

If you write a check to pay for something at a store, 99% of the time you are required to write your drivers license number on the check. The last thing you want to do is write your SSN on a check which also includes your name and address, name of bank, account routing number, etc.

So, my advice: In Virginia, when you get your drivers license, specifically ask for a random license number and state you do not want your SSN used for this purpose. I believe there is a box to tick for this option on the form you fill out as well.

Don't know about other states, but if this is the standard practice elsewhere, I recommend doing the same.

~ Jenney

Pulaski

You've got it - the clue is in the phrase "non-resident applications".

Even so, if you are here for a year or more I would recommend getting a US licence - it will make life much easier as the
"standard" proof of ID expected is a US driver's licence.

Jason C

If you get a US license, expect to have your foreign license clipped on the corner to show that it is invalid. They usually let you keep it for ID purposes until your US state license arrives. Also if you plan on holding on to your foreign license, put it somewhere where the police won't see it. I got pulled over recently and pulled out my state license, but my Canadian license was behind it, the cop saw it and asked me what it was, then proceeded to give me a warning to get rid of it or next time was a fine.

Also in Minnesota, I was only required to do a written test, they said the road test wasn't required.

Ptarmigan

Drivers licences, certainly in the case of the British licence, belong to the DVLA, not to the driver, put it in a drawer by all means, but do not get rid of it, it is not yours to dispose of, nor is it the business of Police or DMV in the US to tell you to do so