UK/US DL Issue
 

Hello. I am a UK citizen currently in the process of obtaining a holiday home in Florida. I won't be living in Florida permanently, I'll be stil in the UK but will be coming to FL multiple times per year for holiday. I therefore want to purchase a car and insure it but assume I will struggle with my license being from the UK. Is it possible to, in this scenario, obtain a FL license from the DMV without having a US passport or SSN? Thanks for any help.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

No. You cannot get a DL if you are not legally resident in the US. You will not have trouble obtaining insurance, but I'd rethink the whole idea, as it's going to be much cheaper and easier in the long term to rent a car when you are there. Cars that sit for months will not be reliable.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

How is the flood/property insurance?

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Actually you can (in Florida anyways). The state will issue you a DL for the period of validity of your entry visa. You will need to reapply for a new DL each time you come. I have friends with vacation homes in FL. They have a B2 visa so they get a DL valid for 6 months each time.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

OK, but the OP may then have issues getting insurance with a very short-dated DL. In other words, it may be difficult, if not impossible to get 12 months, or even 6 months of insurance if you're only able to stay in the US for 90 days (maximum per the VWP), and have a DL with only 90 day validity.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

I had family members in Colorado who were able to get insurance with only a UK DL. Same terms and conditions as any other Colorado resident. Expensive rates though, as is normal for new transplants without any US driving or credit history. They did of course get their US DL in due course but the point is that only having a UK DL was not an issue. This was with Geico and during the height of Covid.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Since you can't be here for more than 90 days under the VWP, is it worth it? You can drive on your UK license as a tourist/visitor. If you purchase a car you can try GEICO for auto insurance.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Thanks guys. Will take a look at Geico, appreciate the help.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Cars don't really like sitting around - do you have someone to run it out when you're not there. If it's 6+ months between usage you're much better off renting a car each time.

I'd argue the same for buying a house somewhere you can only be a tourist - the days of £1 -> $2+ exchange rates are long gone and Florida property is not cheap. I'd just stick the money in an index fund and rent a nice AirBNB for a few weeks wherever I wanted to go ($500k at 5% is $25k, that's a nice holiday every year!). Imagine another COVID-19 where there's 2 years or so where you can't travel to your home in the US.

No need to worry about insurance, upkeep, security etc+ for a home 4,000 miles away. As others have mentioned, Florida is rapidly becoming uninsurable anyway - I'd not trust owning anything down there.

It's slightly different if you had intentions to perhaps retire to or more somewhere full time down the road, and wanted to fix your costs now. But it's very unlikely that the average Brit could do that in the US (unlike say Spain, although apparently they are tightening up foreign buyer rules there).

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Thanks - we do have somebody that could check in on it, but it wouldn't be left for 6 months as we visit 4-5 times per year and in a few years, will be permanently there.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Do you have a visa route to stay in the US permanently?

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Yes, thank you.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

There are no “permanent” visas. a permanent resident (green card) is the closest. Even if you keep renewing a B2 or other visa you could be turned down at the POE anytime you apply to enter.

for this reason I waited to buy my first property here until I had moved from an L1 visa to a green card.

also on the DL side, I was able to drive (and be a named insured) on Zip car on my UK DL in NY. Once I needed to convert to an NY lisence I had to take the written and practical test and in NY (10 years ago) they were meant to take your UK lisence as well. So getting a local one might be an issue, but keeping your UK one as well may also be an issue.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

You can just get the DVLA to send you a new card if some DMV employee tries to take it. Or don't tell them about your UK one - they're only supposed to take DLs from people moving from other states.

Re: UK/US DL Issue
 

Would it really hurt to just say "my wife is a USC", assuming that is true? :confused:

Unless you are married to a USC, there is no other reasonably probable way for a British citizrn to retire in the US outside of having a minimum of $800k + fees, to get an EB-5 investor visa.