Usa Driving Licence
 

Can anyone help with advice about getting a US driving licence? I'm shortly to relocate to Ky and have held a UK driving licence for 30+ years. What's the procedure for obtaining a US driving license and would I be best to do this before I take out car insurance? My date for relocation is early December.

Re: Usa Driving Licence
 

I don't know about the rest of the states, but in Texas I had to go to the local DPS office do a written test (well on a computer) then take a driving test just to get a Texas driving license. It was a real pain in the arse as the driving test was a joke,(basically drive around the block and reverse into a parking space). I had a English driving licence and a International license but none of that made a difference, I don't think you can get insurance without a Ky state license. so good luck, but don't worry about the test, its all about common sense.

Re: Usa Driving Licence
 

1. Driving Licenses are the responsibility of the States.
2. Do a Google search for the KY DMV or RMV (department/registry of motor vehicles). This will tell you KYs requirements.

3. Most states require that you obtain a local license within a short period of becoming resident (10-30 days) - but ...

4. you will probably need a Social Security Number or Tax Identification number first (the SSA web-site will give you the details).

5. Your UK licence is valid for 12 months, but the individual state will still require you to apply for one of theirs, however this does mean you can normally drive as soon as you arrive in the states.

6. You may have to take a driving test, but don't be too fazed by this - there aimed at 16 year olds and nothing like the torture in the UK. (that said I don't take the MA test for another couple of weeks so I could still end up eating my words).

7. Finally, you can get insurance on you UK licence without too much difficulty - but you will have to explain the terms (in MA an edorsement is the extra bit that allows to drive school buses etc. - in the UK an endorsement is a penalty).

Driving Test Blues
 

I am a recent arrival from Australia and have been driving for 25 years. Now living in OK it never occured to me that i would have a problem passing a driving test. BUT i did, it took me three goes before i finally passed. The reasons? ..........well, although i can drive (never had an accident) i had forgotten all the idiosyncrasis (sp) that go along with taking the test. In the end i took a 30 minute driving lesson where i learnt exactly what they were looking for and passed straight away.

As a matter of interest, the driving examiner who passed me said that 90% of new migrants fail at least 2 tests unless they have had a prior lesson. Reason: .........all the bad habits we have picked up.

Just my two cents worth.......

I can imagine it is easy to fail the test if you have picked up bad habits,
but the trick is to imagine your learning to drive again, keep both hands on the wheel at 10 to 2 etc, check your mirrors every 10 seconds and go the speed limit, this was way to easy for me, as I drove around the block I drove through a school zone (no faster then 20 mph) then basically reverse into a parking spot big enough to park a bus in.(altough I did witness a lady take 10 attempts and STILL pass, the mind boggles!)

Another tip buy a learning to drive book, it will help when knowing what to do at intersections and yielding to other cars etc.

The DPS in Dallas was SO busy, the examiners where basically just trying to get them out and on their way. It was a joke. But just like everything, each State is a different world.

Hi,

I had heard that whilst waiting to take a state driving test, especially if you are using the old-style UK licence (i.e. no photo), it is a good idea to have an Internation Driving Permit. They are available from the RAC or AA, cost £4 and last for a year. The reason the AA told me it was a good idea, is that if you are stopped whilst driving in the US, the police there expect photo ID, and the IDP provides this.

Check out: http://www.theaa.com/getaway/idp/

Good luck,

Debbie :)

Yes, when I first came to the states I brought the international permit
(like you said it was only 4 pounds). That is fine if you intend to drive a hire car etc, the next problem is, to buy a car you need a license and Insurance even before you drive it off the forecourt.

I don't know 100% but I believe you need a State license BEFORE you can get vehicle insurance. Therefore any kind of License from the U.K will be invalid.

WARNING if you are stopped by the police, you may get away with the International license thing, BUT if you do not provide insurance on the spot you will be fined anywhere upto $400.00.

Basically my U.S wife drove me around until I passed my State test.
Also it was a job requirement to have a Texas state license.

I know that my fiance's vehicle insurance covers me - I drive his car when I am there. Basically it covers any driver. I am sure you are right though, if I need to get my own insurance I will need my own state license.

Debbie

I got an international license the first (Chicago), second (Boston) and third (Atlanta) times I came over. In Chicago I didn't offer the UK license, in Boston they asked "don't you just have a UK license" and used it. In Atlanta I offered te choice and they said they would rather see the real thing. After that I just used the UK license.

When I finally got my act together and emigrated the California DMV just wanted to see my UK license, they said that was good enough for me to have a temporary license between the written and driven tests.

I was told the main reason for an international license is as a translation when you are in a country that uses a different language.

In California you must apply for a local licence within 30 days of arrival, if you are here as a resident. That said you would have to be a village idiot to not pass the written test as it is so simple, multiple choice. Driving test is easy as well. Main thing to remember is not to exceed the speed limit in residential areas.

This may vary from State to State and between insurers, but generally you don't require a US license of any description to get insurance, I have insurance on two vehicles in MA - both on my UK licence. I wasn't even a US resident when I bought and insured the first one.
The only requirement is that the foreign licence is in english - if not then an international licence is necessary.
Although I'm a recent resident, I have been visting and driving in the States for some time as have various (british) members of my family. None of us has ever had or required an international licence - if you have the old style UK licence you should (must?) carry your passport with you as well.

In California they want to see a California licence when they give you their insurance. First time we insured we did not have our California licence but were given insurance on the basis that we would get a California licence within a month. Also insurance premiums here will decrease over time if you hold a local licence.

I think you may find it is illegal to drive on an international licence after a certain period of time if you are a resident.

I've just arrived in Texas, and have been thru the UK/International driving licence thing with the same result - no licence prior test, no Insurance prior Licence, and no car prior Insurance! Good job my wife is a local!

Southcoast - any lowdown on the written/computer test? Is it multi choice? Are they looking for facts and figures, or common sense....?

Thanks

USA driving licence
 

My New Jersey experience is not applicable to KY, but anyway here's what happened when I applied for a licence in NJ in 2000.

Everyone told me that I'd have to take a driving test, but first of all, I'd have to do the written exam (which turned out to be computerized). So one day I turned up at my local MVS office in Burlington to take the exam. I had to prove that I was in the US legally, which wasn't a problem for me as I had conditional permanent resident status. I filled out a form, which required a Social Security number etc, and waited to be called for the test. Having been driving in NJ on a UK/International licence for some time, I didn't see the need to study for the exam - bad mistake. I failed, and spent the next few weeks studying the book the clerk gave me.

Next time, about a month later, I passed. Upon passing, the same man who told me I'd failed before asked me for my British driving licence, looked at it for a few seconds, and informed me that my passing the exam and holding a licence from the UK was adequate proof of my ability to drive in NJ - that I didn't need to take the driving test.

I don't know about other states but in NJ it is a discretionary procedure - the official has the right to waive the driving test for an alien. So shortly after getting my photograph taken I had my US driving license. The whole procedure took about two hours.

Hey there Yorkie,

Like I have said in the forum above, each state is different, and you will find having a Texas driving license is more important than a passport.
you will need it for buying beer (and believe me you can look 70 and still be asked for I.D), bank transactions etc, so its VERY important.

Anyways to answer your question, it is all about common sense, although I highly recommend you go to your local DPS office and get a "how to pass the written test" book. (I do not know the name of this book!). study it for a few nights, and ask your wife the do's and dont's of yielding at stop signs and highways etc.

The comp multiple test was 20 questions long, of which only 4 or 5 you can only get wrong (if you get anymore you will fail). Alot were common sense questions, but it might ask you, the legal limit for alcohol in your bloodstream etc. (it tells you in the book).

I can't really remember all the questions as I took it 2 1/2 years ago, but I Passed it first time, and getting 3 wrong. The driving test in England is 10 times harder then the Texas one, so don't worry about it too much.

if you want to anymore info, drop us a line on the forum

Good luck.

thanks southcoast - i've got the book ,and have been diligently learning my stopping distances (odd that they don't seem to have changed much since I first learned them 20-odd years ago.....so much for ABS!!) Was hoping they wouldn't get into the facts and figures on alcohol or ways to lose your licence as there are pages and pages on it...oh well going for the test tomorrow, so see how we fare!
thanks again

Took the written and driving tests today. "Written" one was computerised, with answers input via touchscreen, and it gave you a running tally as you went along so you knew if you had passed or failed. All pretty impressive really. Had to answer 23 questions which seemed odd, but ours not to reason why. Most were on speed limits and road signs, a couple of common sense ones thrown in, and then a couple on fines for DWI etc. Passed that, then had a driving test which took 6 minutes, covered approx three-quarters of a mile, consisted of three left turns, two right turns, and parallel parking, and if I'd been driving a manual, I doubt I'd have got out of second! All a bit farcical really, but I've got the licence now, so no complaints!

The international drivers permit is useless once you are a resident in the USA, i tried every way around the system but at the end of the day if you are a perm resident in the USA you need a state drivers license and in most states insurance too.

NOTE: not all insurance covers foreign drivers (found that out too)

Jan

Congrats on your TEXAS license...

Like I said, the test is a joke. What scares me the most, after a person passes the driving test in Dallas (like you said 6 min drive around the block)
that person can now get straight onto a highway and drive at 60-70 mph.

So the DPS wonders why there are so many wrecks?

Not only that, but there were 6 of us taking the test at the same time - all bar one were foreigners with foreign licences . We all got our results at the same time, and I was the only one that passed. Yet everyone got into their cars and drove home on their own. Huh?

.. the other painful thing is insurance. The US insurers take no account of any good driving record you may (or may not) have in the UK so you
start at square one as if you were 17 and had just passed a test.

Insurance- yeah, we found the same ref no credit for recent driving history (I've got documentation for 21 years no claims!!), but we spent a lot of time phoning round and eventually got someone who would look at the letters we had from previous insurers - maybe didn't get full credit, but managed to get the premiums down by about 30% which is better than nothing. still pricey though!

Yorkie,

You are at a big diss-advantage, because you have only just passed the driving test, that is a big black mark against you ( I had this problem).

I think most insurance companys give much better deals for someone that has had a license for more than 2-3 years.

My wife and I, has just changed ins company, to Eastwood Insurance.
we paid $300 down and $168 a month for a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant.

I was thinking about a cheap little run-about (ford focus), but they wanted $400 down and $280 a month, WAY to much for a pokey little car, so for now we are going to share a car for now.

Tell me about it! We've got a new Honda Pilot, and most of the quotes were around $1000 - for six months!! But the company we have gone with cut us a deal (maybe because the rest of my wifes family insure thru them as well) and we have 6 months at $630, after which they will reassess taking into account the longer no claims record, if we don't have a claim in this first period. So it could be worse, although we still have to get over the 6 month renewal problem, but at least we're now building up a local history.

I am with Mercury Casualty and they took account of my British no-claims letter and gave me a discount for being an engineer too. I asked who else got discounts, "just engineers". May have changed since April 1998 though.

Those quotes are outrageous!!

Are they fully comp? Can you get just 3rd Party F&T? If so I think I'll just buy a cheap run around if we move there.

Mark

Marky B - yes, they're the equivalent of fully comp - not sure what they call it here, or whether you can get equivalent of 3rd party Fire and theft - we've got a brand new car, so wanted it fully covered anyway. We thought about getting a cheapo runaround for a while, but we have a 17month old boy, and a new baby on the way in January, so decided to go for something we knew (fingers crossed) would be reliable. We seem to be hitting a lot of miles at the moment - over a thousand in 2 weeks, and that doesn't include any commuting to work! If you go to edmunds.com there is a link to an online insurer that gives you an instant quote, and how it is broken down - you can fiddle with the levels of cover to reduce your costs. Only problem was it wasn't flexible enough to cover for foreign arrivals with a good driving history, but at least it gives you an idea of how they are thinking.

.... and stop, completely stationary, at STOP signs. They are everywhere here, where a Give Way (Yield) sign would be adequate, but failing to stop is grounds for the police to hand out a ticket, and hand them out they do, in large numbers. :(

Like the UK, it depends where you live, large cities are much more expensive then rural areas. I'd guess that Boise should be relatively cheap. For us Geico gave the best quote, living in New York, (just outside the city), but since we've moved to Virginia we are paying less for our car and a truck than we were just for the car in New York.

Even if you think that insurance is expensive, remember that the price of cars is very low, and gas is also cheap, currently about £1 for an imperial (UK) gallon of regular, which is what most cars take.

If you want a good deal on a car, on credit terms (remember as a new immigrant you have no credit history so the banks and car dealers won't want to give you credit) then I strongly recommend Autosource on 516-496-1816.

They specialise in selling new cars (Ford, GM, and Chrysler only) at dealer prices and standard credit terms (very low rates) to new immigrants to the US.

However you must commit, and pay a deposit, before you arrive in the US. For example, last year I bought a Mustang GT for (at current exchange rates) less than £17,000 on 0% credit over three years, and you will need to give details of your (US) income, e.g you'll need a job.

Pulaski

You were right about Boise. I've spoken to a broker that a realtor I'm talking to recommended. They quoted approximately $800 a year for a Ford Explorer and about $620 a year for a Ford Focus. These are obviously guesstimates but are nonetheless a bit easier on the pocket than the figures that have been talked about above.

Did your Broker explain everything? probably not, your right its just a
guesstimate. I have had a state driving license under 3 years so, the insurance went up, I had a speeding ticket, so my insurance went up,
I had no prior insurance history, guess what? it took my quote through the roof, so good luck on $800 a year for a ford explorer, although I suspect your broker is telling you porkies!!!

Good luck

I'm not sure why they would mislead me. They have stressed it is a guesstimate and they know my circumstances ie. that I will be starting my driving record from scratch. They also know I'll need a broker when we get there, so it's not in their interests to give me false information.

Don't forget, we are talking Boise here. Low crime, and the roads are not as busy as in some big cities. I'll admit it is a lot lower than I expected, but even it is a bit out. Here's the quote I had anyway,

BI/PD (Bodily Injury/Property Damage) 50/100/50, 5,000 medical coverage, 500 comp and collision deds, 50/100 uninsured and underinsured limits, $376.44/6 mos. or 100/300/100 BI/PD, 5,000 medical coverage, 500 comp and collision deds, 100/200 uninsured and underinsured limits is $402.88/6 mos. Of course there would be discounts for more than one auto in the household and a discount if you were to insure a home through State Farm.

However, I'll make sure I'm wary and triple check everything. And if anyone can explain what all the techno jargon in the quote means I'd be grateful!

Thanks.

Firstly I am talking from personal experience, and of course everyone has a different tale to tell. I found though the quote they gave me over a phone, can change when your sat down in a broker office, thats when things start adding up.

I do not know your background are you moving to the states from the U.K?, if so if you want to buy a explorer you will need to put a huge chunk of cash down if not buy it out-right $26,000 to $30,000. Dealerships will not work with you without some sort of credit, and believe me building credit here in the states is the biggest pain in the arse, just ask every Brit on this forum. Its very painfull moving here have all the U.K mastercards under the sun, only to be told "sorry you can't get a $200 T.V on credit, because "YOU DON"T HAVE ANY U.S CREDIT HISTORY", I have heard this sooo many times, its enough to make a grown man cry.

Maybe someone here in the Forum can help you out with the Ins Jargon,
because I have trouble understanding my own.

We bought a new Ford Escape and our insurance for 6 months was just over $600. However, we have had California DL for 4 years and 3 years previous motor vehicle coverage in California. That quote does seem a bit cheap.

Thats why I question the quote ($800.00 for a year) seems so low, Most insurance company's give you a quote for 6 months, plus you have to put $X amount of dollars down. If you had a divers license for 4 years, then yes I understand what you pay for your insurance, but there is a BIG difference if your license is less than 3 years. Not only did I have to pay $250 for a speeding fine (didn't mean to do it......Honest Guv). Now I have to pay big time with my car insurance.

Its amazing everyone drives around in 5.8 litre V8's, but can't do more than 60 mph....Doesn't make sense to me!

Wow I agree that if you get done in the US you are screwed insurance wise. I did get a ticket once for going straight in a turn left only lane, I was going to challenge it because the overhead signs conflicted with the arrows on the road. I think the fine was about $134 but I also did traffic school which allows the ticket to be kept off your driving records for insurance purposes. I did traffic school that I could do at home. Did you not get that option?

I found out after I paid the ticket, that infact I could of done the school thing (at the time it meant all day on a saturday at traffic school). Since then I have learnt that you can now do the driving course on-line and get a certificate through the post, how long did it take you to do vicky?

I can't remember exactly but it did take longer than I expected. I think I completed it all within a week or so. I was sent a booklet to study then had to do a test at the end which I submitted for marking. That said you would have to be a village idiot to fail which is why the whole concept of traffic school does my head in. But that said I would do it again rather than get it on my record.

After reading all of this I am going down to the Driving license place in Florida where I am currently living to find out if I need a USA license to drive now I have been here nearly 90days

I drive on my husbands insurance and have a car that is in his name, althought I want to get insurance next year so that I can get the full benefits of the insurance. Under his policy he can give anyone the permission to drive one of his cars and they are insured, however they get limited cover with lower amounts for each thing the insurance covers.

Will update on my findings tomorrow

Cathy
Uk driving license

Re: Usa Driving Licence
 

After reading all of this I am going down to the Driving license place in Florida where I am currently living to find out if I need a USA license to drive now I have been here nearly 90days

I drive on my husbands insurance and have a car that is in his name, althought I want to get insurance next year so that I can get the full benefits of the insurance. Under his policy he can give anyone the permission to drive one of his cars and they are insured, however they get limited cover with lower amounts for each thing the insurance covers.

Will update on my findings tomorrow

Cathy
Uk driving license