US driving licence

[Stuart n Courtney 0]

Hey everyone,

I am currently wondering how I will go about getting a US driving licence when I enter the US. I am from the UK and hold a full UK driving licence. I am aware that I can drive in the US using this licence however I want to get a US driving licence as soon as possible upon entering the US. I am going to be living with my fiance in Colorado. Is this an easy process or will it take time?

Any help appreciated

Stuart

[payxibka 10,047]

No such thing as a US driver's license... Licensing law are governed by the states. Best bet is to google the DMV for your state of residence. Should have all or most all you will need to understand

[YuAndDan 153]

Driving privileges are granted by the state that you live in, the requirements vary by state.

All require SSN, and most require evidence of residency like EAD or Green-card.

One note: Most states will allow use of a foreign driver's license until residency is established, check with your state's DMV.

Edited September 29, 2008 by YuAndDan

[duluxdog 0]

Licence requirements are pretty similar nationwide,main one is having an SSN , and evidence of legal residency for your particular state, here in California you can drive on a UK licence for i think 90 days , after this you must apply for a CA licence if you wish to drive legally, this being so you must have an SSN or legal presence documentation. Also bear in mind that once you become a permanent resident in the USA, your UK licence becomes invalid as you are no longer resident in the UK and are required to send your licence to DVLC, read the small print on the paper part of your UK licence or visit the DVLC website for more info. Make enquiries regarding car insurance in Colorado that may be fun and possibly a wee bit expensive,lol....

best of luck in your venture to drive on the wrong side of the road...

[Stuart n Courtney 0]

Thanks very much guys. As usual plenty of info for me and good advice.

Duluxdog where did you move to in the states? You in touch with many others from Scotland in the US?

Stuart

[himher 634]

All states do NOT require SS#, as Texas does not. Texas asks that you sign a waiver stating you are ineligible for a SS card if you cannot get one or do not have one, and requires that you have a valid visa with (1) year remaining on your I94 received at entry. The earlier answer was correct, which is to look up (on the Colorado DMV website) requirements for new drivers license.

Pushbrk please do not post inaccurate information.

No such thing as a US driver's license... Licensing law are governed by the states. Best bet is to google the DMV for your state of residence. Should have all or most all you will need to understand

[English Muffin 59]

Pushbrk please do not post inaccurate information.

No such thing as a US driver's license... Licensing law are governed by the states. Best bet is to google the DMV for your state of residence. Should have all or most all you will need to understand

Pushbrk didn't post anything!

[Otto 83]

Pushbrk didn't post anything!

[payxibka 10,047]

Pushbrk please do not post inaccurate information.

No such thing as a US driver's license... Licensing law are governed by the states. Best bet is to google the DMV for your state of residence. Should have all or most all you will need to understand

Pushbrk didn't post anything!

and what did I say wrong? No where in my post do I mention a need for a SSN......

[Saddle Bronc 124]

All states do NOT require SS#, as Texas does not. Texas asks that you sign a waiver stating you are ineligible for a SS card if you cannot get one or do not have one, and requires that you have a valid visa with (1) year remaining on your I94 received at entry. The earlier answer was correct, which is to look up (on the Colorado DMV website) requirements for new drivers license.

Pushbrk please do not post inaccurate information.

No such thing as a US driver's license... Licensing law are governed by the states. Best bet is to google the DMV for your state of residence. Should have all or most all you will need to understand

Since you decided to ream into paxibka/pushbrk for what Yu&Dan posted... :bonk:

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Also bear in mind that once you become a permanent resident in the USA, your UK licence becomes invalid as you are no longer resident in the UK and are required to send your licence to DVLC, read the small print on the paper part of your UK licence or visit the DVLC website for more info.

I'm pretty sure this is not correct -- once you have a UK licence you do not need to turn it in when you move abroad. I double-checked on the DVLA website and there is nothing about surrendering your licence except when you do so for medical purposes. What I did find was this:

Moving to another country

If you move to another country, you should check with the driving licence authorities there for information about driving and exchange of licences. You don't need to notify DVLA of a change of address when moving to live abroad.

Returning to GB

If you return to GB from a non-EC/EEA country and are not in possession of a GB licence, you may:

• drive for up to 12 months on your foreign licence
• apply for a duplicate of your GB licence on payment of a fee

Not sure where the paper supplement to my provisional or my husband's full UK licence is so can't check what is on there. Surely because they don't issue the paper supplement anymore, and there's no mention of turning in your licence when you move on either the photocard or the DVLA website, means that this is no longer the case?

[aidan80 9]

Hey everyone,

I am currently wondering how I will go about getting a US driving licence when I enter the US. I am from the UK and hold a full UK driving licence. I am aware that I can drive in the US using this licence however I want to get a US driving licence as soon as possible upon entering the US. I am going to be living with my fiance in Colorado. Is this an easy process or will it take time?

Any help appreciated

Stuart

I'm not sure about your area but here in Florida they required a SSN and either the EAD/Green Card before they'd issue a "license". The test is actually pathetic here so if you've already did it in Scotland you've nothing to worry about passing wise assuming it's the same or similar with your DMV. Just read through the wee book on the rules of the road that most drivers ignore here.. I believe you can get a license good for the duation of your I-94 as well but might be best to wait for the EAD/GC.

Like others said check your local DMV and see what they say about everything. They may allow you to drive for a set period of time on your UK license? One other thing to note, from reading on here it looks like some DMV's will have your state license expire when your EAD/GC expires and other's dont? My license for example expires in 2012 yet by GC expires next month? Keep it in mind for when you remove conditions down the road your license might also expire at the same time!

Good Luck!

[justashooter 430]

this link to the colorado page of a decent comercial site that is not official, but usually accurate:

http://www.dmv.org/co-colorado/department-motor-vehicles.php

the relevant page from it with links to forms, tests, etc:

http://www.dmv.org/co-colorado/apply-license.php