MVA frustration

[Noel194 53]

That is amazing! My financee was here this summer on her B1 tourist visa in Nebraska, and we were able to get her a DL with just her I-94, proof of residency at my house, 2 letters postmarked to her, and her passport. It took a week to verify her info from CBP but she has a valid license in the state of NE and we are still waiting for our K1 at the NVC.

You do know that it is illegal to hold a drivers licenses in a state that you are not a resident of. That law was passed years ago to prevent people from obtaining multiple drivers licenses in different states to avoid traffic violation suspensions.

[Noel194 53]

Actually, after getting the translation and exchanging SS card, I easily passed the knowledge test and I'm now waiting for the skills test. I was told in MVA that I can drive with my Russian DL (even though the website says that you're only allowed to drive with an out-of-state DL for 60 days only) while I'm waiting for the test. And the soonest day for the test was April, 30th

Be very careful. You can ask 5 people at the MVA the same question and get 5 different answers. They are technically wrong and I know of many people in your situtation who have been issued citations by the Maryland State Police for driving without a licenses. You end up going to Court and at least some of the Judges are finding people guilty.

[Noel194 53]

My husband has a license from Morocco. We now reside in Maryland. Based on what I read, he can get an international license from MVA? I'm assuming he'll have to get his license translated, yes? I've been getting mixed messages. My insurance company allowed me to add him with his Moroccan license. They said as long as he was working on getting his license he's fine to use his Moroccan DL. But another Moroccan told my husband that he can't drive and if pulled over he risk being suspended for 5 years. Does anyone know anything about this? Also I called a driving school and they said he could drive with Moroccan license and all he needs to is do the 3 hour course. By the way is there a test in the sober drinking class? Last question, will MVA take his Moroccan license away. He wants to keep it because eventually we plan to return to morocco to live and there driving test is no joke compared to the US. Thank you . I get mix messages from MVA. It's frustrating calling them.

Again here is the law in Maryland. There seems to be a lot of opinion but at the end of the day it is the cop that stops you and the Judge that judges you not the MVA, driving school, insurance company or anyone else.

If you are a new resident of Maryland you have 60 days to obtain a Maryland Driver's License. When applying, please bring:

Proof of age/identity, lawful presence, verifiable Social Security Number or proof of ineligibility, Maryland residence, Out-of-State license(s), and the appropriate fee for each license class applied for. Please refer to Sources of Proof for required documentation.

• New Maryland residents must obtain a Maryland Driver’s License within 60 days.
• You must pass a vision test.
• An Out-of-State license must be a valid license or a license expired for less than one year. The license cannot be suspended.
• If licensed for less than 18 months, you will be issued a Maryland Provisional License.
• If you are exchanging an Out-of-State license that has been expired for one year, you are required to take the knowledge and skills tests in addition to the vision test.
• A valid U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) physical card or federal/MVA waiver (if applying for a Commercial Driver's License).
• A hazardous material (HAZMAT) test is required to keep your HAZMAT endorsement (if applying for a Commercial Driver's License).
• Out-of-State learner's permits cannot be exchanged for a Maryland Learner's Permit or License.

Now some people might argue that you are not a resident until you AOS is approved and while that may be true for the US Government the state of Maryland has it's own definition of when you become a resident and that is what governs drivers licenses requirements.

COMAR 11.11.06.02 defines a resident as someone who: (1) Owns, leases, or rents a primary place of residence in Maryland for more than 6 months; (2) Has no other residence in any other state or country (see COMAR section for further details). For income tax purposes, the definition is similar. There, a resident is defined as: 1. is domiciled in this State on the last day of the taxable year; or 2. for more than 6 months of the taxable year, maintained a place of abode in this State, whether domiciled in this State or not (Tax General Article of the MD Code 10-101). Finally, as far as voter registration, the Maryland Law Encyclopedia quotes Roberts v. Larkin, 340 MD 147, 1995 as defining residence as "the place of a person's fixed domicile."

If you have gotten married and moved to Maryland you are a Maryland Resident the day you move here. 60 days after that you need a Maryland DL. International DL are only valid for NON-RESIDENTS (i.e.-Tourists, stsudents, foreign workers). Again there is a lot of opinion out there but at the end of the day the law is the law and if it is determined that you are a Maryland Resident driving without a valid licenses it is a misdamenor punishable by fines a JAIL time. I know it is inconvenient to wait but I would imagine that it would be more inconvenient to go to Court and or sit in Jail. Driving without a valid Maryland Licenses is a 5 point violation and a fine to be set by the court. Oh and I might add that there is also a law on the books in Maryland that says your husband or other party that ownes a vehicle can also be charged with "Allowing and unlicensed driver to drive your vehicle on a state roadway".

Edited July 2, 2013 by Noel194

[ONA 133]

Be very careful. You can ask 5 people at the MVA the same question and get 5 different answers. They are technically wrong and I know of many people in your situtation who have been issued citations by the Maryland State Police for driving without a licenses. You end up going to Court and at least some of the Judges are finding people guilty.

Well, everybody I've talked to at Annapolis MVA seemed to have the same answer. Needless to say that I drove myself to the driving test and that was not a problem.

Thanks anyway. Luckily, I did not get "caught" though and I've had my MD driver's license for over a year now. Good news is that I won't have to deal with MVA until 2016 - that's when I'm going to have to renew my DL.

[Noel194 53]

Well, everybody I've talked to at Annapolis MVA seemed to have the same answer. Needless to say that I drove myself to the driving test and that was not a problem.

Thanks anyway. Luckily, I did not get "caught" though and I've had my MD driver's license for over a year now. Good news is that I won't have to deal with MVA until 2016 - that's when I'm going to have to renew my DL.

Please give me the name of the 5 people at the MVA you spoke with. We have a friend who was just ticketed for friving on her Russian DL and has to go to court on the charge of Driving without a vailid licenses. I called the MVA in Annapolis and they said they have no idea who would say that that it was illegal to drive without a Maryland licenses if you have been a resident for more than 60 days. I would think that if 5 people told you it was OK we should be able to find one to come to Court and tell the State Trooper and Judge that the law is wrong and the MVA is right.

[james&olya 1,121]

Oh, and they are all sub-contractors now, very few state employees so yes you are dealing with the lowest bidder.

Wait a minute. I thought that the private sector was always more efficient and professional than those hated government employees. Doesn't this kind of story tend to contradict that oft repeated RWN canard? The truth is that idiots and stupid bureaucracy exist everywhere, private and public.