Now to tie up the loose ends..

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

Wow, glad I stumbled across this post! Thank you to everyone who provided information. I'm in the process of a K-1 visa and my fiance will be moving here. I am really happy to know that he can drive on his international license initially. I know he can drive here now as a tourist but wasn't sure about how it worked as an immigrant. I have seen some posts stating that the foreign fiance can't drive until their AOS goes through and they can apply for a US license. We live in a city with horrible public transport so that worried me a bit. And just an FYI, the states might not require an international permit, but our insurance company required one when we added my fiance to our insurance for a month last August. We thought it was stupid but they wouldn't let us add him without it. In addition to translating the document to English, it included the classes of vehicle he could drive and listed restrictions so guess that's what they wanted equated.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

And just an FYI, the states might not require an international permit, but our insurance company required one when we added my fiance to our insurance for a month last August. We thought it was stupid but they wouldn't let us add him without it. In addition to translating the document to English, it included the classes of vehicle he could drive and listed restrictions so guess that's what they wanted equated.

Yup -- this is the one of the two exceptions the AA points out, the other one being certain car rental agencies' requirements.

My experience with Geico was that they had no issue at all when we moved back to the States, even though neither of us had a US licence at the time.

[Elora & Rob 15]

FOUND IT.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

FOUND IT.

Well done! :star:

And it's good to bump an older thread full of good information for a new batch of people to see,

[LauraDP 10]

I have heard conflicting stories on this too, so I checked the DMV website for the state I will be living in. It stated:

Non-Citizens

You can drive in Alabama for one year, provided you have a valid foreign driver's license and an International Driver's Permit. This permit, issued by your home country, is not a substitute for the foreign license, but a translation of it that makes things easier for U.S. officials to understand.

I didn't want to be in a position where I was stopped and then found I didn't have one. Some officials will interpret things literally and require one regardless of whether your original license is in english. My choice was better to be safe than sorry, especially seeing it only cost £8.

You may want to seek absolute clarification on this point depending on the basis on which you are entering the US. I have been in contact with the DMV in Maryland, for instance, and while it would be the case that I could drive for up to a year as a non-citizen, since our planned route to immigration would have me entering the US as an LPR I would only have 60 days in which to drive on my UK license before obtaining a US one for the state I am in. The same will be true of my husband even though he is the USC as he has never held a US drivers license and will be entering the US as a permanent resident on this occasion.

As a previous poster stated, since it varies from state to state so much you need to clarify with the relevant state's DMV.

Good luck with closing all of your UK links (and making others dormant). I will need to compile the same list at some point.

[Owen_London 65]

I found this list on britishexpats: Link

A few bits are not quite right for here, as it's aimed at those on work visas, and a few bits I personally disagree with, but in the main it's a superb and exhaustive list.

[LauraDP 10]

I found this list on britishexpats: Link

A few bits are not quite right for here, as it's aimed at those on work visas, and a few bits I personally disagree with, but in the main it's a superb and exhaustive list.

Thanks for the link. We are already beginning to thin out our possessions because 20 years as a couple and having four kids generates a whole load of clutter but I need a list like this to keep me on track.

Best wishes

Laura