Driving and insurance

[Touch of Treble 39]

I've been doing the searching on Driver's licenses lately and found that it is not a simple matter of driving with my Aussie license and an international driver's permit. there is the whole question of insurance. My honey has an insurance broker that looks after all his insurance questions so we ran the whole story past him. He has found that our current company will cover me while using my Aussie license as long as they had a letter from my current insurance company with a driving history of 3-5 years. As I am still here (in Aus) and insured it was easy to call and get a letter emailed to me which I forwarded to USA and I have approval and coverage as soon as I get behind the wheel. Don't know if it would have been as easy if I had already arrived in America. I'll be living in NY, so it may be different for other states, but if you can get a driving history before you leave it may make your task easier to get insurance once you arrive.

[Boiler 45,898]

You need to check what your State requirements are. You will be required to get a DL within usually a fairly short period of becoming resident, Insurance is usually not so much an issue.

[Touch of Treble 39]

You need to check what your State requirements are. You will be required to get a DL within usually a fairly short period of becoming resident, Insurance is usually not so much an issue.

Hi Boiler,

In NY you need an EAD card as part of the process to obtaining a DL. I need to be able to drive straight away. The process of becoming a resident for DL purposes will be 4-5 months away as we need to marry then apply for AOS and EAD card and then I can apply for DL when the EAD cards arrives. I need insurance to cover me till then otherwise if I am in an accident I could face some huge bills. Thanks for the comment.

[Boiler 45,898]

Definition of a Resident. If you become a resident of NYS, you must exchange your driver license and vehicle registration from another state for a NYS driver license and vehicle registration within 30 days.

Section 250 (5) of the Vehicle and Traffic Law defines the term "resident." The law defines a resident as a person who lives in NYS with the intent to make NYS a "fixed and permanent" place to live. To live in a house, a home, an apartment, a room or other similar place in NYS for 90 days is considered "presumptive evidence" that you are a resident of NYS. A police officer can use this evidence as the reason to issue a traffic ticket if you drive in NYS without a driver license or vehicle registration issued by NYS.

A judge considers the law and the evidence of your intent and decides if you are a resident of NYS. For example, if you pay taxes or your children attend school in another state, a judge considers these facts to decide if your intent is to make NYS a "fixed and permanent" residence. The DMV will not decide if you are a resident of NYS, if you must get a NYS driver license, or if you must register your vehicle in NYS.

According to this law, students from other states or from other nations who attend school in NYS are normally not considered residents of NYS.

[noremac 3]

I was able to get insured with Gieco using my Australian licence.

[KLS2010 30]

Varies from state to state, and company to company.

I was added to my husband's insurance policy before I was even a resident, so I was covered when driving his vehicle when I was here visiting. It didn't cost us anything extra to add me, and all I had to show them was my Australian DL. I do know that other companies wouldn't add me at all or wanted to charge more because I didn't have a US DL.

I pretty sure you don't need to have an International Driver's Permit either. They are really only a translation of your DL, and since the US and Aus are both English-speaking, there really isn't anything to translate. NYS doesn't require you to have an IDP to drive there - see here. However, some insurance companies and car rental companies may require you to have one.

This was a good point to raise though. Makes people aware of it so that they can look into what the situation is in the state they will be living in

[Deb+Steve 13]

Insurance is different. I was added to the policy as soon as I arrived. We moved to NY 6 weeks later. You can drive on your Aus licence for 3 months. NY state considers you a resident after 6 months. Learners permit, driver ed class and road test to get a licence. We have to start over.