driving in Oklahoma with UK licence?

[okieag 6]

My now wife (married last weekend!) arrived in the US 5 weeks ago on K1 visa.

She would like to drive now.. rather than wait until she can apply for an OK licence.

After much googling we are unclear whether or not she is allowed to drive legally (with the correct insurance of course) on her UK licence? Technically at this moment in time she is still a 'visitor'.

Any thoughts or advice? Does she have to wait until she can apply for an Oklahoma licence or can she drive now on her UK licence?

[Sam and Fen 41]

No She may not drive on her UK liscence unless she has an IDP (International Drivers Permit) issued by the DMV of her home country.

[Sam and Fen 41]

You might also want to call the local DMV and double check.

[HK12 273]

She can drive with an international DL for a few months, but I am not sure how many exactly (might be three? - check back with the DMV). She will have to get an OK license eventually though.

[Cathi 5,784]

Unless she has an international drivers license she cannot drive until she gets her license here

[Sam and Fen 41]

She can drive with an international DL for a few months, but I am not sure how many exactly (might be three? - check back with the DMV). She will have to get an OK license eventually though.

According to the IDP convention an IDP has a validity of 12 months but I beleive the US only allows it for 6 months.

[HK12 273]

According to the IDP convention an IDP has a validity of 12 months but I beleive the US only allows it for 6 months.

Yeah, that might be correct. That's why I said they should check back with the DMV.

[Lainie B 465]

According to the IDP convention an IDP has a validity of 12 months but I beleive the US only allows it for 6 months.

It depends on the state. It's not a US-wide rule

No She may not drive on her UK liscence unless she has an IDP (International Drivers Permit) issued by the DMV of her home country.

Not true - the UK license alone is enough. An "international drivers permit" is not needed.

[Lainie B 465]

My now wife (married last weekend!) arrived in the US 5 weeks ago on K1 visa.

She would like to drive now.. rather than wait until she can apply for an OK licence.

After much googling we are unclear whether or not she is allowed to drive legally (with the correct insurance of course) on her UK licence? Technically at this moment in time she is still a 'visitor'.

Any thoughts or advice? Does she have to wait until she can apply for an Oklahoma licence or can she drive now on her UK licence?

Okieag, I went through the same thing when I moved to Oklahoma. I spoke with the DMV (useless) and the police department (useful). I was told I could drive as long as I needed to (no time limit) on my Australian licence, until I was qualified to get an OK licence. She won't qualify for an OK licence until she gets her EAD or GC. If you want assurance, call your local police department and ask to speak with someone about the drivers licence rules.

Insurance is another issue though. Our insurance company were happy to accept my non-OK licence to add me to my husband's policy. However the question remained as to what would happen should there be an accident - would I be covered? Luckily this didn't happen. But you need to keep in mind that just because the insurance company adds you wife to the policy doesn't mean they won't try to find some way of getting out of paying up should something go wrong. For this reason I kept my driving to a minimum until I got my OK licence and updated the policy.

She might need to do the driving and written test though. I didn't have to deal with this since I had a valid licence from another US state.

[Sam and Fen 41]

It depends on the state. It's not a US-wide rule

Not true - the UK license alone is enough. An "international drivers permit" is not needed.

May be you are right but the US is a signatory of the IDP which makes it a Federal level as opposed to a state level thing. The very fact that the US is a signatory the validity has to be 12 months as agreed upon by the members of the IDP. The only reason I said 6 months is because that's what a COP told me in PA.

[okieag 6]

Thanks for all the responses. I have been continueing my investigations and came across this on the london embassy website:

Will my British driver's license be adequate for renting a car?

The U.S.A. has an agreement with most countries whereby the renter's full national driving license may be used for a period of up to one year in the U.S.A. This applies to the full U.K. driving license. Provisional licenses are not acceptable.

Most car rental companies require that you have held a full license for at least one year, regardless of age. The minimum age for renting a car is normally 21 although it can be as high as 25. Often an additional charge is levied on drivers who are under 25 years of age.

International Driving Permits (see: postofffice.co.uk) are generally not required in the U.S.A but it is helpful to carry one. If they are taken, they are only valid in conjunction with a full national driving license. They should not be accepted on their own. It is recommended that drivers who possess a full national license that is in script other than Roman, i.e. Cyrillic or Arabic, should also obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP).

Young drivers may wish to obtain an International Driving Permit to use as a photo ID, in place of a passport, for entry into bars and nightclubs where the minimum age for entry is 21 years.

If you have endorsements on your license, do check with your rental company that these do not present a problem.

We suggest that you check the requirements of your prospective automobile rental company by contacting them direct.

http://london.usembassy.gov/rctour.html

[MIDUVIL 34]

I think that each state has different rules. In nys, if you have the intent to immigrate (like a K1 visa), you are considered as a resident so you need your driver licence.

Being a resident is not the same for DMV and USCIS.

If you are a tourist, i don't think that the same rules apply than having the intent to live in the US.

Do a search also on VJ, you will find more elaborate replies (over the years, I read a lot of those).

[fantonledzepp 159]

OP, I'm a police officer, an "international driver license/permit" is not a real license. It is a translation of the information on your license, so that when you drive in another country, the authorities can read your information. No "IDP" is needed because the license is from the UK, and they are in English.

What you have to look into is state laws. Every state is different. In NY state, a driver can drive with a foreign license up to 90 days. After 90 days, in NYS, one is considered a resident of the state, and must apply for a NYS license. (This is true for US citizens with licenses from other states as well, mind you.)

As a poster earlier said, insurance might be the problem. If the DMV is giving you inconsistent answers, try the website. I know that the NYS DMV website has an excellent FAQ section. Try your local police agency also, hopefully you can get a concrete answer regarding the laws of your home state.

[Boiler 46,117]

No She may not drive on her UK liscence unless she has an IDP (International Drivers Permit) issued by the DMV of her home country.

As others have pointed out she does not need an IDP and anyway they are not issued by the DVLA.

It would depend on how long her State allows Drivers to drive without obtaining a State license.

Could amusingly drive in States not resident in on her UK license for up to 12 months at a time.

[Lainie B 465]

Thanks for all the responses. I have been continueing my investigations and came across this on the london embassy website:

http://london.usembassy.gov/rctour.html

This was written for visitors who want to rent cars on their trip, not people who have migrated to the US.

She is in a weird period right now where she has migrated to the US but and is a resident of the state (but not yet a LPR which is a different thing) but doesn't have a way to prove it (EAD or GC) and for that reason most states won't give a drivers licence.

Another heads up - she will need her SSN in order to get her drivers licence, as the DMVs in Oklahoma crosscheck the name and SSN using the SAVE database. You can't get a drivers licence in OK without a SSN, and the name on her EAD will need to match the name on her SS card. So if she is changing her name, and she already has a SSN in her maiden name, then she will need to apply for the EAD (and GC) in her married name, then take the EAD (or GC) plus marriage certificate to the SSA and update her name, then go to the DMV for her drivers licence. She won't have to wait to get the actual SS card with her new name, the SSA will give her a letter that she can show the DMV, and the database change is very fast.

If she doesn't have her SSN yet, then I suggests she goes ASAP (as soon as they start taking applications again) while she still can (she can only get one within 90 days minus 2 weeks of entry). Otherwise she needs to wait for the EAD, then go to the SSA and apply for one with her married name (if she's changing it) before going to the DMV.