International Driving License

[Citizen24 6]

Hi everyone,

 

I am 21 and I just got my immigration visa in April, yay!

I was told by someone that my Indian Driving License is valid in USA for a period of 6 months of stay and that acquiring an International Driving License would be a waste of time.

 

I'm not sure how accurate this information is. 

 

Is my Indian Driving License really valid in USA? If yes, for how long? And if yes, should I apply for an International Driving License which is valid for 1 year?

 

If someone can help me out with this, that would be great  

 

Thanks in advance  

 

[Christy&J 837]

38 minutes ago, uv1996 said:

Hi everyone,

 

I am 21 and I just got my immigration visa in April, yay!

I was told by someone that my Indian Driving License is valid in USA for a period of 6 months of stay and that acquiring an International Driving License would be a waste of time.

 

I'm not sure how accurate this information is. 

 

Is my Indian Driving License really valid in USA? If yes, for how long? And if yes, should I apply for an International Driving License which is valid for 1 year?

 

If someone can help me out with this, that would be great  

 

Thanks in advance  

 

each state has different rules, the best is find out on google and type your state and DL rules for foreign I did it and helped me

[Bzlibem 111]

From my experience, I would suggest you to get a US driving license ASAP. Before I was eligible to get one, I got pulled over and they did not honor an international drivers license. I got arrested and sent to court for driving without license. Charges were dropped, but it was still a nerve racking experience. 

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Getting a US driving license asap is of course the best way to go. But we all know as an immigrant this can take a while. Most DMV/BMV don't give out license unless you have your EAD, which can take up to three months. Some even don't accept anything other than a greencard.

 

I've looked into this myself and the most important thing to know is that it is wholly dependent on the state you drive in. I contacted the Indiana DMV and they gave me in writing that my Dutch license is valid for one year after POE.

Contact your state's DMV/BMV and ask. Don't forget to contact the adjourning states too if you will be driving in a neighboring state.

 

I would advise you to get that international drivers license if its not too expensive (its less than 20 dollars here) just to be sure. Most states require it but I've never heard anyone actually asking to see it. Your international drivers license is always in combination with your out of country license. An international drivers license usually is nothing more than a document written in English saying that the other document you have on you is a legal license to operate a vehicle.

[shumway1756 304]

As has been mentioned, every state honors international licenses differently. Some states, such as Georgia, only allow the international license to be used for 30 days, after which you are considered a resident in the state (by continual presence) and must then have a valid Georgia license. The international license is then no longer honored or considered valid.

 

So, check specifically with the state that you'll be residing in to see their specific rules. Remember that the USA is unique in that many laws are not federal (applicable to the entire country), but are instead individual by state or territory. Driving laws fall under state/territory jurisdiction.

 

In all cases, for the period in which your international license is honored, I do believe it advisable to have an international license to accompany your foreign license. The USA and India are both part of the 1949 UN agreement to honor international driving permits, and states must therefore honor them for as long as you are legally permitted to drive on your foreign license.

[Citizen24 6]

1 hour ago, Christy&J said:

each state has different rules, the best is find out on google and type your state and DL rules for foreign I did it and helped me

Okay, I'll look it up. Thanks  

[Citizen24 6]

1 hour ago, Bzlibem said:

From my experience, I would suggest you to get a US driving license ASAP. Before I was eligible to get one, I got pulled over and they did not honor an international drivers license. I got arrested and sent to court for driving without license. Charges were dropped, but it was still a nerve racking experience. 

OMG thats awful. 

I understand that I should work to get my US driving license ASAP.

One of my cousins who is a USC told me that since I am from India (Right-hand drive) and I start driving in US (Left-Hand drive), I am bound to make a few mistakes in the beginning. If I get an international driving license and drive around for the first few months with that, I may get tickets on that license. If I get the US license and get tickets on that, my insurance premium may shoot up. So basically like, practice a little bit on the International Driving License before you go out and seek the US driving license.

[Citizen24 6]

1 hour ago, Little_Vixen said:

Getting a US driving license asap is of course the best way to go. But we all know as an immigrant this can take a while. Most DMV/BMV don't give out license unless you have your EAD, which can take up to three months. Some even don't accept anything other than a greencard.

 

I've looked into this myself and the most important thing to know is that it is wholly dependent on the state you drive in. I contacted the Indiana DMV and they gave me in writing that my Dutch license is valid for one year after POE.

Contact your state's DMV/BMV and ask. Don't forget to contact the adjourning states too if you will be driving in a neighboring state.

 

I would advise you to get that international drivers license if its not too expensive (its less than 20 dollars here) just to be sure. Most states require it but I've never heard anyone actually asking to see it. Your international drivers license is always in combination with your out of country license. An international drivers license usually is nothing more than a document written in English saying that the other document you have on you is a legal license to operate a vehicle.

So I found this-

 

 

 

I am going to be staying at New Jersey, and may travel to and from New York.

As per your suggestion, I will call up and confirm at the DMV, thanks  

 

International Driving Licenses in Mumbai only cost about INR 500, which is less than 10 dollars. So ofc, I'll get it done here.

 

[Citizen24 6]

1 hour ago, Little_Vixen said:

Getting a US driving license asap is of course the best way to go. But we all know as an immigrant this can take a while. Most DMV/BMV don't give out license unless you have your EAD, which can take up to three months. Some even don't accept anything other than a greencard.

 

I've looked into this myself and the most important thing to know is that it is wholly dependent on the state you drive in. I contacted the Indiana DMV and they gave me in writing that my Dutch license is valid for one year after POE.

Contact your state's DMV/BMV and ask. Don't forget to contact the adjourning states too if you will be driving in a neighboring state.

 

I would advise you to get that international drivers license if its not too expensive (its less than 20 dollars here) just to be sure. Most states require it but I've never heard anyone actually asking to see it. Your international drivers license is always in combination with your out of country license. An international drivers license usually is nothing more than a document written in English saying that the other document you have on you is a legal license to operate a vehicle.

Sorry I accidentally pasted the image thrice.

[Citizen24 6]

47 minutes ago, shumway88 said:

As has been mentioned, every state honors international licenses differently. Some states, such as Georgia, only allow the international license to be used for 30 days, after which you are considered a resident in the state (by continual presence) and must then have a valid Georgia license. The international license is then no longer honored or considered valid.

 

So, check specifically with the state that you'll be residing in to see their specific rules. Remember that the USA is unique in that many laws are not federal (applicable to the entire country), but are instead individual by state or territory. Driving laws fall under state/territory jurisdiction.

 

In all cases, for the period in which your international license is honored, I do believe it advisable to have an international license to accompany your foreign license. The USA and India are both part of the 1949 UN agreement to honor international driving permits, and states must therefore honor them for as long as you are legally permitted to drive on your foreign license.

I posted an image in this thread that says Indian Driving Licenses are valid for 6 months in USA.

However, I will check up on the laws in New Jersey and New York (because that's where I'll be staying and travelling).

International Driving Licenses dont cost much, and I think I'm gonna get it, just to be safe.

 

Thanks for your help  

[shumway1756 304]

1 minute ago, uv1996 said:

I posted an image in this thread that says Indian Driving Licenses are valid for 6 months in USA.

However, I will check up on the laws in New Jersey and New York (because that's where I'll be staying and travelling).

International Driving Licenses dont cost much, and I think I'm gonna get it, just to be safe.

 

Thanks for your help  

Yup, definitely best to check. Also keep in mind that some states differentiate "visitors in transit" and "residents". For example, my state (Georgia) will honor the international license for up to 6 months if you're just visiting/passing through for tourism, business, etc. But once you establish residence, they treat you differently.

 

I don't know if it's the same in New Jersey and/or New York, but that's something to keep in mind. "Resident" individuals and "Visiting" individuals are treated differently.

[Citizen24 6]

6 minutes ago, shumway88 said:

Yup, definitely best to check. Also keep in mind that some states differentiate "visitors in transit" and "residents". For example, my state (Georgia) will honor the international license for up to 6 months if you're just visiting/passing through for tourism, business, etc. But once you establish residence, they treat you differently.

 

I don't know if it's the same in New Jersey and/or New York, but that's something to keep in mind. "Resident" individuals and "Visiting" individuals are treated differently.

Thats a very good point you bring up. Thank you for that and I will definitely look into it.

[JFH 12,191]

40 minutes ago, shumway88 said:

Yup, definitely best to check. Also keep in mind that some states differentiate "visitors in transit" and "residents". For example, my state (Georgia) will honor the international license for up to 6 months if you're just visiting/passing through for tourism, business, etc. But once you establish residence, they treat you differently.

 

I don't know if it's the same in New Jersey and/or New York, but that's something to keep in mind. "Resident" individuals and "Visiting" individuals are treated differently.

This!!!! Many people check the DMV website and see that overseas licenses are valid fir 6 or 12 months but don't see the next part or another part that says that if you are resident in that state you have only 30/60/90 days or so to get a state license. The 6-month or 12-month rule applies to people in a temporary status here - students, overseas contractors, tourists, etc. I think California only gives you 10 days! I live in Washington state and had 30 days to get my WA license.

 

OP, you only need to check the laws of the state where you will be resident, not every state you may be driving through. You want to get a license pretty fast anyway. I don't think people realise until they live here how much weight a driver's license carries. In the U.K., where I am from, it means nothing more than "this person can operate a vehicle" but over here it's the number 1 form of ID. My green card and U.K. passport were not considered good enough to get a library card from our little library here in a town of 2000 people. They would only accept a WA drivers license.

[Citizen24 6]

30 minutes ago, JFH said:

This!!!! Many people check the DMV website and see that overseas licenses are valid fir 6 or 12 months but don't see the next part or another part that says that if you are resident in that state you have only 30/60/90 days or so to get a state license. The 6-month or 12-month rule applies to people in a temporary status here - students, overseas contractors, tourists, etc. I think California only gives you 10 days! I live in Washington state and had 30 days to get my WA license.

 

OP, you only need to check the laws of the state where you will be resident, not every state you may be driving through. You want to get a license pretty fast anyway. I don't think people realise until they live here how much weight a driver's license carries. In the U.K., where I am from, it means nothing more than "this person can operate a vehicle" but over here it's the number 1 form of ID. My green card and U.K. passport were not considered good enough to get a library card from our little library here in a town of 2000 people. They would only accept a WA drivers license.

Oh wow. Okay then. I'll look it up and I'll definitely apply for the US Drivers license as soon as I get there.

And just because you're from UK, how long did you take to adapt from Right-Hand drive to Left-Hand drive?

[EmilyW 1,527]

I'm an Australian and I'd say it was three months before I stopped saying - out loud to myself - stay to the right, stay to the right.  Even now, I tend to drive too close to the left side of the lane naturally.