Driver's License

[carmel34 3,631]

This is one of the disadvantages of the K-1 vs CR-1.  DLs are only valid as long as legal presence documents, meaning a couple of months now, then for a year once he gets EAD, then after that when the 2-year GC expires (same as for CR-1).  It's part of the deal when immigrating, lots of trips to the DMV which sucks especially here in CA where the lines are horrendous.  I would suggest get the DL for 2 months in TN so at least he can practice driving and pass the test, then when you move to another state, get DL there after EAD arrives.  Good luck!

 

[C90 376]

14 hours ago, Meryem467 said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here it goes: My husband arrived on a K1 visa on 2/10/19. We are trying to get his driver's license but are finding so much conflicting information. Firstly, he does not speak English well, but we recently found out he can take the test in Arabic. Now someone told me that even if he gets his license, it will expire on the same date as his I94 which would be 5/10/19. It doesn't seem worth all the trouble for him to only be able to drive two months. Then I'm guessing we have to wait for the green card for him to get another driver's license. Is that correct? 

We currently live in Tennessee but are moving to Mississippi in the next two months. Are the rules in Mississippi any different? I've read he would have been able to drive for a year if he had gotten an international driving permit in Morocco, but, alas, he did not do that. Any advice? 

It fully depends on the state you live in. I live in PA and I got my 1 year DL without EAD, since PA allows people who can proof they have a pending AOS to get their DL.

I don't know about your state, but it should be pretty easy to google. Just check out the local DMV site, it will hold the answer to your question.

[JuLiA1234 10]

15 hours ago, Meryem467 said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here it goes: My husband arrived on a K1 visa on 2/10/19. We are trying to get his driver's license but are finding so much conflicting information. Firstly, he does not speak English well, but we recently found out he can take the test in Arabic. Now someone told me that even if he gets his license, it will expire on the same date as his I94 which would be 5/10/19. It doesn't seem worth all the trouble for him to only be able to drive two months. Then I'm guessing we have to wait for the green card for him to get another driver's license. Is that correct? 

We currently live in Tennessee but are moving to Mississippi in the next two months. Are the rules in Mississippi any different? I've read he would have been able to drive for a year if he had gotten an international driving permit in Morocco, but, alas, he did not do that. Any advice? 

It does depend on the local dmv that you go to. I am also here in the States with K1 visa. My I-94 has already expired in January, 2019. I haven't got EAD card or green card yet. However, you can call DOT of the state you are staying and see what you can do. I live in North dakota, and I brought the receipt notice for AOS, my k1 visa, valid passport, expired I-94, marriage certificate, SSN card and proof of residency and they gave me "Temporary license" which lasts till the anniversary of marriage. So I got married in october, 2018 and my license lasts till october, 2019. What I did is that I called the DOT of North dakota and explained my situation and they said "Bring anything helpful to prove your status in the States". Good luck! 

[JunkTardis 183]

16 hours ago, Meryem467 said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this question, but here it goes: My husband arrived on a K1 visa on 2/10/19. We are trying to get his driver's license but are finding so much conflicting information. Firstly, he does not speak English well, but we recently found out he can take the test in Arabic. Now someone told me that even if he gets his license, it will expire on the same date as his I94 which would be 5/10/19. It doesn't seem worth all the trouble for him to only be able to drive two months. Then I'm guessing we have to wait for the green card for him to get another driver's license. Is that correct? 

We currently live in Tennessee but are moving to Mississippi in the next two months. Are the rules in Mississippi any different? I've read he would have been able to drive for a year if he had gotten an international driving permit in Morocco, but, alas, he did not do that. Any advice? 

Okay so here goes.

 

He CAN get a drivers license (But this depends on state. I got my Missouri drivers license. To do this, you need to:

 

• Get SSN, a bill or utility bill with his name on it, i94 and current 'status'. K1 is qualifying as a status.
• Once you have those, head to your DMV and get your drivers test done. You will sit a simple written exam, then you will proceed with test as normal
• Take your pass certificate to your license office and have them mail out your license (Same as for a citizen)

The license will expire when his i94 expires. From this point on, you should be able to obtain a TDP (Temporary Drivers Privilege) . This will run for 60 days. This is free, go into DMV and have them call their office and they will fax one over. When it expires, simply get another TDP. When you have EAD/AP you can renew normally. Then you renew again when you get GC. Just be sure to take your proof of status in when you renew. When your i94 is invalid and you are technically out of status, you cannot renew. You must get a TDP. This is valid on insurance. I have included a picture of my paperwork below (with personally identifying information blanked out). 

 

It's as simple as that! I moved in October on a K1 and I am driving legally and normally. I got a 98/100 on my test. 

 

Remember - Your mileage may vary, it depends on your state's DMV requirements.

 

Oh, and finally...if you have no success at the DMV, just try another DMV. My local one is absolutely useless, but one a little further away is excellent. The DMV staff lack consistent training. 

 

 

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by JunkTardis

[Meryem467 35]

1 hour ago, JunkTardis said:

Okay so here goes.

 

He CAN get a drivers license (But this depends on state. I got my Missouri drivers license. To do this, you need to:

 

• Get SSN, a bill or utility bill with his name on it, i94 and current 'status'. K1 is qualifying as a status.
• Once you have those, head to your DMV and get your drivers test done. You will sit a simple written exam, then you will proceed with test as normal
• Take your pass certificate to your license office and have them mail out your license (Same as for a citizen)

The license will expire when his i94 expires. From this point on, you should be able to obtain a TDP (Temporary Drivers Privilege) . This will run for 60 days. This is free, go into DMV and have them call their office and they will fax one over. When it expires, simply get another TDP. When you have EAD/AP you can renew normally. Then you renew again when you get GC. Just be sure to take your proof of status in when you renew. When your i94 is invalid and you are technically out of status, you cannot renew. You must get a TDP. This is valid on insurance. I have included a picture of my paperwork below (with personally identifying information blanked out). 

 

It's as simple as that! I moved in October on a K1 and I am driving legally and normally. I got a 98/100 on my test. 

 

Remember - Your mileage may vary, it depends on your state's DMV requirements.

 

Oh, and finally...if you have no success at the DMV, just try another DMV. My local one is absolutely useless, but one a little further away is excellent. The DMV staff lack consistent training. 

 

 

 

Thank you!!!! This is so helpful!

[JunkTardis 183]

4 minutes ago, Meryem467 said:

Thank you!!!! This is so helpful!

I'm glad it helped! It was incredibly frustrating when I was trying to work out what information was good and what was bad as there is a lot of conflicting information out there. It doesn't help with each state having slightly different rules. I just learned to keep a plastic wallet with any relevant document in it with me when I went to the DMV and didn't let them fob me off.

 

It sucks enough that the beneficiary has to be unable to work whilst waiting for AP/EAD but I was damned if I was going to not have some form of freedom to get around. I had the option to use my UK drivers license for up to a year, but I didn't see the point in that. I will say though, the US test is really easy by comparison which was nice. It was a lot more relaxed too, and cheap.

 

I hope you guys get it sorted, it makes being unemployed for the interim a bit less dull.

[Boiler 45,505]

19 minutes ago, JunkTardis said:

I'm glad it helped! It was incredibly frustrating when I was trying to work out what information was good and what was bad as there is a lot of conflicting information out there. It doesn't help with each state having slightly different rules. I just learned to keep a plastic wallet with any relevant document in it with me when I went to the DMV and didn't let them fob me off.

 

It sucks enough that the beneficiary has to be unable to work whilst waiting for AP/EAD but I was damned if I was going to not have some form of freedom to get around. I had the option to use my UK drivers license for up to a year, but I didn't see the point in that. I will say though, the US test is really easy by comparison which was nice. It was a lot more relaxed too, and cheap.

 

I hope you guys get it sorted, it makes being unemployed for the interim a bit less dull.

I am not aware of any State that allows new residents a year on their out of State License.

[JunkTardis 183]

9 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I am not aware of any State that allows new residents a year on their out of State License.

I asked MDoR about it and they said I could do so, provided I got an IDP. Without the IDP, just 6 months. Not sure how accurate their information was, but I chose to obtain the MO license instead and haven't touched my UK license since moving. I would always advise new residents to get a state license if at all possible - it's just easier all round. 

[Boiler 45,505]

Assuming you had a UK License an IDP is not needed, something you need where the License is in a foreign language.

 

So I am going to assume they were talking about visitors not new residents.

[JunkTardis 183]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Assuming you had a UK License an IDP is not needed, something you need where the License is in a foreign language.

 

So I am going to assume they were talking about visitors not new residents.

That's what I assumed too, since the IDP is really just a translation.

 

I didn't follow through with this method because I was still skeptical about that and figured it'd be easier just to get a MO issued license

[C90 376]

52 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I am not aware of any State that allows new residents a year on their out of State License.

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by C90

[Boiler 45,505]

12 minutes ago, C90 said:

 

Not sure what happened by a quick google says you have 60 days in PA.

[C90 376]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

Not sure what happened by a quick google says you have 60 days in PA.

I thought you said not to be aware of driving for 1 year with foreign license, but then I saw you said out of state license, so I deleted my comment since you're right.

 

As for a foreign license, in PA you can drive up to 1 year with a foreign license combined with an international license, but that was not the topic here lol.

[Boiler 45,505]

3 minutes ago, C90 said:

I thought you said not to be aware of driving for 1 year with foreign license, but then I saw you said out of state license, so I deleted my comment since you're right.

 

As for a foreign license, in PA you can drive up to 1 year with a foreign license combined with an international license, but that was not the topic here lol.

As a visitor, this thread is about Residents.

[RLA 323]

15 hours ago, geowrian said:

[applied for AOS] No responses that I see cover this condition (until you get an EAD😞

https://save.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/SAVE_GuideToUnderstandingSAVEVerificationResponses.pdf

Thanks for that document link.  From what I read there, somebody who has applied for Adjustment of Status should show up as "NON-IMMIGRANT" in SAVE, with "Date Admitted To: Indefinite".  That means that SAVE can indeed verify that the person in question has lawful status in the U.S.