Permanent Resident Card CR1 finally approved! Is it necessary to get a USA driving license if I hold a UK driving license?

[STO Overland 137]

Got a story when I was taking my motorcycle test in Scotland! I was 19...going around town with the examiner following me. He radios me to pull over as he wanted to test my emergency stop. We pull over to the side of the road and he points down the street

 

- I want you to ride to that roundabout (one of those alone would screw up any American). I need to see you use your indicators, lane control and come back up the other side. I will be standing on the opposite side of the street and when  you see me step out on the road with my hand up, you need to come to a controlled stop and put both feet down.

 

I go off on my merrily way, nervous and trying to remember everything he just said. My bike is surging because my throttle control was sucking and as I go around the roundabout I stall it because I'm in a too high gear for the speed. As I try to get it started on the opposite of the roundabout other vehicles are not waiting on me and continue on their way..

 

I get my bike started within maybe 10 seconds and head off hoping he wont be pi$$ed that I took so much time. As I'm head up the street I see brake lights come on and wonder what's going on. You've guessed, one of the vehicles that passed me was a high powered motorcycle that was now laying down with its pilot cursing loudly at my examiner "why the hell would you step out in front of me. Are you blind??" 

Edited July 9, 2022 by DeezNuts

[arken 4,197]

9 hours ago, .yana said:

Advice would be to check early am (~7:00a) when they release appointments for the farthest date out, and you should be able to schedule one.

 

Agreed. No availability for the next few months doesn't mean all are booked. They usually through out limited number of openings every day which gets taken fast. For my wife's dmv appointment, we used to wake up at 6 am, then 5 and started going back. 1 AM alarm did the trick and we finally made an appointment for a time 2 months down the road.

Edited July 9, 2022 by arken

[P055UM 281]

10 hours ago, laylalex said:

Chiming in from experience (actual double experience -- both my ex and my husband are British). We're in California and the law is that after you've been here for 10 days as a new resident -- and coming in as a permanent resident you absolutely will be -- you need to get a CA DL. And yes, it takes forever to get an appointment, but it really depends on where you are in CA and being tactical about looking at DMVs that might be further afield than where you're located. You can get away with driving on a UK DL for a while, as @.yana said, if you have a confirmation ticket printed. You're doing your best to comply! And as long as you keep your nose clean you're unlikely to get stopped, especially if you're in a big city. 

 

Also as pointed out, no reciprocity with the DVLA so you have to do the theory and the practical. On the plus side: the practical will be stupidly easy. My husband wasn't asked to parallel park, just to drive around for a bit, use signal indicators properly (which gives him a leg up on most native drivers), stop at stop signs, change lanes smoothly, etc. At the time he took it, he was up in SF and I was down here in SoCal, and he called me to ask if the examiner had missed something because he hadn't been asked to reverse around a corner!  

 

Good luck, you got this!

Seconded - OP will likely find the theory and practical comically easy. I am also sure that as soon as I told my examiner I had a foreign DL of 14+ years or whatever that I saw him basically relax and be like "there is no way I'm failing you".

[top_secret 2,421]

My wife did this for California.  There is indeed the 10 day rule for new California residents.  They will make you take the written test and receive a temporary learners permit allowing driving with a licensed driver in the car until you can take a behind the wheel test.

 

As far as getting a date for the behind the wheel test, they are all indeed booked for months but there are many DMV offices around the state and almost daily they release random appointments in the immediate future, in random offices.   If your preferred DMV office is fully booked check around at other DMV offices in the area and be prepared to drive a bit if the DMV office across town has behind the wheel test appointments tomorrow.  My wife had to do the behind the wheel driving test twice 🤣😂 with different appointments at completely different DMV offices.