Did you have to surrender your UK/home country licence?

[Kez/JWolf 6]

and it is not that difficult to get a license in the US , so not sure about the start from scratch comment you just have to take a written test and a quick eye exam and then the road test....

Unless you have to drive on the otherside of the raod and you see new signs you have never seen before.... there are new rules to be learnt... sitting on the other side of the care to drive.... for most from the UK learning to drive an automatic... yeh its so easy if you have learnt to do all of the above from the day you started to drive.... try doing it after you have been driving for 20+ years in the UK and then have to start all over again in the US...

Kez

[Dr_LHA 3]

and it is not that difficult to get a license in the US , so not sure about the start from scratch comment you just have to take a written test and a quick eye exam and then the road test....

Yes, I clearly didn't mean you had to forget how to learn how to drive!

But I had to get a learners permit first, take the written test and then take the road test. This is what I meant by "starting again from scratch".

[Marilyn. 340]

and it is not that difficult to get a license in the US , so not sure about the start from scratch comment you just have to take a written test and a quick eye exam and then the road test....

Unless you have to drive on the otherside of the raod and you see new signs you have never seen before.... there are new rules to be learnt... sitting on the other side of the care to drive.... for most from the UK learning to drive an automatic... yeh its so easy if you have learnt to do all of the above from the day you started to drive.... try doing it after you have been driving for 20+ years in the UK and then have to start all over again in the US...

Kez

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

[Dr_LHA 3]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up. The rules about people having to give in their old license stems from laws that state its illegal to hold 2 drivers licenses at the same time. These laws basically mean *from 2 different states in America*, and not for foriegners, but given that the laws were most likely written without foreigners in mind, and the DMV is run by morons, then you will get people who at the DMV who insist they have a right to confiscate your foreign license. They don't.

Edited July 30, 2007 by Dr_LHA

[Marilyn. 340]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up.

thing is you have to do all that regardless of if you give up your license or not....

Edited July 30, 2007 by MarilynP

[Dr_LHA 3]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up.

thing is you have to do all that regardless of if you give up your license or not....

Do all what? You're losing me here.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I live in CA and I do not have to surrender my license, and I never would!!!! unless the CA DMV would refund my 800 Euros for driving school, the 100 Euros for the DL and fees for it, and a future 1500 Euros to retake the classes and exams in Germany in case I go back (with AF hubbie not so unlikely). Really, that's BS and I would never ever go for it. Just in case now I will not bring my German license to the practical test. It's worth so much more and for rental reasons in Germany a golden asset (you pay way less and can drive - oh my dear - a stick shift). *shakemyhead*

Just don't tell them - like my friend with 3 citizenships which Germany technically doesn't allow - just don't tell.

Hm.

When I lived in Germany, I had to give up my Indiana license for the German one. When I came back to Indiana, the BMV said my license never expired, and they didn't give the rat's ### what Germany did, so they gave it right back (German one they never asked back for). I can't imagine it would be that different in Germany, particularly since licenses don't even expire in the first place.

[Marilyn. 340]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up.

thing is you have to do all that regardless of if you give up your license or not....

Do all what? You're losing me here.

you remind me of my husband

the written test, the road test etc....

[Marilyn. 340]

I live in CA and I do not have to surrender my license, and I never would!!!! unless the CA DMV would refund my 800 Euros for driving school, the 100 Euros for the DL and fees for it, and a future 1500 Euros to retake the classes and exams in Germany in case I go back (with AF hubbie not so unlikely). Really, that's BS and I would never ever go for it. Just in case now I will not bring my German license to the practical test. It's worth so much more and for rental reasons in Germany a golden asset (you pay way less and can drive - oh my dear - a stick shift). *shakemyhead*

Just don't tell them - like my friend with 3 citizenships which Germany technically doesn't allow - just don't tell.

Hm.

When I lived in Germany, I had to give up my Indiana license for the German one. When I came back to Indiana, the BMV said my license never expired, and they didn't give the rat's ### what Germany did, so they gave it right back (German one they never asked back for). I can't imagine it would be that different in Germany, particularly since licenses don't even expire in the first place.

I find it interesting that it seems that in a lot of countries the licenses don't expire... so you never have to update the picture or anything?? it would seem that you would have to do that because people's looks change as they get older....

like I said in Canada we have to renew our license every 5 years or so.. you don't have to take any test or anything, they just take a new picture...

but I think once you hit a certain age they do make you take another eye test ...

[Dr_LHA 3]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up.

thing is you have to do all that regardless of if you give up your license or not....

Do all what? You're losing me here.

you remind me of my husband

the written test, the road test etc....

Yes, that was the exact point I was making in the post you quoted. Whether you give up your license or not you'll have to take the written/road test, so you might as well not give up your foriegn license!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

As far as I know, you don't update it unless you ruin it somehow. However, most Germans carry around a national id card that has be updated every five years or so. That seems to be the primary form of ID there, not a DL like here.

[Dr_LHA 3]

I find it interesting that it seems that in a lot of countries the licenses don't expire... so you never have to update the picture or anything?? it would seem that you would have to do that because people's looks change as they get older....

My UK drivers license doesn't have a picture on it. Licenses from the UK with picture ids are a relatively new thing. A drivers license used to be just a piece of paper. You're not required to carry it with you even when you are driving in the UK (at least, you didn't used to have to).

[Marilyn. 340]

yeah, I know but i was more commenting on the fact the Dr_LHA made it sound that giving up your old license would make you forgot how to drive or something

Clearly I didn't mean that. My point is that you if you don't get any benefit from giving up your drivers license, then don't give it up.

thing is you have to do all that regardless of if you give up your license or not....

Do all what? You're losing me here.

you remind me of my husband

the written test, the road test etc....

Yes, that was the exact point I was making in the post you quoted. Whether you give up your license or not you'll have to take the written/road test, so you might as well not give up your foriegn license!

ok gotcha

I find it interesting that it seems that in a lot of countries the licenses don't expire... so you never have to update the picture or anything?? it would seem that you would have to do that because people's looks change as they get older....

My UK drivers license doesn't have a picture on it. Licenses from the UK with picture ids are a relatively new thing. A drivers license used to be just a piece of paper. You're not required to carry it with you even when you are driving in the UK (at least, you didn't used to have to).

ok.....

I learned something new today

[derekkj 0]

My UK drivers license doesn't have a picture on it. Licenses from the UK with picture ids are a relatively new thing. A drivers license used to be just a piece of paper. You're not required to carry it with you even when you are driving in the UK (at least, you didn't used to have to).

Photos on Vermont licenses are also a relatively new thing and they also used to be just paper.

Derek did have to surrender his Canadian license to get a Virginia one. I guess because as others have mentioned the US does not allow you to have licenses from more than one state, and apparently the Virginia DMV considers Canada the 51st state.

[Krikit 1,164]

also about keeping the old license... how would you keep them up to date?? they do expire... don't you need to be a resident of the country to update your license??

That was my question to the officer at the passport office. His reply was "Do it anyway." He asked if I received mail at any Canadian addresses and I told him my car insurance (at that time) was being sent to my parents' house. He said "Use that address." All I did at the DMV was renew my license with a change of address and, voilà... license renewed.