Getting US drivers licence after filing AOS from k1

[Skye841 1]

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post this. Since filing AOS I485 /EAD etc i found out i cannot drive on my Australian licence over here and need a US licence. So question is how am i supposed to practice and get used to driving here on the opposite side of the road and car to prep for the driving test when im not allowed to drive on a foreign licence now? I’m sure for some adapting to driving on the opposite side of the road and car is easier than for others but i feel i need to get used to it before i can do a test.

 

[Mike E 11,739]

Rules vary by state. In sone states:

* I-485 receipt helps you get a learner’s permit

* I-485 receipt does not help, and state DMV

— does not care if your presence is authorized. It will issue a learner’s

—  will not issue learner’s until you produce an EAD or GC

 

This the downside of K-1.

 

 

[Scott-Ilyn 81]

We are in one of the states that required my wife to wait for her green card before she could get a learner's permit. So, we got her learner's permit 6 months ago and she is almost ready to take the test for her driver's license.

[JeanneAdil 6,491]

going thru back posts it appears u r in Maryland

It says on their site to get permit u  need to show u have applied for lawful permanent residence

• Lawful status must be verified through the U. S. Department of Homeland Security-SAVE, to verify that the visa status is no longer A or G categories; and that you have applied for another status or lawful permanent residence.
• Also u need to take a 3 hour safe and sober course and get the certificate

so take the course and get that part out of the way

 

https://mva.maryland.gov/drivers/Pages/international-applicants.aspx

[Skye841 1]

4 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

going thru back posts it appears u r in Maryland

It says on their site to get permit u  need to show u have applied for lawful permanent residence

• Lawful status must be verified through the U. S. Department of Homeland Security-SAVE, to verify that the visa status is no longer A or G categories; and that you have applied for another status or lawful permanent residence.
• Also u need to take a 3 hour safe and sober course and get the certificate

so take the course and get that part out of the way

 

https://mva.maryland.gov/drivers/Pages/international-applicants.aspx

Hi there, i am in VA.

 

[Skye841 1]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

Rules vary by state. In sone states:

* I-485 receipt helps you get a learner’s permit

* I-485 receipt does not help, and state DMV

— does not care if your presence is authorized. It will issue a learner’s

—  will not issue learner’s until you produce an EAD or GC

 

This the downside of K-1.

 

 

Oh ok so regardless they will issue me a learners permit, not a full licence despite having a full licence from Australia? So i don’t need to worry about doing a driving test yet, if that makes sense? 

[Mike E 11,739]

20 minutes ago, Skye841 said:

Oh ok so regardless they will issue me a learners permit, not a full licence despite having a full licence from Australia? So i don’t need to worry about doing a driving test yet, if that makes sense? 

This also varies by states. Individual states will negotiate reciprocity agreements with other countries and states / provinces within each country.

 

I consider it a statistical certainty that at least one state in the U.S. recognizes a drivers license from at least one state of Australia for purposes of waiving a road test.  

[Chancy 6,241]

1 hour ago, Skye841 said:

they will issue me a learners permit, not a full licence despite having a full licence from Australia?

 

Note that in Virginia, you cannot legally drive with a learner's permit unless seated beside a licensed driver or until you've completed VA driver's ed -- https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/learners/apply

 

[yuna628 9,671]

4 hours ago, Skye841 said:

Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post this. Since filing AOS I485 /EAD etc i found out i cannot drive on my Australian licence over here and need a US licence. So question is how am i supposed to practice and get used to driving here on the opposite side of the road and car to prep for the driving test when im not allowed to drive on a foreign licence now? I’m sure for some adapting to driving on the opposite side of the road and car is easier than for others but i feel i need to get used to it before i can do a test.

 

You will find that license rules vary from state to state, and to make it even more frustrating, from DMV to DMV depending on the employee's mood and interpretation of the rules which change from day to day. Make sure you know the rules and requirements, have a print out if needed, or ask for supervisor.

 

For some, if you already know how to drive and have a license, you can skip the permit process and go straight to full license if you can past a couple tests. That is what my husband managed to do for MD - got a full license so long as he passed the written test, a brief driving test, and the drug/alcohol course. If he had started from scratch it would have been a very lengthy process. We waited until having the EAD in hand, as it was less hassle. 

 

Sometimes a state also has an 'exchange' program usually with a couple specific countries. Where you trade in your foreign license for the state license. It's another way to skip ahead.

 

You'll likely also need your name on some kind of mail coming to your US address. They generally like to see bank statements or something like that. You may also need an SSN. Hopefully you have or have started to work on those.

 

If you go to the Virginia DMV's website you will see it talk about the ability to exchange a license. Unfortunately your country of origin does not qualify, but they do mention this:

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/licenses-ids/license/applying/exchange-foreign-dl

Quote

For applicants 18 years and older who are exchanging a license from one of the reciprocal countries listed above, you may not be required to complete the knowledge or road skills tests.

For applicants 18 years and older who hold a license from a country other than those listed above, you will need to complete both the knowledge and the road skills test, but may not need to get a learner’s permit and hold it for 60 days before taking the road skills test. 

In other words it sounds like VA may be similar to MD in that as long as you pass a couple other things and prove you've got a license from a country but not those that are on the 'reciprocal list' you can skip the lengthy learners permit process. So as long as you've got the required documents to start the process, and feel knowledgeable and comfortable driving in the US, you should be good.

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by yuna628

[TBoneTX 45,264]

7 hours ago, Skye841 said:

get used to driving here on the opposite side of the road

And driving upside-down (Northern Hemisphere vs. Southern).   

[Loren Y 2,755]

I travel between diffierent countries all the time, Left, right side, whatever side you want ( sorry Italy, you are the worst drivers in the world, and I have driven in over 100 countries). Your first time it's about 20 min of terror, then you will be fine. I find it is more difficult when I switch countries to keep the wiper and turn signal actuators straight, Every time I switch I keep hitting the wipers for the turn signals and vise versa for a few days. LOL. Because of the right hand drive to left hand drive switch of the vehicle.

[TBoneTX 45,264]

1 hour ago, Loren Y said:

(sorry Italy, you are the worst drivers in the world, and I have driven in over 100 countries)

Including Ecuador?   

[Loren Y 2,755]

20 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

Including Ecuador?   

Nope, Panama,  Costa Rica,  Columbia,  is the closest I came to Ecuador.  Costa Rica was interesting,  not bad drivers, the mountainous roads and lack of signage was rough there. And the 3000 dollar US deposit for the rental car was a little steep.  Guess they assumed you weren't coming back...LOL.  only about 1 out of 5 people were able to take the hit on their credit card for the deposit.  People trying to use their debit card were getting turned away.  It was around 1.1 million dollars in Costa Rica currency for the deposit.  Funny thing, the car was only like 10 usd a day rental fee.

[OK_K1 0]

It might be good to double check this. You should be able to continue driving on your Australian license (and some states may need you to get an IDP (which is very easy to get) - https://www.usa.gov/non-citizen-driving) until you have established residence in your state. I did this for 4 years in NY, OH, MA, RI and PA while on a student visa with no problems. Australian tourists rent cars and drive in the US all the time. Though of course, I don't know whether VA is different.

Edited August 31, 2023 by OK_K1

[Boiler 45,464]

2 hours ago, OK_K1 said:

It might be good to double check this. You should be able to continue driving on your Australian license (and some states may need you to get an IDP (which is very easy to get) - https://www.usa.gov/non-citizen-driving) until you have established residence in your state. I did this for 4 years in NY, OH, MA, RI and PA while on a student visa with no problems. Australian tourists rent cars and drive in the US all the time. Though of course, I don't know whether VA is different.

I thought an Australian license is in English?

 

Anyway the discussion is about residents not tourists or students.