Visitors to US - obtaining US Drivers License

Here is a general description of Real ID (google Real ID):

"Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the Federal Government ?set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver's licenses.? The Act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for official purposes licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet these standards. States have made considerable progress in meeting this key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and every state has a more secure driver's license today than before the passage of the Act."

I know that several states were in danger of not having their driver licenses recognized for airline travel or access to military bases because they had not complied with the REAL ID requirements.  North Dakota and Missouri were two of those.  I don't know if ND is still in that category but Missouri recently received another extension of a waiver to the requirements.  Not sure how long that extension is but the state legislature is responsible to take adequate action to enhance driver licenses to meet the requirements.  What I do see is a new Missouri license plate which is a pathetic replacement for the last pathetic version......lol

Bill

Isaac-1 said:

p.p.s. Also be aware about half the states now require special licensing with special extra testing to operate a vehicle over 26,000 pounds GVWR, so if your RV is a diesel pusher you may want to consider a state that does not require this extra level of licensing.

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This is another thing to look out for as we were told some states dont issue licences for over a certain weight and I thought it was less than 26000lbs. Same in UK so check your UK licence too!

Bill N said:

I know that several states were in danger of not having their driver licenses recognized for airline travel or access to military bases because they had not complied with the REAL ID requirements.  North Dakota and Missouri were two of those.  I don't know if ND is still in that category but Missouri recently received another extension of a waiver to the requirements. 

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According to the Homeland Security Department, the State is now Real ID compliant.

https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/north-dakota

Lot's of good discussion here but little in the way of helpful advice for Murray.  I'm not able to improve much on that either, but will offer a few more thoughts.

The general requirements for obtaining a driving license in each state are geared toward  permanent residents of that state, which Murray most probably is not now and will not qualify for in the future. So the question becomes which states have alternate provisions to issue licenses to non-residents or temporary residents that he may be able to qualify for.  The typical clerk at a DMV office is often not familiar with those exceptions and alternatives, making it more difficult to get solid  advice even at official sources.

Probably the easiest way to get a US state driving license is to get one that is NOT Real ID compliant, which most states have. That way you only have to comply with the state's rules.  States that get a lot of longer-term visitors usually have well-known provisions for alternate forms of licensing. Nevada is one of those - they issue what they call a Driving Authorization, which is valid for operating a vehicle but not as an ID card for other purposes. Not sure if Murray could qualify, since Nevada doesn't issue driving licenses to "tourists" but does issue them to foreign nationals under certain circumstances.

http://www.dmvnv.com/dlresidency.htm

North Dakota has a non-Real ID license alternative but appears to have a requirement for a US Social Security (SS) number and also a residency requirement. Murray obviously won't have the SS, and may or may not be able to finesse the residency parameters.

Florida is another state that is well-experienced in handling licensing for temporary residents, but I don't find any provisions for a non-Real ID license.

For the reasons Tom cited, it's not clear that a US license helps much with insurance costs. However, each insurer will determine their rates based on their own criteria, so Murray needs to shop around.  Advice from other non-US residents is probably the best source for finding insurers that will cover them.

Just a small update, but not about getting a US driving licence. When we went to get our truck and fifth wheel insurance, Geico would not quote us without having or obtaining a US licence within 30 days. Also, when we went to get insurance through an agent in Texas the cost was well over $4500 for both units through Progressive. We phoned the company we were using for our LLC, they put us on to an agent in Missoula, less than half that quoted in Texas and still with Progressive. With regard to the international driving permit, we took Jackie's advice and obtained them before we flew out. Good job we did as Alomo car hire would not rent a vehicle without it, and you definitely require your UK licence.
Happy travels
Tony & Anne

TonyL said:

Just a small update, but not about getting a US driving licence. When we went to get our truck and fifth wheel insurance, Geico would not quote us without having or obtaining a US licence within 30 days. Also, when we went to get insurance through an agent in Texas the cost was well over $4500 for both units through Progressive. We phoned the company we were using for our LLC, they put us on to an agent in Missoula, less than half that quoted in Texas and still with Progressive. With regard to the international driving permit, we took Jackie's advice and obtained them before we flew out. Good job we did as Alomo car hire would not rent a vehicle without it, and you definitely require your UK licence.
Happy travels
Tony & Anne

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Tony, we didn't bother with the international permit after the first year.  I am surprised at the car hire place as we have rented in NY, Vegas, LA and San Fran with no problems using our normal UK licence, although we never used Alamo...

Interesting update, thanks. Care to share the TX agent who was able to secure Progressive insurance at a lower price?

Like Jackie, I was surprised at the Alamo requirement for an IDP. It would make sense if the renter's DL was in a non-English language. Maybe it's a general rule handed down the chain that says "all foreign drivers licenses must be accompanied by an international driving permit".

It's been many years since I used my UK driving licence in the US, but the only time I recall anyone not accepting my UK licence was in 1980 when I tried to pay a grocery bill with a cheque (drawn on a US bank); They needed a DL as ID, and the clerk had never seen an A4 style UK license. My attempt to slowly pronounce DRI-VING LIC-ENCE was fruitless, and met with "no way can we accept that".

FWIW I had the cash in my pocket, but decided I'd let the store put the contents of two shopping carts back on the shelf, and shopped at another store.

As best I can recall from my days as a Driver License Examiner an International Driver License was nothing more than an interpretation of a foreign drivers license.  We did require them even if in English in order to be able to determine if the class of license was equal to what that person would be driving in the US.

Bill

That makes sense Bill, although we weren't asked for them when applying for California licenses. OTOH I seem to recall that the equivalent of "class" was clearly spelled out on our UK licences, or at least on the English language side (ours were printed in Welsh on the reverse side).

Tom,
The agent we used to get our insurance was not in Texas but in Montana. Whether it was due to the vehicles being registered there got us a cheaper quote we are not sure. The agent was Garden City Insurance, very easy to deal with, super friendly and understanding about being non US citizens.
regards
TonyL

Thanks Tony, that could be useful information for others in the future.

Anything to help, after all, that is how we got sorted.
TonyL

A relative works at DVLA in Swansea (the original 'centralised' site prior to regional offices being set up), and several years ago told me they'd finally replaced the A4 licence with a credit card sized licence. I've been searching for our old A4 licences for quite a few years (call it nostalgia), but haven't found them.

Prior to obtaining California licences, I was waiting to be pulled over by the long arm of the law so I could present my A4 licence Welsh side up; Wanted to see the reaction 

I think the credit card version is self explanatory but does not tell you of any convictions. They totally banned the paper versions a few years ago and it is illegal to use them I believe.

You can now go online and see your credentials! So if you got stopped then this might be an option if there were any issues...

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

Attached screenshots from checking mine! All aboard!  ;D

Thanks Jackie, good info. Since I can't find the paper licence, I don't know the number, although I do know my NHS number. Meanwhile, the paper licence expired on my 70th birthday, so I probably can't even apply for a replacement   

Don't know if you were around when folks importing their US RV into the UK ran into width issues while attempting to register with DVLA. Here's a satirical article on the resolution in our forum library. Couldn't control/help myself at the time  ;D

As far as I know, the old paper driving licence is still valid but has not been issued for some years. When it is returned for change of address you will now get the ID card licence. What is illegal is just carrying the paper portion of the new licence without the card. The last time my licence was inspected by Swansea when they wanted to write on it, it was retuned, mind you, with the age of it, it should have been on papyrus!
TonyL

Tom said:

Thanks Jackie, good info. Since I can't find the paper licence, I don't know the number, although I do know my NHS number. Meanwhile, the paper licence expired on my 70th birthday, so I probably can't even apply for a replacement   

Don't know if you were around when folks importing their US RV into the UK ran into width issues while attempting to register with DVLA. Here's a satirical article on the resolution in our forum library. Couldn't control/help myself at the time  ;D

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Ha ha  very good!

TonyL said:

As far as I know, the old paper driving licence is still valid but has not been issued for some years. When it is returned for change of address you will now get the ID card licence. What is illegal is just carrying the paper portion of the new licence without the card. The last time my licence was inspected by Swansea when they wanted to write on it, it was retuned, mind you, with the age of it, it should have been on papyrus!
TonyL

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Yes you are correct Tony. I thought they had enforced the card style licence but obviously not!

Gizmo100 said:

Just a side note in Alabama, when you get your License. They print a temporary paper License...Then mail the finial License.
So you would have to have a mail address. I don't know if a PO box would work.

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You have to have a driver?s license in Alabama?  ;D

Oldgator73 said:

You have to have a driver?s license in Alabama?  ;D

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