Another motorist might be on the road soon

[Son of Clyde]

My wife has an international driver's license and a woman from a local driving school says she can drive temporarily without a Maryland license. This is providing she isn't stopped by a policeman.

If this is true I must add her to my policy now. She is scheduled for the Maryland driving test on January 3 because of the long waiting list. Maryland is a lot like NYC and DC with a lot of immigrants arriving every day.

[Sivrug]

About the international drivers license here in Texas. The local driving instructors said the same thing so I went to the local Department of Public Safety to make sure it was OK to drive. The trooper just laughed and wanted to know what the hell that card was then checked the reg's and said NO!

A friend of mine who owns the local insurance agency told me to first get a Tx license then apply for insurance. He said that the only back ground check on adding to my existing policy was a quick background check for tickets. This came back and it cost two dollars to add Olga to the policy. He said that if I had applied for insurance with a "learners" permit the cost would be just like adding a first time teenager less 15%.

 

 

[philb]

Actually they can drive for a while on their Russian or Ukrainian drivers license.  The length of time they can do this after becoming a resident varies from state to state.  In Wyoming it is thirty days.

International drivers licenses are basically worthless.  All they are is a translation of their driver's license.  I mean we can go to Ukraine, Russia, or most other countries, rent a car and drive without an international license.  They can do the same here.

[PeeWee]

Actually they can drive for a while on their Russian or Ukrainian drivers license.  The length of time they can do this after becoming a resident varies from state to state.  In Wyoming it is thirty days.

International drivers licenses are basically worthless.  All they are is a translation of their driver's license.  I mean we can go to Ukraine, Russia, or most other countries, rent a car and drive without an international license.  They can do the same here.

that's what I was thinking. If I can rent a drive a car anywhere in the world by can't a RW drive a car here in the US? Are we that anal about it?

 

PeeWee

[Voyageur]

Insurance Coverage is the Problem

Getting reasonable insurance coverage is the biggest problem right now. My wife has a valid Russian Driver's License and International Driver's Permit, but getting insurance coverage for this is difficult. Only four insurance companies (like Progressive) will give a policy that does not require a Driver's License or Learner's Permit. And these rates are very high, like $2,000 per year.

Before we were married, she could drive any car under my policy as much as she wanted. Now that we are married, she must obtain a Learner's Permit. But, in PA she needs to have a social security number to get this permit, and since her last name has just changed, we had to re-apply for this through the social security office.

[jb]

Voyager is exactly right.

Most insurance companies will treat your new wife the same as a teenage driver with zero experience behind the wheel.  The insurance rates are astronomical for first time drivers.  I switched insurance carriers when Etna got her license over to another company, because my old insurance company wanted close to $2,000 extra per year until she had acquired a spotless 5 year driving record.  I was kinda pissed because I'd had a 25 year track record with the old company and was paying the lowest possible rates. 

I don't know about other States, but Texas has the same application policy as outlined above, you need a SSN before you can get a license.  Since Etna arrived on a K-3 visa we had to wait until the EAD was approved before SSA would issue the number simply because the SSA will not issue a SSN to anyone who does not have the right to work.  The EAD gave her that right.  All in all, it took about 4 months to get it all together and we spent that time learning to drive on rural roads outside the city with me in the hair pulling mode every inch of the way.

[catzenmouse]

Here in VA they would not let Elena even take the Learner's Permit test before she got her EAD. Even with the SSN card and the other paperwork from USCIS stating that she was here legally they still did not consider her to have valid identification documents (passport with A number/stamp, marriage certificate, numberous letters from USCIS, and SSN card).

Ken

[jb]

Actually they can drive for a while on their Russian or Ukrainian drivers license.  The length of time they can do this after becoming a resident varies from state to state.  In Wyoming it is thirty days.

International drivers licenses are basically worthless.  All they are is a translation of their driver's license.  I mean we can go to Ukraine, Russia, or most other countries, rent a car and drive without an international license.  They can do the same here.

A State Trooper I talked to says otherwise, basically he would not consider valid anything he cannot read.  When I showed him a Russian drivers license, he scratched his head and said; "What the hell is this~!"  It had no photograph on it and could not even be used for simple identification purposes.  Remember, in Russia they have their internal passport for identification, so they don't use the DL in the same way we do.

[philb]

I had misread some information on the Wyoming DOT site in regards to the international driver's license.  Here is a definitive link from the US Gov.

http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Foreign_Visitors_Driving.shtml

Looks like an International License IS required.

 

[philb]

Maybe I wasn't mistaken.  Massachusettes says no to International Driver's Licenses.

http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/21317.pdf

Best call your state DOT which I just did, they say one is not required in Wyoming. 

[philb]

Best resource I have found.  This lists state by state requirements.  See the table starting on page 28.

http://www.aamva.org/Documents/drvForeignReciprocityResourceGuide.pdf

By the way jb, it looks like your Texas State Trooper was wrong (as was the person I spoke to at the Wyoming DOT)

[jb]

I think you make a mistake to equate our RW/UW brides, and brides-to-be, in the same manner as someone visiting the USA on a tourist visa.  They are not the same.  While it's true a tourist can drive using their native D/L, someone in the process of establishing residency is a horse of a different paint job.

A resident of my state has a finite period of time to get his license re-registered if he changes his address, (I think somewhere between 21 and 30 days).  Anyone with a Texas address needs a Texas D/L, period.  A person moving to Texas from out-of-state, (or out-of-country) needs to convert his old license to a Texas D/L within 30 days. It gets even more complicated, for example, it is a violation to live in one state, drive in another state, and have a license issued by a third state, (or country), so if you live in a small state and routinely cross state lines as you travel about, you could be in violation of the Tri-State Act.  The motor vehicle codes are complex because in most cases/States, they are another form of a tax code, D/L and car registration fees are a tax used to support the highways departments, (police and road maintenance).

These women are not tourists, therefore they have to comply with the rules and laws just like a resident.  So,,, if you bring a woman over on a K Class visa, not a tourist visa, be prepared to get her a valid D/L from your state ASAP.  Personally, I wouldn't turn her loose with an International D/L at all.

Further, these D/L residency requirements have nothing whatever to do with other residency needs, i.e., the length of time needed to live in-state if you wish to avoid Out-Of-State tution fees at the university.  All of these different agencies have their own rules about who is a resident and who is not.
 
Be very careful about blanket statements and generalities. It's easier to get afoul of some agency than you might suspect.

Edit:  Unless I'm mistaken, we have some Law Enforcement type as members of the board, (I'm thinking about Acrazybear), maybe we should let the real experts chime in here with "Horse's Mouth" information and not waste time with speculation.  

How's about it, guys?

[Son of Clyde]

I phoned my agent this morning.

For all intents and purposes, my wife is now covered, although she does not yet have a Maryland license. If she drove my car around the block and had an accident she would be covered because my rates qualify her on my policy as my spouse.

The woman said any increase in my rates would be minimal.

She also said my wife must be a Maryland resident and take a driving test.

She has already taken a three hour drug and alcohol test in a classroom setting with a Russian interpreter present.

The woman at State Farm only asked for a copy of my marriage license and copy of my wife's international driving license.

This all sounds too good to be true.

[jb]

SoC,

You have to go with what your insurance carrier tells you, but based on what I know, I wouldn't want to be dragged into a courtroom on a wrongful death or injury case with the too few facts you seem to have.  Offhand I'd say there's way too much wiggle room for the insurance comany to dump you,,, high and dry.   All they'd have to do is find is one rule you didn't comply with to disclaim all responsibility and you'd be left holding a very ugly bag.

Do yourself a favor, make your new wife get a current D/L from your home state, that way if you buy insurance, they have to stand by you.

[acrzybear]

A few states (including Texas) recognize international driver's licenses, but that is only for a 30 day time period (primarily for tourists).  If I pulled over a foriegn national with a international drivers license, found out that residency had been established  (married or "in country" for over 30 days) and had not bothered to start the process for a state license, then they would be treated as an unlicensed driver.  This would involve getting a citation and depending on how I felt at the time ( and the persons attitude) I could either release the vehicle to a licensed driver or have it towed (which would be a minimum of $100.00).

  The best bet is for your spouse to at least get the permit until they can pass the driving exam and get their license. If you have any questions, most states have the driving/ license requirements and laws online.