Get a driver's license

From GRA

Jump to: navigation, search

Maryland ID sample

1 Obtaining a US Driver's License with a home country Driver's Licence
- 1.1 In Maryland
- 1.2 In others states
2 Obtaining a US Driver's License without home country Driver's Licence
3 Links

[edit]

Obtaining a US Driver's License with a home country Driver's Licence

[edit]

In Maryland

With an international driver's license from your home country, you have 60 days to obtain a Maryland Driver's License.
It is highly recommended that you obtain a Maryland Driver's License, because you can use it as ID so you can leave your passport at home. For example, if you want to write a check or to go out, you will be asked for an id.

To obtain a driver's license at the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), the following documents will be needed:

Proof of age, identity, Maryland residence, out-of-country license(s), social security number and the appropriate fee

Then, they are different requirement which depends of your home country. For example:

You must pass a vision test, done at the MVA (hint: if you're wearing lenses or glasses, try to pass the test without them. If you fail, you can try again with the glasses at no cost. If you succeed, you have no restrictions in your license).
You must pass a knowledge test (20 Questions, 17 correct answers necessary. A book explaining the laws is available at the MVA for free, so you can learn for that test).
You must pass a driving test (an MVA employee will sit in your car and watch you drive. This is not a real road test, as it is done at a special test court. You have to do this with your own car, or find somebody who can lend you his/her car.).
You will be required to disclose your Social Security Number.
Out-of-country license must be a valid license or a license expired for less than one year. The license cannot be suspended.
If licensed for less than 18 months, you will be issued a Maryland provisional license.
If you’ve never been licensed in the U.S., you must complete a 3-hour drug & alcohol awareness course.
A valid U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) physical card or Federal/MVA waiver (if applying for a commercial driver’s license) is needed.
Out-of-country license must be accompanied by an International license or translated into English by an approved translator.
If you are from out-of-country, and have never held a license, you must obtain a learner’s permit.

The 3-hour drug & alcohol awareness course can be following among the locations below:

AAADAC group: (301)-236-0119
Circle Treatment Ctr, 424 N Frederick Ave # 8a, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 (next to Kentucky Fried Chicken and Joeys Pizza). Sessions on Monday and Saturday mornings from 8:45 am - 12:00am. Everyone should bring a pen, ID, home country driving license and $35 to the session, to register (301) 258-2626
OR do the course online. This online course is free. After you finished the online course you can attend a short test at a certain location (the so called test area). You will always pass this test. At the end of the test you pay $35 for a certificate. Note that every out-of-country person needs this certificate in order to apply for a driver's license.

Experience applying with a German driving license.

If you are a citizen of France, Canada or the United Kingdom, then they will accept your international Driver's License and you don't have to pass the tests.

You can also apply at the MVA for a learner's permit. A learner's permit is NOT a license. A learner's permit lets you drive only when a licensed driver who is at least 18 years old sits in the car with you. You will need to attend a driver's education class and complete a 40-hour driver education program.

The nearest MVA office is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. For more information, visit the website of the MVA or call them on 1-800-950-1MVA (1-800-950-1682) or if you are calling from out of state the phone number is 301-729-4550.

Before visiting the MVA, we advise that you call and confirm what documents you will need to take.

[edit]