Can i use my indian driving license in usa

This is a common question among the non immigrant visa holders from different countries. So, whether you can drive having Indian or any other countries driving license depends upon the visa type you have.

Generally most of the people coming from India are on H1b, L1, H4 and B1/B2.

Driving license rules for H1b, L1 and H4 visa holders.

Generally, you are allowed to drive with your Indian driving license for your initial days. But it is still risky as you will have hard time to convince the officer if you are caught. My friend was driving with his Indian driving license and was caught. Even though he had US learning license and Indian driving license still he had to pay a hefty penalty. This was happened in California. It is always better to get the driving license before driving.

Driving license rules for B1/B2 visa holders

If you are coming for short term for business or tourism, you can use your Indian driving license for driving anywhere in the United States of America. You can even use your Indian driving license to rent a car anywhere in the US.

International driving license from India.

If you have international driving license then you can drive without any problem. I know some of my friends having international driving license from India were driving in USA.

Each state in USA has different rules for driving license. So always check with the state DMV office for accurate information.

How can I drive in US with Indian driving license without any problem?

If you are coming on working or dependent visa then get an international driving license or get DL in USA itself. If you are coming for short term then you can use your normal driving license from India to drive anywhere in USA.

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Home » Living in US » How to do driving practice and get driving license in America? Is Indian driving license valid in USA ?

Another requested article from users about driving practice and getting license.

Is Indian driving license valid in USA ?

Surendra asked, “ I have been worrying so much about the public transportation. I don’t know car driving. I took classes from one of the driving schools here in America, but not getting time and source to practice it. Recently I drove my friends car, at that time I couldn’t even park it properly. Is it common for everybody or me myself is facing the difficulty like this”

Well, not all of us who come to America have cars back in India and know how to drive. There are couple of thoughts here: First, ideally I would recommend someone coming to India to get a driving license in India. It can be either international or just Indian Car driving license. Is Indian driving license valid in USA ?  It depends, if you have a license from India, it is valid for six months to one year in US and it all depends on the State you are living in( For instance, In Wisconsin, you can drive with Indian license upto 1 year, check this link : http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/apply/foreign.htm). But, most of the states do recognize Indian license or International driving permit. There is no hard fast rule and the only way to verify is go to a rental car agency and ask if it is valid there.  So, what’s the deal ? Well, if you have Indian license, all you have to do it go to a rental car service like Enterprise and rent a car. Make sure you take FULL Insurance when you rent the car. Now what ? As you have rented the car with full insurance, you can now practice here and your insurance will cover you if you hit anything by mistake. But, I recommend you are always with someone who knows how to drive well here and knows the rules. Firstly, do NOT drive on roads, ask your friend to drive to a big parking lot and then you can drive in the parking lot until you are comfortable.Then drive in slow roads where not many people. Typically go to country roads. Then, after you are comfortable for 2-3 months, get on Free way cautiously.  Know the rules well, driving in America is completely by rules.

What if you do not have an Indian license ?

If you do not have an Indian license, one option is you can take some classes from driving schools. But, the one I highly recommend is ask a friend of yours to help you with driving. Say him that you will pay for the rental car and get it rented on his name. Then take it to parking lot and low thoroughfare roads and practice. Your friend has to trust you and let you drive and it can be hard to find someone who can take that chance sometime. But, You have to ask, people do help ! don’t be shy.

The reality is, everyone who come to America have problem with getting driving license. If you have friends who can help you are good, if not you will end up in difficulties. But, if you have Indian license or International driving permit, you have better chances to rent car and practice on your own under supervision.

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