US issued ID
 

Is there any way for a non US resident/citizen to get a US state/federal government issued ID card?

What???!!!
 

WHY is God's Green Earth would you want one?

So TSA [and others] doesn't paw through my passport.

Canadian dls are recognized if that's applicable to you...

Do other Canadian IDs [not DLs] work? If so, then getting a US or Canadian ID would work.

< AU

Yes.

Certain states allow non-residents to obtain a second driver's licenses. Florida and Hawaii are two that have come up here of FT before. Both require at least a mailing address and Florida requires additional proof.

Florida info:
http://www.gathergoget.com/Default.aspx

It is possible, but there aren't that many ways in general. What are your circumstances?

Some other Canadian IDs are acceptable (INAC card, for example).

No on both for the OP's purposes. All states now require the REAL ID standard be met and that requires either a US Social Security number or a letter from SSA stating they aren't eligible for a number under the visa class, and a visa class that allows a license. Tourist & business visas don't get them, and even if a license office makes a mistake & issues one they would only issue the license for the length of the SOR, which for most tourists is 90 days. Hardly worth the effort.

ETA: WA might be a good option for trying to get a state ID card though. They don't require (or somehow fudge the requirement for) a SS# IIRC. Still need a US address and have to meet the lawful presence test though.

Afraid not. Your link only deals with RESIDENTS.

Florida and Hawaii both allow non-resident military members to obtain auto license plates without re-titling their vehicles, but FL does not issue DLs to non-residents. In fact, FL has just recently passed a law requiring foreign drivers to have an International Driver's License (enforcement with regard to Canadians has been put on hold).

And a law passed in 2010 made EVERYONE renewing a FL DL provide all sorts of documents to prove legal residence in the U.S. and legal residence in FL.

There is no such thing as an International Driver's License. You mean International Driving Permit, which is simply an official & standardized translation of a license and in the US has been required (but rarely enforced (never, as far as I know because there's no way for them to do it) by the Federal government since the 1970's. Various states have some bizarre interpretations of how to deal with an IDP. Some allow you to drive for a year. Some for 30 days. Some allow you to swap your home country license for a state license (if you have all the other REAL ID paperwork), some don't. It's a glorious example of why the US is the way it is: balkanization at its best!

The law was just repealed so IDP no longer required.

License vs. Permit. Who cares? You are picking at nits.

Balkanization? Ridiculous! The states have ALWAYS had jurisdiction over all sorts of things within their boundaries, including traffic laws. Balkanization takes something that was once whole and breaks it up. That doesn't apply here. The states surrender SOME of their sovereignty to the federal government for the good of the whole, but retain a great deal of it unto themselves.

Somehow I find your "swap your home country license for a state license" statement very difficult to believe on many levels. But if you would like to provide documention, I'll retract my skepticism.

As in "without having to take any driving tests but still supply the paperwork" swap. Not "just swap it for you". Some states will swap. Other won't. 7 seconds on google came up with this.

The US is balkanized IMO: it is broken into unnecessarily small parts that frequently operate different rules for the same things, mostly with no benefit and only increased cost and inefficiency. 200+ years ago it might have made sense to arrange the country the way it is, but these days? It's simply part of the problem, along with the political system the US has.[1]








1. Implicate in the last part is the assumption that "the people" are the ones that should be served by government, not the other way around or where govt functions as an arm of commerce. If you don't like that assumption then obviously YMMV.

Funny how Americans with driver's licenses will use their passports at TSA in order to conceal their address, and foreigners are looking for ways to obtain licenses so they don't have to use passports.

Easiest solution is to paper clip or rubber band the pages together so that only the ID page opens. I doubt TSA will undo it.

Because it is easier and quicker to just use one of my local government issued IDs, but for some stupid reason TSA (and other US places I've encountered) doesn't like any Australian ID unless it's a book issued by DFAT.:mad: