purpleskiesfly

Not seeing the con.
(Conversation with the spouse)
'Darn it honey, we have to go back to Hawai'i as I've got jury duty.'

mkt

Florida will issue you a nonresident license if you wish and you may keep your out of state license. That's what I've done, I have a Florida nonresident license (virtually indistinguishable from a normal license). The only difference, on the back it says "valid only in florida" or something of the nature, which I quickly blocked with a divers direct frequent shopper barcode sticker.

wahooflyer

Wisconsin requires proof of legal presence. Even lifelong state residents are now required to show a birth certificate or passport when renewing their license, and license applicants who have never lived in Wisconsin before have to wait a week for their license to be mailed to them to verify proof of residency.

The state needs to prioritize the "driving" part of a driver's license over the "ID" part...having a license in Wisconsin hardly matters as the number of people driving here with a suspended license/no license and without insurance is ridiculously high (neither law is enforced very strictly.)

mkt

nope

SirFlysALot

I was nailed in Minnesota once when I had a long term assignment there. I was charged with not having a MN driver license and no MN registration on my car.

I went to court with my voters registration, children's report cards, DL, house tax bill etc. It was dismissed.

It seems lots of Minnesotans register their cars in Wisconsin to save on auto fees and insurance and I was caught in the crackdown.

mkt

That's exactly how I explained my PR license and FL vehicle registration when I was pulled over, and I didn't get a fine for that potential offense.

txrus

MA will let you renew once on-line before you have to go back & have a new picture taken.

AZ, on the other hand, doesn't want to see me again until I'm 65 (which is still a verrrry long way off, though not as long as it once was). Given that I've had TSA screeners who seem baffled by the B&W picture in my passport, heaven knows what they'd do if I tried to use a license w/a picture that's 20+ yrs old.

Of course, AZ will also issue a duplicate license for a $4 (I think that's what it was) fee on-line, so I also now have 2 perfectly legal AZ licenses w/2 different address', one of them a UPS store (like BocaStephen) I used for the 1st 3 mos I lived here. Duplicate is exactly the same sans the address & date issued listed on it. Doesn't even say duplicate on it, either, which MA, at least, did do.

Ari

I don't know about MA, but here in IL, if you change your address, your license is "corrected"-- not "duplicate".

MikeyC

Great idea with the sticker.

enthusiastic flier

I wouldn't expect to get a driving license in a country where I am a tourist of. It's just logical. I'd either get an IDL or use my home country's DL if my research shows it's an acceptable id if pulled over. As for your concern of having to carry your passport around, I guess you can easily take care of that problem by presenting your own home DL. I note that you don't intentionally have a UK license from one of your other posts in this thread.

Replace "test" with "provisional license". To my surprise they didn't check for proof of address when I went to the DVLA (Brit DMV) to apply for the provisional license. But they did check my legality in the country, which is maybe their way of stopping tourists getting a provisional license... don't know - and yes, it is valid for a considerable amount of time, which is another thing I fail to understand. It's supposed to be an intermediary step for one to get his/her full driving license, so the logic behind a ten yr valid "provisional" license beats me

Jebby_ca

Most places in the US that I've come across refuse to accept anything but a passport if you are not from the United States. I carry an Ontario license, and I've been denied entry into bars and prevented from buying liquor. Carrying a passport around is a big hassle, and even more so if you lose it.

BlatheringPenguin

Hmm..Hadn't realized how easy it was to get a duplicate DL in AZ. Very tempting to stash in my hiking wallet so I don't have to remember to switch it back and forth.

Also, very tempting to prominently have both identical DL's in my wallet for TSA to throw a hissy fit about.

bocastephen

I will certainly check this when I pull my free report, and remove it if it turns up.

enthusiastic flier

It still in my view shouldn't be a premise for a tourist to be able to get a driving license. I agree, carrying a passport around is a hassle, but not reason enuf for a tourist to get a DL - in any country. A tourist is just that - a tourist.

cdbrickell

This points to the fact you realize this is not within the bounds of Florida law, but are going forward anyways on the "everyone else is doing it" principle. Hence, this is not a legal way to your means.

Clearly stated in the Florida Statues-

322.031 Nonresident; when license required.--

(1) In every case in which a nonresident, except a nonresident migrant or seasonal farm worker as defined in s. 316.003(61), accepts employment or engages in any trade, profession, or occupation in this state or enters his or her children to be educated in the public schools of this state, such nonresident shall, within 30 days after the commencement of such employment or education, be required to obtain a Florida driver's license if such nonresident operates a motor vehicle on the highways of this state. The spouse or dependent child of such nonresident shall also be required to obtain a Florida driver's license within that 30-day period prior to operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state.

If you are nonresident migrant or seasonal farm worker.. my apologies.