Gina

Hi everyone... you all don't know me, but I feel like I know you because I
come looking here to find all my information whenever I have questions...
and usually a search helps me out. So hello and thank you! :)

I'm hoping someone has tried to get a California drivers license recently,
so they tell me if they had to take a drive test or not.

My dilemma is this. Last month I finally sucked it up and sat at the stupid
DMV, talked to someone about getting my license. I'm an Australian national,
I have an Australian license. The staff at the DMV were really nice and it
seemed very simple. They said all I need to do is pass a written test and I
would be issued a CA license.

The fact is, I'd been in there several times and each time I'd been told I
didn't need to take a drive test, all I needed to do was take a written
test. Which last month I finally did and they said my license was in the
mail.

I ended up moving earlier than anticipated and I know government mail isn't
supposed to be forwarded (although lord knows all my INS stuff has always
been forwarded no matter how much they say it won't be). So I called because
I was worried about my license being returned to the DMV.

The rep says I need a drive test. I questioned his information and he got
all defensive saying "how can you expect to come to this country and have us
just recognize your license like that? you need a drive test"...
Ehhhh...Excuse me buddy, I don't "expect" anything, I'm going by what YOU
PEOPLE told me, on numerous occaisons... get it right.

OK, he refuses to get me a supervisor, my husband calls back to complain and
so do I... Both reps are adamant that I DO NOT need a drive test. The second
rep I talk to looks up the status and tells me my license is "in process"
and is just awaiting for my SSN and associated info I provided to
validate... she then transfers me to a supervisor and the supervisor backs
up the rude rep and says I need a drive test too.

I know I went off on a tangent there (apologies... venting)... but I'm
hoping someone here has been through this process here in California and can
tell me whether they needed a drive test or not. I'm so busy. I work
full-time, I go to school, the next time DMV is open on a saturday is 3
weeks away... If I don't have to take a drive test, I don't wanna, just
because some crusty old f___ at DMV wants to make my life a little more
difficult. I don't think thats unreasonable of me. If I have to take it
though, I have no problem with that either... I just want the right
information, thats all.

I searched and I found lots of DMV experiences, but none very recent or
specifically for California... Again, I really appreciate your help. I don't
know where I'd be without this forum! Maybe I should post my AOS
experience/timeline so that I can give back a bit and contribute some...

Regards, Gina

Mrtravelkay

gina wrote:

    > Hi everyone... you all don't know me, but I feel like I know you because I
    > come looking here to find all my information whenever I have questions...
    > and usually a search helps me out. So hello and thank you! :)
    >
    > I'm hoping someone has tried to get a California drivers license recently,
    > so they tell me if they had to take a drive test or not.

My wife had a Russian license and had to take the road test. I think it
should be something easy to find out about on the DMV website.

Alect

Gina

I too am an Aussie living in CA. I too had an Australian driver's
licence. My research at the time was almost positive that I had to do
the written AND THE DRIVE TEST - they do not recognise foreign licences.


When I went in and did my written test, I presented my NY
identification card (not drivers licence but and ID card I got to make
it esaier to travel). Due to a complete fluke the guy looked at it and
said well we will send your licence in the mail in a few weeks but here
is the paper temp one - since you have a NY (out of state) licence you
don't need to do the drive test. So he confused my NY ID card with a NY
drivers licence - and I wasn't about to complain.

Upshot is - by law
you are required to do the drive test - sorry!

Hcj1440

The California DMV site clearly states that you have to take a driving
test.

"If you have a license from another country, you will be required
to take a driving test. If you have a license from another state, the
driving test can be waived."


http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500

Berga

Originally posted by Gina
    > Hi everyone... you all don't
know me, but I feel like I know you because I
    > come looking here to
find all my information whenever I have questions...
    > and usually a
search helps me out. So hello and thank you! :)
    >
    > I'm hoping someone
has tried to get a California drivers license recently,
    > so they tell
me if they had to take a drive test or not.
    >
    > My dilemma is this.
Last month I finally sucked it up and sat at the stupid
    > DMV, talked to
someone about getting my license. I'm an Australian national,
    > I have
an Australian license. The staff at the DMV were really nice and it
seemed very simple. They said all I need to do is pass a written test
and I
    > would be issued a CA license.
    >
    > The fact is, I'd been in
there several times and each time I'd been told I
    > didn't need to take
a drive test, all I needed to do was take a written
    > test. Which last
month I finally did and they said my license was in the
    > mail.
    >
    > I
ended up moving earlier than anticipated and I know government mail
isn't
    > supposed to be forwarded (although lord knows all my INS stuff
has always
    > been forwarded no matter how much they say it won't be). So
I called because
    > I was worried about my license being returned to the
DMV.
    >
    > The rep says I need a drive test. I questioned his information
and he got
    > all defensive saying "how can you expect to come to this
country and have us
    > just recognize your license like that? you need a
drive test"...
    > Ehhhh...Excuse me buddy, I don't "expect" anything, I'm
going by what YOU
    > PEOPLE told me, on numerous occaisons... get it
right.
    >
    > OK, he refuses to get me a supervisor, my husband calls back
to complain and
    > so do I... Both reps are adamant that I DO NOT need a
drive test. The second
    > rep I talk to looks up the status and tells me
my license is "in process"
    > and is just awaiting for my SSN and
associated info I provided to
    > validate... she then transfers me to a
supervisor and the supervisor backs
    > up the rude rep and says I need a
drive test too.
    >
    > I know I went off on a tangent there (apologies...
venting)... but I'm
    > hoping someone here has been through this process
here in California and can
    > tell me whether they needed a drive test or
not. I'm so busy. I work
    > full-time, I go to school, the next time DMV
is open on a saturday is 3
    > weeks away... If I don't have to take a
drive test, I don't wanna, just
    > because some crusty old f___ at DMV
wants to make my life a little more
    > difficult. I don't think thats
unreasonable of me. If I have to take it
    > though, I have no problem
with that either... I just want the right
    > information, thats all.
    >
I searched and I found lots of DMV experiences, but none very recent or

    > specifically for California... Again, I really appreciate your help.
I don't
    > know where I'd be without this forum! Maybe I should post my
AOS
    > experience/timeline so that I can give back a bit and contribute
some...
    >
    > Regards, Gina

Hi Gina
I got my DL last autumn,
the test is not that hard actually
but I had to take both. However they
issued a interim DL while I was waiting for my SS number and so that I
could take the behind the wheel test.
Good luck
D

Dekka's Angel

Originally posted by Gina
    >
    > I'm hoping someone has
tried to get a California drivers license recently,
    > so they tell me if
they had to take a drive test or not.
    >
    > My dilemma is this. Last
month I finally sucked it up and sat at the stupid DMV, talked to
someone about getting my license. I'm an Australian national, I have an
Australian license. The staff at the DMV were really nice and it seemed
very simple. They said all I need to do is pass a written test and I
would be issued a CA license.
    >
    > The fact is, I'd been in there
several times and each time I'd been told I didn't need to take a drive
test, all I needed to do was take a written test. Which last month I
finally did and they said my license was in themail.
    >
    > OK, he refuses
to get me a supervisor, my husband calls back to complain and so do I...
Both reps are adamant that I DO NOT need a drive test. The second rep I
talk to looks up the status and tells me my license is "in process" and
is just awaiting for my SSN and associated info I provided to
validate... she then transfers me to a supervisor and the supervisor
backs
    > up the rude rep and says I need a drive test too.
    >


Sorry, but if you were told you do not need a behind the wheel test to
get a California drivers' license when all you have is an Australian
license then multiple people misinformed you. The regulation has always
been such, unless it changed since Derek (also an Aussie - where are you
from? :)) got his license finished last November. Here is the link to
the website itself about licensure, which contains the rule about behind-the-
wheel tests for those holding a foreign license:


http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500

Sorry you got
all that confusion.

Den

Hi Gina

Brit here. I had to take the written and drive test. Mind you, the drive
test was *so* easy compared to the British test it was laughable!

D


"gina" <> wrote in message
news:83khc.53412$...
    > Hi everyone... you all don't know me, but I feel like I know you because I
    > come looking here to find all my information whenever I have questions...
    > and usually a search helps me out. So hello and thank you! :)
    > I'm hoping someone has tried to get a California drivers license recently,
    > so they tell me if they had to take a drive test or not.
    > My dilemma is this. Last month I finally sucked it up and sat at the
stupid
    > DMV, talked to someone about getting my license. I'm an Australian
national,
    > I have an Australian license. The staff at the DMV were really nice and it
    > seemed very simple. They said all I need to do is pass a written test and
I
    > would be issued a CA license.
    > The fact is, I'd been in there several times and each time I'd been told I
    > didn't need to take a drive test, all I needed to do was take a written
    > test. Which last month I finally did and they said my license was in the
    > mail.
    > I ended up moving earlier than anticipated and I know government mail
isn't
    > supposed to be forwarded (although lord knows all my INS stuff has always
    > been forwarded no matter how much they say it won't be). So I called
because
    > I was worried about my license being returned to the DMV.
    > The rep says I need a drive test. I questioned his information and he got
    > all defensive saying "how can you expect to come to this country and have
us
    > just recognize your license like that? you need a drive test"...
    > Ehhhh...Excuse me buddy, I don't "expect" anything, I'm going by what YOU
    > PEOPLE told me, on numerous occaisons... get it right.
    > OK, he refuses to get me a supervisor, my husband calls back to complain
and
    > so do I... Both reps are adamant that I DO NOT need a drive test. The seco
nd
    > rep I talk to looks up the status and tells me my license is "in process"
    > and is just awaiting for my SSN and associated info I provided to
    > validate... she then transfers me to a supervisor and the supervisor backs
    > up the rude rep and says I need a drive test too.
    > I know I went off on a tangent there (apologies... venting)... but I'm
    > hoping someone here has been through this process here in California and
can
    > tell me whether they needed a drive test or not. I'm so busy. I work
    > full-time, I go to school, the next time DMV is open on a saturday is 3
    > weeks away... If I don't have to take a drive test, I don't wanna, just
    > because some crusty old f___ at DMV wants to make my life a little more
    > difficult. I don't think thats unreasonable of me. If I have to take it
    > though, I have no problem with that either... I just want the right
    > information, thats all.
    > I searched and I found lots of DMV experiences, but none very recent or
    > specifically for California... Again, I really appreciate your help. I
don't
    > know where I'd be without this forum! Maybe I should post my AOS
    > experience/timeline so that I can give back a bit and contribute some...
    > Regards, Gina

Richard Cochran

"gina" <> wrote in message news:<83khc.53412$>...
    > Hi everyone... you all don't know me, but I feel like I know you because I
    > come looking here to find all my information whenever I have questions...
    > and usually a search helps me out. So hello and thank you! :)
    >
    > I'm hoping someone has tried to get a California drivers license recently,
    > so they tell me if they had to take a drive test or not.

I haven't gone through the process recently, but the California DMV has
a website with all the detailed info at http://www.dmv.ca.gov The
info you're looking for is on http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500

It says, in part

"If you have a license from another country, you will be required to take
a driving test. If you have a license from another state, the driving test
can be waived."

That first link also points toward the California Vehicle Code, the
actual words of the laws passed by our legislators. It's not easy to
read, but I think the relevant law is section 12804.9(1)(D), which
says in part:

"12804.9. (1) The examination shall include all of the following:

[snip Sections A-C about written test, English proficiency, and signs]

(D) An actual demonstration of the applicant's ability to exercise
ordinary and reasonable control in operating a motor vehicle by driving
it under the supervision of an examining officer. The applicant shall
submit to an examination appropriate to the type of motor vehicle or
combination of vehicles he or she desires a license to drive, except
that the department may waive the driving test part of the examination
for any applicant who submits a license issued by another state,
territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia,
or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ..."

The full text of that section is at
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d06/vc12804_9.htm


I'm afraid you have to take the driving test unless you already have
a valid license from the USA, and whatever clerk(s) told you
that another country's license could be used to waive the driver's
test were probably confused.

--Rich
(not a lawyer, not even pretending to be one, just looking up
info on the web).

Gina

See, I think thats what happened to me... I gave them military id and my
green card, passport... (I come prepared!) and my Aussie DL... and they were
like "we don't need that"... I'm like... OK, don't you want to even look at
it? Apparently not.

I don't mind taking the test, I expected to take a drive test... I'm just
irked that the person who eventually told me so was so goddamned rude, and
not only that, I was expecting it in the mail at any moment. I thought I was
done! So thats why I feel put out.

Thanks :)

"alect" <member21273@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:...
    > Gina
    > I too am an Aussie living in CA. I too had an Australian driver's
    > licence. My research at the time was almost positive that I had to do
    > the written AND THE DRIVE TEST - they do not recognise foreign licences.
    > When I went in and did my written test, I presented my NY
    > identification card (not drivers licence but and ID card I got to make
    > it esaier to travel). Due to a complete fluke the guy looked at it and
    > said well we will send your licence in the mail in a few weeks but here
    > is the paper temp one - since you have a NY (out of state) licence you
    > don't need to do the drive test. So he confused my NY ID card with a NY
    > drivers licence - and I wasn't about to complain.
    > Upshot is - by law
    > you are required to do the drive test - sorry!
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Gina

Right, the DMV website does, but the DMV employees mostly don't say that.

I wanted to know what others had to do to get a CA license, if they had to
take a drive test - I did see the website. Thx.

"hcj1440" <member19487@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:...
    > The California DMV site clearly states that you have to take a driving
    > test.
    > "If you have a license from another country, you will be required
    > to take a driving test. If you have a license from another state, the
    > driving test can be waived."
    > http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#2500
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com