14

I just got a US driving license and I live in the US on a non-immigrant visa. I travel a lot to other countries, so I want to know about the applicability of my current license. The problem is that all the sources mention using a US license for US citizens.

Did anybody have a problem using an American license in a country that accepts it but who is not an American citizen/green card holder?

I'm interested in countries like Turkey, Moldova, Russia, Germany. But I will be glad to hear about any country outside of this list. Especially if you are a citizen of that particular countries but have exclusively a US license.

phoog
  • 134,313
  • 19
  • 274
  • 446
Mihail
  • 325
  • 2
  • 8
  • 7
    The problem is that all the sources mention using US license for US citizens which sources? In general, you're expected to hold the licence of the country you reside in, so it would be quite surprising to me if foreign residents of countries were excluded from driving abroad-this has not ever been my experience. – MJeffryes Dec 19 '23 at 17:41
  • I've seen several questions that refer to a "US driving/driver's license." I'm a US citizen and have a driver's license issued by my state, not by the federal government. Is a "US license" an actual thing? – shoover Dec 19 '23 at 19:23
  • 7
    @shoover People tend to call a US license any license issued by the US, not necessarilly as a federal government, but as a country. I would be very surprised if abroad they are interested in your particular state. But somehow often Americans coming to Europe rarely say "I'm from the US" rather they say "I'm from Nebraska[enter your state here]" – Mihail Dec 19 '23 at 20:02
  • 1
    "The problem is that all the sources mention using US license for US citizens": any source that says that is being imprecise and careless. – phoog Dec 19 '23 at 22:27
  • 2
    @Mihail: That should be "US license for US RESIDENTS". not "citizens". I've done that for 10+ years without any problems – Hilmar Dec 19 '23 at 22:38
  • @shoover when you have to prove you US nationality, for example to get a Real ID license or a passport, one of the documents you can use is a "US birth certificate" despite the fact that birth certificates are mostly issued by states (or by a subdivision but still under state law). This is not unique to the US, of course. We often speak of "EU passports." We could speak of a "UK university degree." It's perfectly normal to associate something connected with a place with a higher-level geographic entity. – phoog Dec 19 '23 at 22:57
  • 4
    But, @Mihail, there is a practical consequence to the fact that US licenses are issued by the states, which is that each state may or may not have concluded a reciprocity agreement with any given country. For example, if you move to France, you can get a French license without taking the test only if your US license was issued by Delaware, Maryland, Ohio. Pennsylvania, Virginia, South Carolina, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Florida, or Connecticut. – phoog Dec 19 '23 at 23:18
  • @phoog oh wow. That's very interesting. I didn't expect that. – Mihail Dec 20 '23 at 01:38
  • 2
    Personal anecdote: I'm a non-US citizen green-card holder living in the US and have a US driving license. I've used this license both in the UK and in my home country (where my original license has long since expired). Car rental companies haven't been at all concerned that I have a US license and non-US passport. I do dread any interaction with traffic law enforcement in my home country though ... not because I'm doing anything wrong, but I think they'd get confused ... – brhans Dec 20 '23 at 01:47
  • 1
    You should cite the sources you mention, which are erroneously referring to US citizens rather than US residents. – Mike Scott Dec 20 '23 at 06:43
  • @MJeffryes: this is vague to say the least in the EU. Some sources tell you that you are supposed to swap driving licenses, some others do not because "residence" is quite unclear, some others mention fiscal residence but this is not backed elsewhere etc. Generally speaking, if you use an EU driving license in EU you are fine. – WoJ Dec 21 '23 at 17:57
  • @Mihail People from the U.S. tend to say, "I'm from [state]" because saying "I'm from the U.S." is about as geographically specific as saying "I'm from Europe." Much of Maine is closer to Ireland than it is to Los Angeles for San Francisco, for example. My home in the Southeastern U.S. is closer to London, Paris, or Amsterdam than it is to Honolulu. – reirab Dec 21 '23 at 21:55
  • @reirab I believe that is just US-centrism. Nobody from Russia, China or Brazil tell their state/region instead of the country. – Mihail Dec 29 '23 at 05:12
  • 2
    @Mihail I think it has more to do with whether the person in question suspects that the person they're talking to would actually have some idea of where that state/region is. I do hear Canadians and Australians say, "I'm from [state/province/territory]" relatively frequently, for example. Speaking for myself, at least, when visiting, say, a small village in the Philippines, I will typically just say I'm from the U.S. unless asked to be more specific. In Europe, though, I'd be more likely to say my state, as more people there would be likely to be at least somewhat familiar with its location. – reirab Dec 29 '23 at 17:05
  • @Mihail Of course, that concept doesn't just stop at country vs. state/territory level. Basically, the more familiar I expect someone to be with the area where I live, the more specific I'll be about it. If I'm talking to someone from, say, California, I would just say something like "near [major city that's about 80 miles from where Iive.]" If I'm talking to someone from my own state, I'd say the name of my city. If I'm talking to someone from my own county, I'd say the area of the city, etc. – reirab Dec 29 '23 at 17:08

4 Answers4

14

As far as rental companies are concerned, a driving license stands on its own. You don't need to provide additional ID, prove citizenship etc.

You're typically required to obtain a local license if you become a resident in a country, but this is not a concern for tourists.

lambshaanxy
  • 99,649
  • 41
  • 569
  • 806
  • 10
    some places require an international driver's permit. – Max Dec 19 '23 at 19:46
  • A US driver's license doesn't mention citizenship. I can't remember whether the Int'l does.  But unless they actually compare it to your passport, it doesn't matter. – WGroleau Dec 19 '23 at 20:44
  • 1
    @Max: I have NEVER encountered that requirement in 30+ countries. In fact I found my international license to be useless and not being accepted when I tried initially. What places are you thinking of ? – Hilmar Dec 19 '23 at 22:40
  • @Hilmar It’s uncommon these days if the license is in an easily processable format and the vehicle being rented/used is a very common one (say, a simple four-door sedan or station wagon). If you want to use a vehicle that is not common (such as one that would require a CDL in the US or a PCV license in the UK) though, you will usually need proof that you are appropriately certified to operate that vehicle, which an IDP can provide. Historically, it was more important for the translation aspect, but that’s less of an issue now that decent machine translation and OCR are readily available. – Austin Hemmelgarn Dec 20 '23 at 02:43
  • 2
    In most cases, technically speaking, a foreign driver license is not valid in other countries unless accompanied by an IDP. (US licenses are valid in Canada and Mexico without an IDP.) Additionally, an IDP is never valid on its own; only the IDP in conjunction with a driver license is valid. There's a lot of variance as to whether or not rental agencies will actually require an IDP to rent a car, but that doesn't change the fact that it's technically required to legally drive, and sometimes in places where an IDP is not a legal requirement, a rental agency will require one anyway. – josh3736 Dec 20 '23 at 03:14
  • …so to avoid any potential headaches, you should just spend the $20 and get an IDP from AAA and have it on hand to ensure you're in compliance with local law. (Also, only AAA can issue IDPs for US licenses. Don't fall for online companies that claim to issue IDPs; they're not actually valid.) – josh3736 Dec 20 '23 at 03:14
  • 5
    @josh3736 that’s not true, foreign drivers licenses are explicitly legal in many places without an IDP. – JonathanReez Dec 20 '23 at 15:13
  • @josh3736 IDP maybe is useful if you are in a country where people cannot read the language on your license. But it’s useless elsewhere. I had one and nobody wanted to see it. – Cris Luengo Dec 22 '23 at 01:53
  • @JonathanReez "Many places" depends a lot on where your driving license is from. E.g. EU and USA have an agreement, but it's safe to say that the default is "you need an IDP" and then you have exceptions that go both ways (e.g. China doesn't accept anything, whilst a couple of countries might accept your driving license as-is). For example the UK notes 31 countries as not needing an IDP, and 112 countries as needing an IDP and I pressume unlisted countries not accepting either. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit). And that's with a "strong" license... – David Mulder Dec 22 '23 at 13:05
  • Just to continue from my previous comment, although IDP are legally required in many places, it's often possible to trivially break the law with minimal consequences. I know for a fact that many people rent cars in Thailand without an IDP as the chance to get fined is pretty small (and some people are even surprised when they do get fined for driving without a valid license ). – David Mulder Dec 22 '23 at 13:08
  • Correction, my earlier count was 112 countries needing an IDP, but 14 of those make an exception for short stays, so it's actually 31 not needing an IDP for UK driving licenses, 14 needing an IDP based on length of stays, and 98 always needing an IDP officially. – David Mulder Dec 22 '23 at 13:11
  • @DavidMulder please add your answer here – JonathanReez Dec 22 '23 at 22:55
8

It shouldn't be assumed there is a single answer to this question for all countries or even all countries that have a normal reciprocity agreement with the US state that issued your license. With that said, Germany seems to only require the license for temporary visitors and not citizenship in the country it's issued by -

  1. Using your foreign driving licence when staying in Germany temporarily

1.1 If you hold a valid

  • national driving licence or
  • an International Driving Permit in accordance with the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic of 24 April 1926, the Convention on Road Traffic of 8 November 1968 or the Convention on Road Traffic of 1949

you may drive or ride motor vehicles of the category that is indicated on your licence in the Federal Republic of Germany

Checking with a consulate is probably the easiest way to get a reliable answer though.

IllusiveBrian
  • 196
  • 3
  • Two small additions taken from the link: you need to be at least 18 and if you are/become a permanent resident in Germany your foreign license will only be valid for 6 months. Plan to spend some time and money (translations) on getting it converted! – Simon Schmeißer Dec 22 '23 at 19:43
7

I have a driving license as a US resident and I've used it without issues in Canada, Mexico and the EU. However when picking up a car from Avis in the Dominican Republic the guy behind the counter asked to see my proof of US residency, as I'm not a US citizen. Apparently this is the local policy for Avis in the DR, though its not mentioned on their website. I'm not sure what would've happened if I hadn't had proof of US residency on me.

So I'd say you should be fine renting a car anywhere. In developing countries like DR you might have to show proof of US residency as well.

phoog
  • 134,313
  • 19
  • 274
  • 446
JonathanReez
  • 83,545
  • 81
  • 372
  • 721
5

My cousin actually had a similar situation. He's got a US driver's license but isn't a US citizen. When he traveled to Germany and Turkey, he had no problems using his US license there. Same goes for Moldova and Russia. As long as you have a valid US license and you're just visiting those countries, you should be good to go. Just make sure you follow the local traffic laws.

JazzedJester
  • 359
  • 3