Hi everyone

I have been reading up on getting a NY state driving license once my Green Card arrives. Looking at the NYS DMW website, it says that after completing the written test, 5 hour course and driving test, my foreign (UK) license will be taken away from me and destroyed within 60 days unless I make a specific request for it not to be destroyed. If I make this request, any time I want my UK license back I need to swap it for my NY state one.

Has anyone had to surrender their UK license in order to get their New York one? I don't really want to give up (nor do I see the need to give up) my UK licence. Any advise from those that have been through the process would be gratefully received.

http://www.nysdmv.com/license.htm#driversfromothernations

- Martin

Hi there Martin,

I live in upstate NY and was concerned that they would take away my Australian DL because this is what it says on the DMV website. I was never asked for it at the time of my driving test and so I still have it in my posession. I totally agree with you that we should not have to give up our DL's from our country of birth. The driving instructor I did my test with knew I had an Australian DL and the subject of handing it over never came up, so my suggestion to you would be the less said the better. I guess if you are really concerned about it ( I know I was at the time) then give them a call and ask the question. I live in a very small country village, so maybe they just weren't aware of the DMV rules.

Goodluck,

Susan

They never took mine from me I am living in Up State NY and the issue never even came up when I took the road test

Donna

When I got my FL DL they took away my NY DL, but that makes some sense. That's awfully strange, and pointless, to take away your UK license.
I hope someone here can help you...or maybe you can just ask.

When I applied for my new passport (I'm the USC), they wanted to destroy my old one. I have a valid visa in it, so I just made an informal request to keep it, and they let me.

Good luck.

Admittedly it was in 1992 but when I gopt my NY DL I didn't have to surrender my AUS one. Again they knew but I didn't make a point of it.

If they don't ask for it don't volunteer it.

When I moved to Illinois and got my license there I was forced to give up my Nebraska license...in which I was sad because my NE license had a great photo

However, my Illinois pic turned out even better so I'm not complaining. I am just lucky I got two good license photos in a row!

I know of quite a few members here who have had their old UK licence taken away upon issuance of their US one. It isn't only NY state - it seems to be applicable in most of the US.

I still have my UK licence - no-one even asked for it, let alone destroyed it.

Don't even tell them you have a foreign licence - it won't do you any good.

Quite a few people have just said they haven't got their licences on them, so that they get to keep their UK one.

ITS ACTUALLY VERY SIMPLE, you are getting a license from scratch ..starting fresh from the beginning. So, they will never know you have a license from another country, computors aren't linked and there is no way of checking that I know of. take your UK license and put it in a safe place. DO NOT CARRY BOTH LICENSE's with you. you may want to show someone ur UK license and be tempted to carry it with you, but don,t carry it. now, if you visit your homeland bring your UK license with you and use it. eventually it will expire and just be a keepsake anyway. never carry two different D.L. It looks suspicious.......

Why does it look suspicious?

Super secret agent man!

Anyone simply wait till the licence expired (even WAY after they received the plastic GC) before swapping over?

Which license? UK licenses don't expire in the same way most US licenses do; you have to renew the photo every ten years but other than that you can drive until you are 70 without being tested again. If I had a UK license I'd be reluctant to surrender it, too; what if I wanted to move back to the UK at some point in the future?

If you're resident in a state you can usually only drive for a very short amount of time (in California I believe it's two weeks) on a foreign driving license, so you couldn't legally wait to swap them over.