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Old 05-27-2015, 03:37 AM
 
7 posts, read 13,265 times
Reputation: 10

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I've e-mailed the Utah Department of Public Safety asking if a PRC national is, in any way, allowed to drive a car in Utah for the first six months. Unfortunately I didn't get a response yet.

I am aware that after six months you have to get a Utah drivers' license anyway. Unfortunately the Chinese are not a part of the IDL treaty. Is there any possible way for a Chinese national to use his Chinese drivers' license in Utah?
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Old 05-27-2015, 07:13 AM
 
3,782 posts, read 4,246,203 times
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All I know, other then the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic, which you are right, the PRC is not part of, is that I have a friend who rents Jeeps in Moab and I know he has rented to Chinese people before, but not sure if they were PRC or Taiwan.

How long ago did you write the UT Dept. of Safety? One suggestion would be to also contact the UT highway patrol. They are under the Department of Safety, but since they enforce the traffic laws, and are known to answer faster, it might help....

Contact UHP | DPS – Highway Patrol


Good luck
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Old 05-27-2015, 07:27 AM
 
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,851,411 times
Reputation: 5229
Just to satisfy my curiosity

1 - are you on vacation here ?
If yes, you can drive here but before you get here,
check with your local offices and get an international Driver's License !!

2 - If you live here already and are here on some kind of visa,
why wait ??
Why not get a Utah driver's License as soon as possible ??
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Old 06-05-2015, 03:28 AM
 
7 posts, read 13,265 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by irman View Post
Just to satisfy my curiosity

1 - are you on vacation here ?
If yes, you can drive here but before you get here,
check with your local offices and get an international Driver's License !!

2 - If you live here already and are here on some kind of visa,
why wait ??
Why not get a Utah driver's License as soon as possible ??
My friend will be teaching Chinese at two St. George area schools. The College Board of the USA has assigned him to that area. He will be there I believe for nine months.

Quote:
Originally Posted by f5fstop View Post

How long ago did you write the UT Dept. of Safety? One suggestion would be to also contact the UT highway patrol. They are under the Department of Safety, but since they enforce the traffic laws, and are known to answer faster, it might help....

Contact UHP | DPS – Highway Patrol


Good luck
Thanks for the tip! I went ahead and contacted them. I think they said he has to take a test if he's here longer than 6 months.
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Old 06-05-2015, 02:23 PM
 
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,851,411 times
Reputation: 5229
Just my opinion, but if he really stays only for 9 months and then get out of Utah then and there the next day, I would honestly not even bother.

Keep the traffic rules, do not drive like any other Utah driver (!!!)
During those 9 months he might not ever have any contact with a law officer.
As long as he does not trump around that he has job here ...

I drove for almost a year and a half with German driver license here in Utah, until we finally decided to stay here. Drove within the traffic laws, never got a ticket, never had any contact with a law officer.
I have been *ticket free* for over 25 years now !

On the other hand, since he IS a Chinese National, how good a driver is he ??
I am not trying to be funny or nasty, just plain hard facts !!

Last but not least, again, if he does plan to get a Utah license, why wait ???
If he *teaches* Chinese, he should be able to understand English somewhat, no ?
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Old 06-06-2015, 10:02 AM
 
7 posts, read 13,265 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by irman View Post
Just my opinion, but if he really stays only for 9 months and then get out of Utah then and there the next day, I would honestly not even bother.

Keep the traffic rules, do not drive like any other Utah driver (!!!)
During those 9 months he might not ever have any contact with a law officer.
As long as he does not trump around that he has job here ...

I drove for almost a year and a half with German driver license here in Utah, until we finally decided to stay here. Drove within the traffic laws, never got a ticket, never had any contact with a law officer.
I have been *ticket free* for over 25 years now !

On the other hand, since he IS a Chinese National, how good a driver is he ??
I am not trying to be funny or nasty, just plain hard facts !!

Last but not least, again, if he does plan to get a Utah license, why wait ???
If he *teaches* Chinese, he should be able to understand English somewhat, no ?
My colleague has a Chinese drivers' license and he's good at driving. The thing is: Chinese traffic behavior is completely different from USA traffic behavior. It's way more aggressive and chaotic. One may have to get used to be the more orderly USA patterns.

He will be teaching Chinese to American schoolchildren at one high school and one intermediate school. He's got great English.
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Old 06-06-2015, 12:56 PM
 
388 posts, read 548,857 times
Reputation: 286
Really, the first place to ask this question is of the insurance provider. If one chooses to ignore requirements then teh insurance provider could easily decline to mop up after a mess.
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Old 06-06-2015, 05:27 PM
 
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
5,921 posts, read 13,851,411 times
Reputation: 5229
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coffeequeen View Post
Really, the first place to ask this question is of the insurance provider. If one chooses to ignore requirements then the insurance provider could easily decline to mop up after a mess.
Good point CoffeeQ !

Since he legally can drive for 6 months, he will probably get insurance, but then the insurance company will insist on a valid Utah Licence.
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Old 06-06-2015, 11:53 PM
 
388 posts, read 548,857 times
Reputation: 286
And bless him if he is going to park and drive in any Valley high school. He will need good insurance. But tell him thanks for coming, chinese teachers are like hen's teeth!
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Old 06-08-2015, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,138 posts, read 22,807,624 times
Reputation: 14116
Basically this:

If you have an address and a job in Utah, you have to get a Utah DL. If 6 months passes and you still don't have a job, you also need a Utah DL.

If you are here as a tourist with a visa or are a student only (no job) you can drive legally with a Chinese DL. The state doesn't discriminate against countries... any national DL is sufficient. Proof you are current paying nonresident tuition rates are generally sufficient to prove that.

Also, International Driver's Licenses are usually a scam, issued by one of several private companies who have no legal right to issue licenses. If you read the small print, you'll see they almost always admit that too. If you aren't getting a license from an actual governmental entity, don't waste your money.
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