India Driving Licence in NC (Welcome: 2013, lease, insurance)

[Singh Saab]

The NC DMV site link NCDOT: New to NC or Moving? seems to suggest that an Indian Driving Licence would be honored in NC.

Am I right in understanding it so?
If so, any idea how long will it be valid? And can I buy a car with it?
(Of course, I intend to go in for a US licence asap but I reckon that would be weeks from the time I land)

[Singh Saab]

Actually, anyone with an "out of country" driving licence can be of help as well ...

[luv4horses]

There is a specific time limit after which you will be fined if you do not have an NC license. I can't remember the exact time but it something like 60 days.

[Jkgourmet]

Best to just get moving, take the test and get the license out of the way. Whatever ypu do, don't make our mistake by turning up at DMV in September when all the university students are lihed up to take the test!

Originally Posted by luv4horses

There is a specific time limit after which you will be fined if you do not have an NC license. I can't remember the exact time but it something like 60 days.

I was about to say the same thing.

I will also add that NO, you cannot buy or lease a vehicle in NC from a dealer until you have a valid NC license. You can purchase a vehicle from an individual (Craigslist, fir example), but you will need that NC Driver's license to register it.

I know these statements were accurate in 2012 and 2013 because I did both transactions. Tried to lease a car in 2012 before I obtained my NC license. Sold a used vehicle in 2013 to someone who only had a Chinese license.


By the way, you'll need proper CERTIFIED documentation to show your full middle name (or your birth certificate to prove you don't have a middle name). Both of those circumstances caused quite a hassle for my husband and I when we visited NC DMV. And repeated visits.

Welcome to NC.

[Funky Chicken]

You can not legally register and title a car in North Carolina without a valid North Carolina driver's license with very few exceptions, an Indian license not being one of them. Military personnel and those with dual residency within the US can sign a federal form to be exempt.

[local2rtp]

When you were in the USA earlier, did you get an SSN? If not, allow for additional time to get your DL.

[Nuthatch]

You can buy a car without NC license, at any dealership. To get it on the road, you'll need insurance. Then the dealer will give you a temporary license plate, which is good for 30 days. You'll have to register the car within that time, which could be kinda tough, because the DMV will give you just a temporary license after passing the driving test. This is just a sheet of paper which can't be used for registering a car. You'll have to wait for the final license in the mail, which usually takes a few days. In your case however, they'll have your immigration status checked by Department of Homeland Security, which can easily take three weeks or more. So it's likely to happen, that the temporary plate will expire before you got a chance to register the car.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Nuthatch

You can buy a car without NC license, at any dealership. To get it on the road, you'll need insurance. Then the dealer will give you a temporary license plate, which is good for 30 days. You'll have to register the car within that time, which could be kinda tough, because the DMV will give you just a temporary license after passing the driving test. This is just a sheet of paper which can't be used for registering a car. You'll have to wait for the final license in the mail, which usually takes a few days.

NOT ACCURATE. Here's what happened when we bought a car from a dealer in 2012, when we had AZ licenses and had not yet bothered to get NC licenses:

After checking our credit (very high scores), they gave us the car with dealer plates to drive around "for 3-4 days" to get our NC license. We had to insure it. The car still belonged to the dealer as they cannot transfer the title until you have a valid NC license.

Much to the discomfort of the dealer, it took me >2 weeks to get a NC license because I had nothing certified with my full middle name on it (My middle initial is the only thing I've used since I was an infant.)

When I finally received my temporary sheet of paper license, I returned to the dealership. They transferred the title of the car and registered it in my name using that temporary sheet of paper. They were very relieved, as I could have walked from that deal at any time until that transfer of title. They would have been stuck with a now used car with 750 miles on it.

And without that high credit score, they would never have let us out the door with the car in the first place.

[rfburns]

Jkgourmet: I don't disbelieve that your dealer wouldn't register your car without an NC license, but I can promise you that an NC license is NOT required to own a car and have it registered in NC.

I don't know how they went about it, but I have personal knowledge of many people (mostly illegal immigrants) that bought a car here, got it registered in their name, kept insurance on it, kept current tags, and they have never had an NC license. They aren't even eligible to get an NC license due to their lack of a social security number. NC DMV assigns the vehicle owner a "control number" so they exist in the computer system, but the number does not correspond to a drivers license.

Maybe only certain dealers are willing to do this. Maybe you have to register the car in-person at DMV and not all the DMV clerks are familiar with the process. I don't know, but the end result is that many illegal immigrants without drivers licenses have legally registered cars.

[Singh Saab]

On the NC DMV website:

International Driving Licence
The law enforcement authorities in North Carolina do not honor an International Driver License. A valid license issued by a government agency from a home state or country is required to legally drive in this State.

Registration
When moving to North Carolina you must obtain a North Carolina driver license BEFORE you can register a vehicle.

Apply for a Driver License
All new residents of North Carolina who plan to operate a motor vehicle in this state must obtain a driver license within 60 days of establishing a permanent residence.

Title and Register a Vehicle
Upon moving to North Carolina from another state, you must register your motor vehicle at the expiration of the time granted by the reciprocity agreement between North Carolina and your prior state of residence (usually 30 days) or when gainful employment is accepted, whichever occurs first. You should obtain a North Carolina driver license prior to registering a vehicle.

Can we infer that one can drive around, without registering a vehicle, for 60 days on an "out of country" licence?

The car, if brought in from another state, has only 30 days or less (if gainfully employed) to be registered.
However, were the car to be from within the state, one would register after gaining a NC DL within 60 days.
Right?