True Blue Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 If you have a valid PRC license, do you need to take the road test and written test in Florida to get a Florida license? Tried to call Florida Dept of Motor Vehicles and have been "on hold" for well over 5 hours over the parts of the last 3 days so I have used up all my cell phone minutes for the month. Thought someone might know the answer here. My wife had a Chinese drivers license and let it lapse. She lived in the big city and didn't have a car. She is going back to China for a visit this summer and thinks she can learn faster from a Chinese speaking driving instructor. "Other Chinese women here in the USA" (that she knows in other states) said she will have great difficulty understanding the road test examiner. She hopes to avoid the Florida road test because they failed the road test due to nerves and not understanding the examiner. I understand that getting a drivers license in China is probably not going to make her a safe driver in America. Also I intend to buckle up and ride shotgun for the first six months or however long it takes for her to become a safe driver in the USA. Just wondering if it makes sense for her to get her PRC license while she is in China as a way to avoid the road test. She is sharp and will have no problems passing the written test and I can teach her the road part over time and am willing to do it. We only have one car so as a practical matter she can't drive without me in the car anyway. Just trying to calm her since "other Chinese women here in the USA" said she will have great difficulty understanding the road test examiner. And we all know anything said by "another Chinese woman here in America" is taken with the weight of Moses commandments carved into stone. Anyone know? Ideas? I did RTF here but couldn't find this answer. Thanks for your help TB Link to comment
Randy W Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 No problem at all if she wants to renew her Chinese driver's license - ask the Florida DMV if it will allow her to skip the driving test (maybe someone already has). If she does that, however, she may need to surrender the Chinese license. We have heard of anal driving examiners flunking someone who didn't speak English, but usually even deaf people are allowed to drive. Link to comment
dnoblett Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 Yep, a road test will be needed, virtually all states don't recognize a DL from China. Looks like FL requires a valid foreign DL. http://www.gathergoget.com/http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/faqkeys.html Link to comment
Randy W Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 We have heard of DMV offices that would accept a foreign DL in lieu of a driver's exam, but never of one that would REQUIRE a license they wouldn't recognize - I think that was a typo there. A car rental store-front may be able to tell you if someone with a Chinese driver's license would be allowed to rent and drive a car for say, less than 30 days. Link to comment
Kaige Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 Yan had to take the sign test and the driveing test here in Ft Myers, a friend of hers had to do the same even though she had a chinese drivers licensce, I don't think the state asked for her licensce as it is from china. You can write to Washington State and get a handbook that is in chinese and english Link to comment
Randy W Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 (edited) Yan had to take the sign test and the driveing test here in Ft Myers, a friend of hers had to do the same even though she had a chinese drivers licensce, I don't think the state asked for her licensce as it is from china. You can write to Washington State and get a handbook that is in chinese and english It's also online - http://www.dol.wa.gov/cn/docs/TCHDriverGuide.pdf Edited April 9, 2010 by Randy W (see edit history) Link to comment
dnoblett Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 It took my wife nearly 2 years of driving practice and SIX road tests here in NY State before she got her Driver's License. It took that long to break her of the Chinese style of driving. Link to comment
Zhou Zhou Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 It took my wife nearly 2 years of driving practice and SIX road tests here in NY State before she got her Driver's License. It took that long to break her of the Chinese style of driving.My wife is the worst driver and scares the he!! out of me...I asked her if she ever took a test. She told me she got all of the questions correct. I then asked her if she had to drive for the instructor. After some stalling she told me the the driving inspector was a friend of the family and she was allowed to skip it. Link to comment
dnoblett Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 It took my wife nearly 2 years of driving practice and SIX road tests here in NY State before she got her Driver's License. It took that long to break her of the Chinese style of driving.My wife is the worst driver and scares the he!! out of me...I asked her if she ever took a test. She told me she got all of the questions correct. I then asked her if she had to drive for the instructor. After some stalling she told me the the driving inspector was a friend of the family and she was allowed to skip it. Yep, I am glad that NY State wont just issue a DL to a foreign driver without putting them through the learning process. The only exception in NY are Canadian Drivers, NY WILL exchange a Canadian DL for a NY DL, no tests needed. If you have a driver license from any nation except Canada, you must pass a written test, complete a 5-hour pre-licensing course and pass a road test to qualify for a NYS driver license. See "New Drivers - How to Apply". http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/license.htm#driversmoving Funny thing NY will allow the operation of a car using any foreign DL as long as you are NOT a resident of the state, for example a K-Visa holder WAITING for AOS can continue using their foreign DL until they get their green-card, at which point then will need to get a NY DL. Link to comment
Zhou Zhou Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 The way we drive here in the US will get my sweet lao po killed....I'm glad she'll have to take the road test...and maybe by the time she gets here her PRC license will be out dated. Link to comment
Cassie Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 I have a Chinese driver licence ,but actually I dont really know how to drive .I got that licence because I dad paid money to ask people to help me .Now I realized its kinda hard for me to take that driving test as well.I am not confident enough to take the written test!!!!I wonder if I can take the test in Chinese.because I do need to get the licence as soon as possible because I will go to work and study in couple months.I will defintely need to drive myself anywhere.If they dont have written test in Chinese ,whether they have sample written test online for me to prepare it???? Link to comment
Cassie Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 and if my Chinese driver licence will work here??? Link to comment
dnoblett Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 and if my Chinese driver licence will work here???Nope, The state will require you to apply for and test for a state issued DL. In most states you will have to wait for an EAD card, or Green-card before you can apply for DL Link to comment
Amaro Posted December 18, 2010 Report Share Posted December 18, 2010 Here is a link to the florida practice test. Should pretty much be the same all around. http://www3.hsmv.state.fl.us/exam/index.cfm Link to comment
lche195 Posted December 18, 2010 Report Share Posted December 18, 2010 in Georgia you dont need maybe florida is the samehttp://www.dds.ga.gov/drivers/DLdata.aspx?con=1747371440&ty=dl Link to comment
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