Is a Chinese drivers license valid in the USA?

[kdavid]

My wife wants to take a drivers ed course. I'm telling her it's useless as she'll have to do it all over again when we move home in another year.

However, she wants the experience. While the driving class may be valuable, is there a point in writing the exam? Will the license she gets here be of any use in the US?

Anyone have experience with this?

[langxia]

Well China doesn't have the IDP (international driving permit） so it might not be possible. As far as I know from European friends that went over to the states is that if you want to drive in the States you need an international drivers licence otherwise you might be up for some trouble, which happend to a friend of mine who was told by the car rental place he wouldn't need an international licence but was told otherwise by the cop that stopped him (forgetting that mp/h and km/h is a little difference can lead to speeding ) So unless she can get an IDP somewhere my answer would be no.

I think your safest way to know is ask someone from your familly in the states to go to the office where they issue drivers licence and ask. They should know best if there is a way or not.

(Also I'mo not american but isn't it that drivers licence stuff is differnt from state to state ?)

[roddy]

Perhaps you could tell us which state you'd be in so that we can Google it for you?

[c6ray]

I am sure it varies by jurisdiction.

From http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm

If you are a visitor in California over 18 and have a valid driver license from your home state or country, you may drive in this state without getting a California driver license as long as your home state license remains valid.

If you become a California resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents.

The State of California does not recognize an International Driving Permit (IDP) as a valid driver license. California does recognize a valid driver license that is issued by a foreign jurisdiction (country, state, territory) of which the license holder is a resident.

The IDP is only a translation of information contained on a person’s foreign driver license and is not required to operate a motor vehicle in California. Citations issued to a person in California who has an IDP, but does not have a California driver license will be placed on the Department of Motor Vehicle database.

[WestTexas]

I'm not sure what the driving classes here actually teach. How to drive like you are drunk while sober? I think she should skip it. It could just create bad habits that will cause accidents when she drives in the US (ie, not using the lanes, driving into oncoming traffic, honking at everything, expecting people to yield, not really stopping for right-on-red, not yielding right of way to pedestrians)

[msittig]

The driving tests here in China are very technical and focus on rote memorization of driving skills based on the the specific layout of the place where you take the test, rather than on practical skills and safe driving habits.

Also, depending on the state it will probably be cheaper to learn in the US.

I have no practical experience with this question though.

[kdavid]

Perhaps you could tell us which state you'd be in so that we can Google it for you?

*ahem* I actually first Googled this, and then searched here in the forums before posting.

My Google search was pretty spot on, but I wanted to see if someone here had personal experience.

I'm not sure what the driving classes here actually teach. How to drive like you are drunk while sober?

Ugh. Our son is now in kindergarten, and she doesn't work, so she's just bored. I honestly do feel that it will just teacher her bad habits. However, she's really stubborn. All I can do is let her waste time, money, and then make mistakes, and then rub the big old "I told you so" in her face.

Also, depending on the state it will probably be cheaper to learn in the US.

This is the only perk I see. If she can learn to drive here, it will save us money, and me a few gray hairs (from having to teach her on my own).

[PengHaoShi]

When going to the US as a German, I needed an International Driver License (because they cannot read a German document). With the IDV, I've never had a problem. However, I think China doesn't issue an IDV, but I'm not sure about this.

In a lot of countries, which I know, you need to have a local driver license, once you become a resident. However, to get a local driver license differs from country to country. In Singapore, they issued a driver license on basis of my German one; it was just a formality with documents and fees. In China, I didn't have to do the practical driving test, everything else I had to do.

As long as one has an IDV and is driving a rental car, everything might be OK, because nobody knows, whether this person is a resident or not. But once, you have a privately registered car, you might get in trouble.

[roddy]

Ah come on now, there's no evidence in your OP that you've done any research or have any relevant knowledge. Are you going to blame a man for assuming otherwise? Especially when your question about the license a) doesn't have the info necessary to answer it and b) could easily be answered online.

[frankwall]

When going to the US as a German, I needed an International Driver License (because they cannot read a German document). With the IDV, I've never had a problem. However, I think China doesn't issue an IDV, but I'm not sure about this.

Are you sure about that with your German license? I would have thought that the document would at least have German and English on it. Or else it should be regarded as EU standard. I know many Germans that travelled in the US and never needed extra qualifications...

[c_redman]

Just to clarify, the International Driving Permit is the document people are referring to here. As others have mentioned, it's merely a translation of the native license, not a driver's license on its own.