UK paper driving license for rent a car in USA

Rashers72

Hi, random question.. cannot find answer on google.
I have a full UK old style green paper license. No points to date. Can this be used to rent a car in US? I used it about 10 times in US, no issue, but not in the last 5 years. I do not have the new photo card version. I moved to Ireland, so it is valid here, but need to change it soon re address etc.. Just want to make sure I can use in US without any problems.

KevR

Rashers72 wrote: »

Hi, random question.. cannot find answer on google.
I have a full UK old style green paper license. No points to date. Can this be used to rent a car in US? I used it about 10 times in US, no issue, but not in the last 5 years. I do not have the new photo card version. I moved to Ireland, so it is valid here, but need to change it soon re address etc.. Just want to make sure I can use in US without any problems.

I used my Irish paper licence to rent cars on two separate occasions last year in the US. Most recently in October. No problems whatsoever.

Watch Ryder

Get an International Driving Permit. The US cops can be finnicky about foreign licenses.

Micky 32

Been going over and back to the USA 2-3 times a year for the last 10 years with my trusty paper irish drivers licence. No problems whatsoever.

ProudDUB

Watch Ryder wrote: »

Get an International Driving Permit. The US cops can be finnicky about foreign licenses.

Waste of money & effort. The international permit just translates the details of your license into a few of the most commonly spoken languages. It is not a stand alone document on its own. It could come in handy if your license is in a language not spoken/read/understood easily in the country that you are going to. That won't be an issue in the US, as the OP's current license is already in English.

Chisler2

Micky 32 wrote: »

Been going over and back to the USA 2-3 times a year for the last 10 years with my trusty paper irish drivers licence. No problems whatsoever.

Just so long as you arrange adequate insurance for international driving adequate to cover US costly claims for damages and medical treatments you're grand .

Chisler2

Rashers72 wrote: »

Hi, random question.. cannot find answer on google.
I have a full UK old style green paper license. No points to date. Can this be used to rent a car in US? I used it about 10 times in US, no issue, but not in the last 5 years. I do not have the new photo card version. I moved to Ireland, so it is valid here, but need to change it soon re address etc.. Just want to make sure I can use in US without any problems.

As you do not have the laminated card component you really need to contact DVLA in Swansea to check before relying on the old paper licence in the USA which for many years has simply been an adjunct to the photocard to contain information they could not - at the time - incorporate onto the card. From 8 June 2015, the paper counterpart will not be valid and will no longer have any legal status. My advice - check this out! As you are no longer domiciled in the UK but that licence depicts you as having a UK address you might experience serious difficulty in the event of any accident or incident requiring an insurance claim.

billy few mates

Chisler's right, there were some changes announced a while back which effectively meant the old paper licence would cease to be valid, everyone would have to have a photo on their licence which by law had to be reissued every ten years. It's quite straightforward if you live in the UK but the DVLA won't renew it if you don't live there.
I had to swap mine back for an Irish licence last year, it fairly painless but I was left without a licence of any sort for about eight weeks as it takes the DVLA that long to process them and you have to surrender your old one first.
It could be tricky if you travel a lot and need to rent a car while you're away....

Rashers72

Ok. What is worst case scenario that it takes them longer to swap my UK license? I would have a colour copy of UK license, a receipt from NDLS re exchange and can also prove via DVLA website using unique log in that I have no points etc. Wonder what exchange time period is at presently?

Chisler2

Rashers72 wrote: »

Ok. What is worst case scenario that it takes them longer to swap my UK license? I would have a colour copy of UK license, a receipt from NDLS re exchange and can also prove via DVLA website using unique log in that I have no points etc. Wonder what exchange time period is at presently?

If you present yourself at a car-hire desk in the USA without a current, legal document (in-date, bearing correct personal details and current address) any insurance-cover in the hire-package is null and void. So even if the hire-firm accept your proffered documentation if you encounter any difficulties or incidents on US roads or drivers you are in a vulnerable position, as claims against you, or medical expenses you or others incur (and believe me those will be staggering compared to Ireland or UK!) must be met by you yourself. You might also be open to charges of fraud or misrepresentation. The Drivers' Licence is a legal document after all.

The turn-around for surrendering a VALID, CURRENT UK Drivers' Licence in exchange for an Irish licence is around 21 - 28 days currently afaik. After 8th June the process becomes lengthier and more complicated if the UK licence has expired. You need to check with NDLS if they would simply exchange your UK paper licence for an Irish licence or if they would require you to do an Irish driving-test.

As Billy Few Friends says - check it out with NDLS. They are helpful and have all the information and you may book an appointment on-line in advance, rather than spend hours queuing with dozens of others.

Oh.........and as far as presenting a "colour photocopy" of your surrendered UK licence, copying a Drivers' Licence is a felony.........it is a legal document.

Rashers72

No appointments for next 4 weeks in Dublin, any day. Sent them an email and they said up to 3 months to exchange, but I assume that is a gross over estimate based on worst case scenario. Mine should be a simple one, UK , no points. It has an expiry date when I reach 65. Would it be done within 2 weeks, once I get to meet someone there?

billy few mates

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-licence-changes

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2015/04/warning-you-need-a-dvla-code-to-hire-a-car-in-uk-or-abroad

What type of licence have you got and when are you going...?

Rashers72

Pink paper license and going in 3.5 weeks.

Chisler2

Rashers72 wrote: »

No appointments for next 4 weeks in Dublin, any day. Send them an email and they said up to 3 months to exchange, but I assume that is a gross over estimate based on worst case scenario. Mine should be a simple one, UK , no points. It has an expiry date when I reach 65. Would it be done within 2 weeks, once I get to meet someone there?

Not necessarily an exaggeration. It is probable that there is a surge of applications from people now living in Ireland who have been driving on the UK licence which is about to be made obsolete and are now surrendering them in exchange for Irish document.

The issue of "points" on your licence is somewhat irrelevant. It is the legality and safety of your present and future situation, rather than past history, which is at issue here.

Sorry you are having such difficulty. It does seem improbable that you can obtain an Irish licence before your trip to the US...........and the about-to-be-redundant UK document you hold will not entitle you to hire a vehicle and drive in the USA.

Rashers72

Chisler2 wrote: »

Not necessarily an exaggeration. It is probable that there is a surge of applications from people now living in Ireland who have been driving on the UK licence which is about to be made obsolete and are now surrendering them in exchange for Irish document.

From my understanding, the paper UK license remains completely valid for UK residents, until age 65, as long as you don't change address, or don't need it outside the UK. And even if you do need it outside the UK, you can apply for a code to use with car hire companies. The issue arises where you no longer live in the UK, and therefore you need to change it for a new license in that country.

Long Gone

ProudDUB wrote: »

Waste of money & effort.

Waste of money and effort ? ? ! - An International Driving Permit only costs a fiver or so and you can get it within minutes at most Post Offices ! ! Well worthwhile carrying it in addition to your home driving license when abroad.

ProudDUB

It is a complete waste of time and money for a UK license holder, traveling to the US. Their UK license will be in English & every single member of US law enforcement will be able to read English. They wouldn't have been hired in the first place if they couldn't.

If you read the rest of the post that you quoted, you'll see I acknowledged that it is a handy thing to have on you, if your license is printed in a language that is not commonly spoken or read in the country that you are traveling to. That is not the case for the OP.

Chisler2

Micky 32 wrote: »

Been going over and back to the USA 2-3 times a year for the last 10 years with my trusty paper irish drivers licence. No problems whatsoever.

Yours is a VALID Irish Drivers' Licence. The OP's licence has a UK address. S(he) lives in Ireland. As the D.L. is a LEGAL DOCUMENT this document is not legal, since it is not current! The USA does not have the same "gung-ho shure it's all right" attitude to these things as pertains in some parts of Ireland. It is on THAT account -the serious offence presenting it as valid to a car-hire company, repercussions in the event of any incident or accident whilst driving in the USA in unaccustomed conditions - that the OP is being offered advice.

billy few mates

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-2337363/Could-fined-1-000-invalid-driving-licence.html

Watch Ryder

Strongly advise you either get a US drivers license OR just get an international drivers permit from the AA. It only costs about 10 Euros.

Watch Ryder

ProudDUB wrote: »

It is a complete waste of time and money for a UK license holder, traveling to the US. Their UK license will be in English & every single member of US law enforcement will be able to read English. They wouldn't have been hired in the first place if they couldn't.

If you read the rest of the post that you quoted, you'll see I acknowledged that it is a handy thing to have on you, if your license is printed in a language that is not commonly spoken or read in the country that you are traveling to. That is not the case for the OP.

Depends on what state you are in. I was in one state and was told even an IDP wasn't going to be acceptable to their state highway patrol.

Watch Ryder

ProudDUB wrote: »

Waste of money & effort. The international permit just translates the details of your license into a few of the most commonly spoken languages. It is not a stand alone document on its own. It could come in handy if your license is in a language not spoken/read/understood easily in the country that you are going to. That won't be an issue in the US, as the OP's current license is already in English.

I was pulled over by state patrol and they accepted my license and IDP with no questions asked (to me). They checked it out on their computer (to see if I had any prior history). After that it was handed back and I was on my way.

In some states you won't get a hire car without one either.

Sheldons Brain

Watch Ryder wrote: »

Strongly advise you either get a US drivers license OR just get an international drivers permit from the AA. It only costs about 10 Euros.

AS stated above, an international drivers permit is not a licence to drive, it is merely a translation of your licence to drive. There is no point whatsoever in an Irish or English person getting one. It is really only needed for countries with Cyrillic alphabets and the like.

The OP was asking about a specific issue with British driving licences, yet there are all these pointless and irrelevant posts about the international drivers permit!

Rasmus

Before I changed mine to the Irish plastic licence, I used the paper one without issue in the U.S. They simply laugh at it in the car-rental place. You could get an international to put your mind at rest, merely for extra proof of your licence's validity but if it is state troopers you are concerned about, an international permit is no better form of ID than your UK licence.

Rashers72

Just to update all. It took me 2 weeks to change my UK license from turning up one Saturday morning at a driving license centre to receiving my new Irish license. Pretty quick if you ask me!

Watch Ryder

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

AS stated above, an international drivers permit is not a licence to drive, it is merely a translation of your licence to drive. There is no point whatsoever in an Irish or English person getting one. It is really only needed for countries with Cyrillic alphabets and the like.

Utter tripe, you are clutching at straws on this one. I live part-time in the USA and driving on my foreign license for six months of the year would land me in trouble as a state-resident. Either IDP or get a state-license.

If you are tourist-visiting for a few weeks that's a different story.

Bayberry

Watch Ryder wrote: »

Utter tripe, you are clutching at straws on this one. I live part-time in the USA and driving on my foreign license for six months of the year would land me in trouble as a state-resident. Either IDP or get a state-license.

If you need are considered a state resident for license purposes, an International Drivers Permit and an International license won't be of any use to you - and an IDP on it's own is never of any value.

If you're a visitor, having an IDP is never a bad idea, but most of the time in the US you will get by without it. However, if there is any issue of contention, you will be on firmer ground if you have an IDP along with your license.

dave2pvd

Watch Ryder wrote: »

I was pulled over by state patrol and they accepted my license and IDP with no questions asked (to me). They checked it out on their computer (to see if I had any prior history). After that it was handed back and I was on my way.

In some states you won't get a hire car without one either.

Calling you out here: what states won't let you rent without an IDP?

Second, do you really think the cop can cross reference your IDP in their state database?

Watch Ryder

dave2pvd wrote: »

Calling you out here: what states won't let you rent without an IDP?

Second, do you really think the cop can cross reference your IDP in their state database?

Florida for one.

Yes, because he ran the check back on his computer while I waited for 15 minutes.

Watch Ryder

Bayberry wrote: »

If you need are considered a state resident for license purposes, an International Drivers Permit and an International license won't be of any use to you - and an IDP on it's own is never of any value.

If you're a visitor, having an IDP is never a bad idea, but most of the time in the US you will get by without it. However, if there is any issue of contention, you will be on firmer ground if you have an IDP along with your license.

Yes it would be because *some* states won't let foreigners to have a state-issue driving license.

Which is why it's good to have an IDP.

dave2pvd

Watch Ryder wrote: »

Florida for one.

Yes, because he ran the check back on his computer while I waited for 15 minutes.

A. Florida does not require the IDP. In error, it almost enacted the requirement (basically an anti-immigrant stunt), but it was found unenforceable, then quickly repealed. It was actually found to be in violation of the Geneva Convention on road Traffic. Look here.

B. You really think he was able to find a match for the number on your IDP in his State of Florida database? I'd confidently bet that his computer returned 'no matching record'.

For what it's worth, I used to go to the trouble of getting the AA's IDP while spending summers in the US as a student. We all knew it wasn't a legal requirement to have one in any of the 50 states. The only reason for buying it: so that if we were pulled for speeding (or whatever), we wouldn't have to show our IRL license. We figured that the IDP was much harder to trace. Further, the IRL paper license didn't even look like a legal document!