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Can you drive with a learner permit in California?

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  • 11-06-2018 9:58pm
    #1
    emilyward14
    Registered Users Posts: 27 ✭


    Hi everhone,
    My sister is heading to Cali in a few weeks to be a nanny for a family there. She thinks she will be able to drive there family car over there on an irish learner permit but im not so sure? Could someone shed some light on this?
    Many thanks!


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    #2
    Mardy Bum
    Registered Users Posts: 3,674 ✭✭✭Mardy Bum


    No, she won't be allowed drive on a learner's permit.


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    #3
    emilyward14
    Registered Users Posts: 27 ✭emilyward14


    Mardy Bum wrote: »
    No, she won't be allowed drive on a learner's permit.

    Oh really? Do you know anywhere online that says this? Can’t find it online anywhere 😔


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    #4
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,305 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    Oh really? Do you know anywhere online that says this? Can’t find it online anywhere ��
    Here you go. This is online:

    “She doesn’t have a driving license”.


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    #5
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    From NDLS. Your sister has a learner’s permit, she does not yet have a driving license
    A Learner Permit is not valid to drive or exchange in Northern Ireland or any other country outside of Ireland.


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    #6
    dennyk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭dennyk


    No, foreign learner's permits are not recognized by any US state, only full licenses. If her job depends on being able to drive, she would need to obtain a California driver's license. Driving without a license in California can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with a possibility of six months in jail and a $1000 fine, so this is not a minor infraction.


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    #7
    emilyward14
    Registered Users Posts: 27 ✭emilyward14


    dennyk wrote: »
    No, foreign learner's permits are not recognized by any US state, only full licenses. If her job depends on being able to drive, she would need to obtain a California driver's license. Driving without a license in California can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor with a possibility of six months in jail and a $1000 fine, so this is not a minor infraction.

    Thanks so much everyone for your reply, I take it she defiantly CANT drive in Cali! is it possible to get a license over there? She won’t be able to go over if she can’t drive!
    Thanks again to everyone who replied!


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    #8
    verycool
    Closed Accounts Posts: 965 ✭✭✭verycool


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    Thanks so much everyone for your reply, I take it she defiantly CANT drive in Cali! is it possible to get a license over there? She won’t be able to go over if she can’t drive!
    Thanks again to everyone who replied!


    Here's a good link to read..


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_licenses_in_the_United_States


    ...and...


    https://www.usa.gov/visitors-driving


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    #9
    ceadaoin.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,277 ✭✭✭ceadaoin.


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    Thanks so much everyone for your reply, I take it she defiantly CANT drive in Cali! is it possible to get a license over there? She won’t be able to go over if she can’t drive!
    Thanks again to everyone who replied!

    Depends on the type of Visa she is getting . Some aren't allowed to apply for licenses


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    #10
    Spook_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 10,896 ✭✭✭✭Spook_ie


    ceadaoin. wrote: »
    Depends on the type of Visa she is getting . Some aren't allowed to apply for licenses

    If she's working I would imagine that she'd be able to apply for an AB60 license


    https://www.dmv.org/ca-california/ab-60-drivers-license.php


    https://www.dmv.org/ca-california/apply-license.php


    No idea how easy/difficult the Californian test is, or license conditions for driving unaccompanied
    California Learner's Permit Restrictions
    With a provisional learner's permit in your possession, it's illegal for you to drive alone at any time. If you do drive, a parent, guardian, spouse, or adult 25 years old or older who has a valid CA driver's license must be with you and seated close enough to take control of the vehicle if necessary.


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    #11
    dennyk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭dennyk


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    Thanks so much everyone for your reply, I take it she defiantly CANT drive in Cali! is it possible to get a license over there? She won’t be able to go over if she can’t drive!
    Thanks again to everyone who replied!

    She can get a California license if she meets the residency requirements and can provide the required documentation. Here are the instructions to apply. (Note that she does not need an SSN as a foreigner, though she does need to have an appropriate permission-to-remain stamp on her passport allowing her to legally reside in the US).

    Note that it can take a month or more to get an appointment for the knowledge test and another month to get an appointment for the road test, so she likely won't be able to drive (or drive alone) for at least a couple months.

    Edit: She should not apply for an AB-60 license; those are only for foreign nationals who are not in the US legally. If she has a valid permission to remain in the US, that will make her eligible for a non-REAL-compliant license; see here (Warning: PDF) for the requirements.


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    #12
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,438 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    My sister is heading to Cali in a few weeks to be a nanny for a family there. She thinks she will be able to drive there family car over there on an irish learner permit......

    I suspect she's already told the US family that she has a driving licence, given that 'she thinks' she can drive there on an Irish learner permit.

    As already advised, she doesn't have a driving licence and she needs to advise the US family accordingly because she will not be able to drive their car when she arrives.


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    #13
    jme2010
    Registered Users Posts: 974 ✭✭✭jme2010


    Thread should have been closed after the first response.

    The only hope is that she takes the test here and gets her full license, but there probably a backlog of months and she more than likely would need the 12 EDT lessons too.


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    #14
    Pelvis
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,758 ✭✭✭Pelvis


    emilyward14 wrote: »
    is it possible to get a license over there?

    No. It's a known fact that Americans are taught how to drive in utero.


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    #15
    HDMI
    Registered Users Posts: 747 ✭✭✭HDMI


    Just asking the question seems like wishful thinking and I assume you already knew the answer.

    Think about it, if you were employing a nanny would you want one with a learner permit driving the family car with your kids in it? :eek:


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    #16
    dennyk
    Registered Users Posts: 1,701 ✭✭✭dennyk


    Pelvis wrote: »
    No. It's a known fact that Americans are taught how to drive in utero.

    I can assure you that this is most definitely not true, despite the fact that many US driving tests assume that it is. (Source: Am American, used to live in Atlanta, somehow survived years of commuting on the Connector...)


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    #17
    HDMI
    Registered Users Posts: 747 ✭✭✭HDMI


    dennyk wrote: »
    (Source: Am American, used to live in Atlanta, somehow survived years of commuting on the Connector...)

    Atlanta drivers are in a class of their own, a bunch of angry lane hoppers that scare the life out of you. So many who think the hov lane is for overtaking.

    I drove down to Marietta from NC just before Christmas gone just as the snow was beginning to fall. Less than an inch on the ground and there was so many who abandoned their cars it was unreal. It was kinda surreal driving the road into Atlanta at 6pm and hardly any cars on the road.


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