Grief from US DMV over renewal of US license

I am sorry if this fits in Travel and Transport, it seems to be outside the scope but I may be wrong about that.

Situation:  DH's CA license up for renewal, he's eligible for Renewal by Mail.  He completes the appropriate form, and mails it in whilst he is in CA for work.

We have a CA address, it is a post box but it doesn't read 'P.O.', it just says #xyz so it looks like a residence and we have all sorts of things mailed there and shipped to us in the UK.

Renewed license was incorrectly mailed to our previous CA residence address.   

DMV says it is illegal to have a CA license mailed to Britain.  We must have a permanent residence in CA for my DH's renewed CA license to be mailed.

I wasn't aware of any law that states one must give up a US driving license if you reside in the UK (and have a UK license).  Am I wrong about that?

They also will not mail to our CA address as they say that is a 'temporary', 'non residence' address.

Thanks for any help!  My DH would like to have his renewed license (we're here on HSMP, four year residence permit at this time).  He often has to travel to the US for work and hires a car.

I dunno about CA's laws, but I do know that your DH should be able to rent a car on his UK license with no trouble at all. 

Yes, that is true!  I agree.

But is he allowed to hold both a CA and UK license?  Certainly one can have dual citizenship in the UK.  So I'm guessing one can hold a driver's license for both the US and UK?

I know all states are different but I was able to get my Maryland licence renewed by mail no problems. Weird.

Pebbles, was your US license mailed to your UK address?  That's all we really need, wish the DMV would just do it already!

I dunno about CA's laws, but I do know that your DH should be able to rent a car on his UK license with no trouble at all. 

That is correct, according to this section of the California Vehicle Code:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d06/vc12505.htm

Unfortunately, it also says the driver must actually reside in California, which surprises me.

Hope you're not paying taxes to that state.

Jim

   We do pay CA state taxes, as well as Fed, of course.  It's the UK taxes that are flooring us!

just from personal experience.  i recently moved from CA to NY and learned that most states define that a person is a resident after 30 days of living in the state.  so i had to get a ny license before that 30 days was up or i would have been driving illegally because i gave up my CA priveldge. im guessing that your situation falls under the same guidelines.  as a sidenote, if you want to get a CA license again you have 2 years from the last expiration date to get a license without having to take the test.  if you let 2 years pass after you have forfeited your license or after it has expired you have to go through the permit/testing process all over.

Pebbles, was your US license mailed to your UK address? That's all we really need, wish the DMV would just do it already!

Yes of course they mailed it here. Its just a photoless licence that Im supposed to keep with my expired one.

Not sure if this would work but cant you have the new licence sent to a relative in the USA and they can post it here?

I think all have different rules about renewal of license.  In NJ now, one can not get a photoless license anymore, it has to be a photographic one, so one has to go in person to renew.

bvamin

I think all have different rules about renewal of license.  In NJ now, one can not get a photoless license anymore, it has to be a photographic one, so one has to go in person to renew.

RI is a photo license as well. I'm going back in Sept and will ATTEMPT to renew mine then. The address is the only problem. I think many states require that you have an in-state address. I know in RI, your address is actually printed on the license. I'm not sure what to do about that, other than use a friend's address. I'm sure that's illegal, but it would certainly help me get around the problem.   

Two things:

1st, states can and do regulate DMV issues differently.  In some, you may have two valid licenses from different states, in others, they invalidate your old one when you get one in that state.

2nd, some states do REQUIRE that you are a permanate residence to obtian (and maintain) a valid drivers license. 

I hate to say it, but if you have given up your home in CA and are only maintaining a home in the UK, you are no longer a resident to CA.  Mailing address in CA or not.

I am lucky in that I have a home that I maintain in WA, and ALWAYS use it as my main address (thankfully, my family is there to gather post for me).

Sorry you are having the troubles...

I hate to say it, but if you have given up your home in CA and are only maintaining a home in the UK, you are no longer a resident to CA.  Mailing address in CA or not.

According to the vehicle codes listed on the CA DMV website, this is not true.  Do you have a link for your assertion that we are no longer CA residents?  We meet the qualifications for Prima facie evidence of residency in CA.

If we are no longer CA residents, wondering why we had to pay taxes to that state.

According to the vehicle codes listed on the CA DMV website, this is not true.  Do you have a link for your assertion that we are no longer CA residents?  We meet the qualifications for Prima facie evidence of residency in CA.

If we are no longer CA residents, wondering why we had to pay taxes to that state.

I had the same issue when trying to vote absentee in the last election. The RI form asked for a RI address -- which I obviously don't have. I was on the phone with them for WEEKS trying to figure out why they wouldn't let me vote when I pay state and federal taxes. Didn't we fight a war over taxation without representation?? Finally, they let me fudge it and use my old address -- but that's still technically wrong as somebody else lives there now and is more than likely registered to vote. It's a ridiculous system. But at least I got to vote!! (Fat lot of good that did...    )

Yes, it probably is a ridiculous system in some ways!  Notoriously so.

But we still meet the criteria for Prima facie, we are still registered to vote from our CA address, we are not permanent residents in another state nor country.  We also qualify for "Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient" with my DH's clients there, which he sees throughout the year.  Our Living Trust has the powers/laws of California applied.


Just wondering, as Frances is confident we are no longer considered CA residents and that contradicts the V.C.s, from what I've found.

Perhaps a relative will post the form for us.  Hopefully they won't ask why a CA form arrived from Wisconsin!