# Driving Permits for Foreign Residents



## RSA_Newbie (Nov 5, 2011)

Anyone have any insights into getting some type of driving permit until you are a permanent resident? It is my understanding that you can only obtain a SA Drivers License once you are a permanent resident. My US license expires at the end of June next year. I'm not sure I can renew it from here and can't apply until 90 days from expiration. If I can't renew it I'll be without a valid drivers license. There has to be some kind of temporary driving permit you can get until you become a permanent resident. Anyone have any experience with this?


----------



## 2fargone (Jun 14, 2011)

RSA_Newbie said:


> Anyone have any insights into getting some type of driving permit until you are a permanent resident? It is my understanding that you can only obtain a SA Drivers License once you are a permanent resident. My US license expires at the end of June next year. I'm not sure I can renew it from here and can't apply until 90 days from expiration. If I can't renew it I'll be without a valid drivers license. There has to be some kind of temporary driving permit you can get until you become a permanent resident. Anyone have any experience with this?


I am pretty sure you can't get a S.A. drivers until you have permanent resident. I checked into doing this a while back, and that was what I was told. Are you not planning on going back to the USA between now and June of next year. I was able to get a new license early from my local DMV. I just told them I live outside of the USA, and I wouldn't be there to renew it. It wasn't a problem at all. I would phone your local DMV and explain the situation and see what can be done. I don't think anything can be done in S.A. But I might be wrong.


----------



## 2fargone (Jun 14, 2011)

This is for South Africa. Not Saudi Arabia.


----------



## RSA_Newbie (Nov 5, 2011)

LOL, I guess they got confused.  Yes that is my understanding also that I must be a PR before I can get an SA driving license. I don't understand why they have that requirement though if you have a job and a valid temporary residents permit, you should be able to get some kind of temporary license so you can at least get back and forth to work. In California you must renew your license every 4 years and you are allowed to renew it on-line once without having to go to the DMV for a new license photo. My license expires in June next year but I'm not sure if I went to the DMV last time or renewed on-line. If I can't renew on-line then when my license expires I'll be kind of stuck. I can't afford to fly back to LA to renew my license in person so don't know what I will do.

It just seems odd they wouldn't have some type of interim permit, especially for someone married to a citizen and waiting on all this red tape stuff to get done. I mean you marry someone from SA, you have to be married 5 years before you can apply for PR and then it takes another 12-24 months for them to finalize your PR application. No one's drivers license is good for that long and not everyone is well off enough to afford a 8-12,000 Rand flight back to Europe or the US just to renew a drivers license! I mean come on! If you can prove you are married and have a job, then you should be able to get a temporary license even if it has to be renewed annually until your PR is complete.....hello, revenue stream here!


----------

