Drivers license for H4 visa Holder in IL

P

poorH4's

New Member
Hi,
I'm on H4 Dependent visa, and Living in IL.
(Before I used to live in CA and got my Permit to Drive)
I tried to apply for Drivers license in IL, & DMV people have Asked for a SSN which I dont have.
I checked with SSN office for any letter to Direct DMV So that I could get a Drivers liscence. They said they are not going to issue such a letter.
How can I get a Drivers license and State Id in IL??
Please let me know as I'm strugging hard to move around.
Thank you.
 
My spouse is in the same boat too. But we wrote a letter to the Secretary of State's office explaining our situation and here's the reply we got from them:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------



OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE DRIVER SERVICES DEPARTMENT


17 NORTH STATE STREET
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
JESSE WHITE
SECRETARY OF STATE





Date: xx-xx-xxxx

Dear Mr./Ms.xxxxxxx:

Secretary of State Jesse White asked that I respond to your e-mail.

For the past two years, the Secretary of State's Office has been reviewing the Temporary Driver's License requirements, statistics and possibilities for fraud. In light of the study and in the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001, an applicant for an Illinois Driver's License (and/or a State of Illinois Identification Card, as well) must possess a valid social security number. This is the statutory requirement. Also, the Office of the Secretary of State is not issuing any form of letter for licensing purposes.

However, visitors to this country who possess a valid driver's license from their home country may drive in Illinois for the duration of their visit on their home jurisdiction's driver's license. The time period is not limited so long as the driver's license remains current and valid and provided your vehicle is of the same classification as the vehicle you intend to drive.

If you should have any further questions regarding this or any other matters relating to an Illinois Driver License, an Illinois State Identification Card or our Driver Facilities please refer to our web site at www.cyberdriveillinois.com


Very truly yours;
Rob Moreno
Rob Moreno, Deputy Director
Driver Services Department
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We decided to drive using this letter and the driver's license from our home country. So you can decide based on what is best for your situation.

(goto IL SOS website which I think is www.cyberdriveillinois.com for more details).

Hope this helps!
 
Drivers Licence

Hi Rahul,
This message is in reply to your Spouse Drivers License problem.

Firstly, I got my License after My husbands EAD was approved.
But I can give you some info..
DMV in Illinois has organized a Pilot Program for H4 visa holders some time in apr/may '03 and the following person Ramos is the person you can email to
lramos@ilsos.net
I think I lost her contact number but She is a very good responder so go ahead and email her regarding when will be the next time pilot program is held. Or you may request her phone number so that you can call her and ask any further questions.

I'm happy to pass on this information since I've went through this situation.
 
Hi Guys & Gals(I know most of H4s are gals !! )

We had the same issue with my wife's DL from IL. She was even told that she could not use DL from her home country.

I know exactly what this "Few days every year" means.
Last year,2003, IL started a programme called "Pilot programme" for issuing DLs to those who were otherwise ineligible for SSN.

This programme was in effect for about a month. Under this programme, they marked 3-4 DMV centers throughout IL (one was in Dekalb) where they would issue the DLs.

You were required to call a Chicago number, get an appointment for a particular day and time and DMV facility. the day was monday, being an off day for regular work. You were required to go there with all the documnets like Passport, Car insurance, proof of address, letter of employment from your spouse or parents etc...ALso, since there were just 3-4 facilities in Illinois, you had to drive for hours depending on where you live.

You were required to take the knowledge test as well as the
dreaded road test on the same day(Tough !! Considerg that you are not allowed to practise before the test as you will not be given a instruction permit either without SSN).

If you pass both, you would be given an exam receipt saying that you passed knowledge and road test and would be asked to go to a particular SSN office on a particular day to apply for the Non-work SSN.(Remember , You dont have the DL yet!! and you still cant drive)

You go to the SSN office, usually in a couple of days after you pass the tests. SSN office would have your file from DMV. You apply for SSN.

Wait for the SSN card to come. when it comes(anything between 2 to 16 weeks), you go to ANY DMV facility with all the documents and get your photo done.... end of story.


The toughest part is to get DMV to have this programme running all the time, second is to pass the road test without being able to drive. Since most of you have the permission to drive on your home DL, it should not be a problem for you. I used to take my wife for practice at 11:00 in the night to a nearby train station parking lot, we used to drive for 1-2 hours a night, we subsequently moved to city roads....after practising (Illegally??) for 2 weeks, we went for the test, she passed the tests, applied for SSN, the card came after 3 months due to FBI security checks..

Ufffff enough......
 
Rahulp1,

If your wife has a DL from NJ, she is fine. You dont have to transfer her DL to IL. Although you have to do it as per law. I stayed in MN for 6 months without changing my DL. If you are on H1, you can always say that you may not be living in IL for long.

I know it is difficult if you rally need IL DL for some purpose other than driving. But for driving, as your last mail suggests, you are fine and be assertive if some cop asks her about not renewing her DL.

As I wrote earlier, I took the risk of training my wife without any license. I was determined to confront the cops if they had ever asked me. Tell them it is just because of the IL laws that she is not able to transfer her license....

Keep using NJ license.. No problems....
 
ask ur insurance company. I know of a few compnies like prudential that insure people with Indian license as well. a friend of mine did that, though rates are higher

also try AAA
 
gogia said:
Rahulp1,

If your wife has a DL from NJ, she is fine. You dont have to transfer her DL to IL. Although you have to do it as per law. I stayed in MN for 6 months without changing my DL. If you are on H1, you can always say that you may not be living in IL for long.

I know it is difficult if you rally need IL DL for some purpose other than driving. But for driving, as your last mail suggests, you are fine and be assertive if some cop asks her about not renewing her DL.

As I wrote earlier, I took the risk of training my wife without any license. I was determined to confront the cops if they had ever asked me. Tell them it is just because of the IL laws that she is not able to transfer her license....

Keep using NJ license.. No problems....
Click to expand...

you are supposed to get new license in a state after you "establish" residency within certain period of time depending on state regulation.

DONT TRY to use DL from previous state for long period of time if really dont have any home/address in that state. some states (DMV) periodically sends letter to the residence for any reason. if its unreacheable or if you dont respond then your DL will be suspended/revoked. my neighbor got arrested because he was driving with revoked license (and he was really unaware of it). he was using DL from previous state for nearly 1 year. he has to spend few thousand dollars and spend few weeks in jail and was in probation for 6 months.

 
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