Driving in Connecticut

Driving in Connecticut, a few notes

If you already have a license from another country, for example, India or China, here is my advise; take your license to the CT DMV and fill out the forms and apply for a CT license. This will take a day of your time.

Why? If you want to drive out of state, every state has different rules. If you have a CT License, there are no restrictions on where and when you can go between states.

I did not know how this worked, so I looked it up;

In order to drive in Connecticut you must have a Connecticut Driver’s license or one of the following:
valid out-of-state (U.S.) driver’s license
valid out-of-country driver’s license(from your home country) AND
international driver’s permit (you must carry BOTH)

International Driver Permits

An International Driver Permit (IDP) is essentially an English translation of a foreign language driver’s license issued by a foreign country. These permits can only be obtained in the country which issued the actual license.

Students and Visitors to Connecticut:

An IDP is not considered a valid license. It must accompany the valid foreign license. Connecticut permits a student or visitor to operate a motor vehicle in Connecticut for a period of up to one year with his or her foreign license.

Applicants for a new license (except those with valid license from another U.S. state, or from Canada, Germany or France) must pass a written test and apply for an Adult Learner’s Permit before you can take the Road Test to obtain your driver’s license. It is also possible to take the 8 hour driving course at this stage of the process, if you did not take it before. Schedule your appointment online to take the Learner’s Permit Knowledge test from the DMV page: https://www.dmvteen.ct.gov/dmv/do‐it‐online . (I tried this link, and it did NOT work!).

Original Documents to bring to the DMV for Learner’s Permit (Written Test):
1 – Passport (w/ I‐94 card, visa or change of status information)
2 – Form I‐20 or DS‐2019
3 –Social Security Card or Social Security office denial letter. If you don’t have a Social Security Card and only have the Social Security denial letter, you MUST also bring one of these items to prove your identity:
------------>
A certified school transcript Marriage or Civil Union certificate Out of State US photo driver license