Hi, I’m currently a rising junior (age 16) who goes to an international school in Japan. I’m also an American citizen. (You can skip the next paragraph if you don’t wanna read a sob story lol)
Although my family is from Japan, I was born in America and raised there, so when I got the news that my family had to go back to Japan, I was heartbroken. About five years later, I’m still devastated. Sure, I have friends here and I do have fun, but really all I ever wanted was to live the American life. I remember 5th grade, my friends and I were all so excited to go on to middle school and then life hit, and bam, I had to go back to Japan. All of those dreams and anticipation went straight down the drain. Like I said before, even though I do have friends here, I always get the sense that I do no belong here in this country or in my school. I have never shown any kind of interest towards anything from this country, and even as a little kid, my parents said that I refused to learn Japanese. I would definitely prefer my friends in America over the ones that I have or could make here. Basically I just miss the life I could’v had. Which is why I’ve been working so much harder in school and plan to have no social life this year. I will do anything it takes to get back into America for college and live there and never come back to Japan. I have determination and I will force my way through.
Enough said though, I just meant to explain my situation but clearly I wrote a little bit much. Anyways, every summer I go back to California (where I’m from) and I’ve been learning how to drive very slowly. No, I don’t have a permit because I can’t get a license. My family doesn’t own a house in the States, which means that we need to rent a car every summer. Although I have practiced with a rented car just once (the only time I actually got to drive), I obviously can’t bring it to the DMV because that’s not allowed. And my family doesn’t want to pay for me to get a permit renewed every year.
So I was just wondering, what do the other international kids do? How do you get your license? I’m not saying I need a car, but it would definitely be helpful when I go to college. Plus I’m trying to get as much as I can of the American life, even if I still live in Japan.
Most get a license in the US, which is open to internationals with legal status, who pass the driving test and are over 18 years old. Since you are a US citizen and will always have legal status, just go to the DMV of your college state and get a license. You might want to take drivers training classes since it will reduce your insurance costs should you purchase a car.
If you do purchase a car, make sure to have high liability insurance coverage. State minimums are completely insufficient as many were established in the 1960’s. California is a particularly litigious state, so discuss with your insurance agent.
Many students use zipcar since it is easily available on campus for short term. You need to be 18, have no violations and have had a license for at least 1 year. There are fewer restrictions when you turn 21. Car rental companies generally rent only to persons above 21, and in some cases 25. You will pay a huge premium for 18-20.
@TooOld4School Ah, well that’s the problem. If I buy a car, don’t I need a driver’s license? And I can’t get my driver’s license because my family doesn’t own a car in the States. We rent a car every summer, but it’s illegal to bring a rental car to the DMV for a driving test (according to my mom). I suppose I could ask a friend, but I would feel uncomfortable doing so should anything happen to his/her car. This is the reason I’m asking international students how they got their driver’s license.
You’re mom isn’t exactly correct you can use a rental car if you are listed on the contract and insured to drive the car but most rental car places aren’t going to allow a teenager with a just a permit to be listed so it’s another catch 22.
Your best bet is to ask a friend or relative in CA to lend you a car for the test. I’m not sure why you’re worried about something happening to a friends car and your not worried about driving a your parents rental car when you are not a listed driver? Things would be far worse if something happened to the rental car which you did not have the rental car’s permission to drive. If your friend gives permission for you to dive their car usually their insurance will cover accidental damage have them check with their insurance policy. Really, if you are so concerned that something would happen to a friend’s car in the less than 30 minutes of your driving test perhaps you aren’t ready to take the road test.
You could also call local driving schools, some may rent their cars to students for the purpose of taking the driving test.
You should consider taking your driving test in Japan if you can. Then when you come here you present it at the DMV and then you only have to take the written test.
I agree with the above poster regarding borrowing a car. If you aren’t comfortable borrowing a friend’s car, then you have no business driving a rental car that you (I’m assuming) aren’t an authorized driver for.
How long are you in the United States when you visit? If you are uncomfortable borrowing a car while you are still learning, then you can pay for driving lessons from a company that provides their own car (I believe professional driver training is required to get a license in California if you are under 18 anyway). If you want more practice, you’re better off borrowing a car from a friend or family member, or you could pay for more driving lessons. You can also borrow a car to take the driving test. I’ve had friends who have done this before when they wanted to get their license but didn’t have a car to take the test in. You could also get your license while you’re in college, if you have a friend with a car. If you are over 18, then you only need to be accompanied by someone over the age of 18 so a friend could help you. Do be safe about it though, if you’re going to choose that option.
But are you even going to have a car in college? You likely may not even need a car or a license in college. I went to school in southern California (which is very car happy), and I never had a car in college (even when I was living off campus). At many places, it’s very doable without a car. I don’t see the need to really worry over this now, if you’re not even going to need a license and it’s such a hassle for you and your family.
EDIT:
According to California’s DMV website, if you received your driver’s license in another country, you have to take the driving test to get a California license. It might be different in different states though, or perhaps, there are exceptions.
Depending on the college that you go to you may not even be allowed to have a car as a first year student, and as others have said, you may very well not want one: unless you are going to a commuter college, you will find that many students don’t have cars.
Getting your license is not the big issue that you seem to think it is. As the other posters have pointed out, lots of drivers ed places provide cars, and you have friends and family to borrow from.
Also, go for your dream of getting back to the US for college…but be aware that you are doing yourself a disservice by holding on to the disappointment of a 10 year old. You did not have a choice about going to Japan, but every day you have the choice of what you do with that curve ball. All your ‘dreams and anticipation’ for middle school need to face up to the reality that middle school is rarely smooth sailing, no matter where you are. Having moved kids between continents at that age I get that it is hard…but I also know that you can choose to make the best of it.
@3scoutsmom thank you thank you thank you! This is just the information I needed! Aha, you’re right, I’m definitely not ready to take the road test because I don’t even have a permit and have only driven around a parking lot once. But this information is just what I was looking for! So thank you again!
My American daughter did HS in Germany. What we did was have her take driving classes in Germany (with no intent to get a license). Then over the summer when we got back she took the state written driving test and did more lessons. She took the driving test over winter break.
@Mandalorian that is a great idea except you have to be 18 to get a permit in Japan and it is seriously hard to get a license. The training is expensive and quite brutal.
Most schools are either small enough where you can walk everywhere or they have an internal public transport system. That should tide you over until you are able to work toward a license in the U.S. You don’t “need” to drive.