Transcript of Podcast #8: DMV & License
In Attendance: Aimee Jiang (she/her) & Tanvi Mehul Makadia (she/her)
Aimee: Hello, everyone welcome to the next episode of the GIC podcast. Today we will be talking about the DMV, Driver’s License, States IDs, things that you definitely want to start that process of as soon as you can. My name is Aimee Jiang. I’m the International Student Support Officer for Graduate Division, and I am joined by Tanvi today. And so we are excited to talk with you through this topic, I’m going to pass it over to Tanvi to introduce herself.
Tanvi: Hi, everyone I’m Tanvi. I’m first year Master’s of Computer Science student. And I’m from India.
Aimee: Perfect. So the first question we have and this has changed a lot in the last few years. So just in case things change when you’re listening to this, or if we have information that might be outdated. We just want to put that out there that we’re doing the best we can to give you the best information that we can but, recently there has been the addition of what’s called the Real ID. So there’s a different, couple different forms of IDs that you can have. So there’s a Real ID, a Driver’s License, you can technically get a State ID that doesn’t even have any driving eligibility to it, and I think there’s one for some people who can go between like Mexico and the U.S. But we’re mostly going to focus this question on the difference between a Real ID, that’s a Driver’s License and a more traditional Driver’s License. So can you give us some of the differences between that?
Tanvi: Yeah. So from this California DMV. What we could find is like the Real ID is Federal compliant, while the Driver’s License, the traditional one is not. And like currently while boarding the domestic flights, we can use the traditional Driver’s License as a proof of identity. But that’s gonna be discontinued after like May 7th, 2025. So after that, if you want to use a license as a proof of identity for boarding flights, then we will need a Real ID. So that’s the major difference. And when we get both the cards on the Real ID, we have a bear logo on the right, which is not there in the traditional ID. Yeah.
Aimee: It’s very cute little, usually golden bearin the corner of the Real ID. I was mostly excited about that when I updated my license. And you’ll see it a lot of airports too. When you’re going through like the TSA pre-check, you’ll see things that say like, don’t forget your Real ID is needed by this time to fly. If you have a traditional Driver’s License with some limitations on it, for whatever reason, and that hits in, you are going to need to take your passport with you, even traveling domestically throughout the U.S. So that is something to keep in mind.
Tanvi: And I think one of the major reasons you want a Driver’s Licenses is so that you don’t have to carry your passport.
Aimee: Exactly. Yeah, yeah, we definitely do not recommend carrying your passport to like the grocery store to buy alcohol, if you’re more than over the age of 21, you still have to have some form of ID. So taking your passport can be kind of a hassle to like, go to a bar or have a drink, or buy alcohol at a grocery store, or any other place that you would need your ID to enter, tickets sometimes to certain concerts you need your ID, and carrying your passport around to stuff like that we definitely don’t recommend so Driver’s License or State ID is highly recommended for those, and it’s not too big of a hassle to go get them because we have a couple of different DMVs located near us. Correct?
Tanvi: Yeah. So Irvine doesn’t have a DMV, but we have multiple other DMVs which are closer. Like we have Santa Ana, we have Tustin, Costa Mesa, Laguna. So all of these are almost equal distant and they are pretty close by, and you can access them by bus as well,
Aimee: Yeah, yeah. And I’ve been to a couple of them because they’re so close together. There’s not usually a big line at like one. They all kind of have, sometimes a big line, but it’s usually at all of them. And that’s a nice thing. I lived in a different part of California before, and there was like one DMV for like a pretty big section of people, and there was always a really long line. So I do think we kind of really luck out with location here. There’s quite a few options for us.
Tanvi: And also California DMVs have this option of Get In Line. So it is a feature where you can virtually get in line and then you, you know, when the when you’re closer, virtually you can just go there and see your number being called out. It is, it is much faster and better than standing in the entire line.
Aimee: Yeah, I think they introduce that. I think, during like early times of COVID, when the DMV opened back up, and I I, when I got my Driver’s License renewed this last time I when I had to go in, I was like, Oh, this is so much nicer instead of I, you used to have to wait like hours sometimes in the traditional line, and it would be hot and everyone’s irritated. So virtual, virtual line is much nicer. When it comes to getting your license, what are the kind of first steps? And what do you need? What does the process look like?
Tanvi: So the process is quite straightforward. And you know, a lot of information is available on the California DMV website, like they have actually made it very clear and easy to understand. So the first thing that we want to do is create a account on the DMV website. And then from there we want to select a option to get a new license, like a Real ID or a Driver’s License depending on what you want. And then they kind of ask you a few basic personal questions. And then so basically the process to get license, you at least need to submit a proof of identity. And you need to submit to proof of California Residency. So once the personal questions are done, you know, they’ll ask us to scan and provide the documents, upload the documents. and then later, we have to go to the DMV and we have to verify the documents. So for us, like when we say proof of identity, we have to give our passport and I-20 and I-94. So it’s recommended to carry all the immigration documents.
Aimee: Yeah, I always recommend, because sometimes they’ll ask for something that maybe they didn’t really normally need or it’s not listed on their website. You definitely want to have more documents just in case they’re looking at a document and they’re like, oh, I don’t really think that I’m not going to count this. I know I’ve gone with generally to like move my California residency. I’ve taken like bank documents, and to have my address, and like a lease. So if you have like, on or off campus apartment, you you should have some form of lease that says I’m living. This is my address and then something that’s been mailed to that address. And so for me, I always sign up for electronic documents. And so I had to unsubscribe from electronic documents when I moved to California, have something actually sent to my address. and then renew it. So you definitely want to check with like, what are the things that they’re looking for, for you to clarif your resident is here in California, too.
Tanvi: And for that Residency documents. like, as you said, we can submit the lease. But we can also get something as proof of enrollment from UCI. It basically has the address that we have registered with the university and data for so basically, all the information that is required. So like, that is what I submitted. So yeah, it’s not very usual, but they do accept it.
Aimee: They do accept it. I definitely, I think they require 2. I usually bring about 5, just in case, because I think one time I brought like a credit card, and they were like, we don’t count that it has to be a bank like a debit card, and it’s like, Oh, great! So they can be really particular, and it does sometimes depend on who you have. So I always recommend bringing a couple of extra documents printing off things like if you’re off campus and if you have an off-campus apartment, maybe like your utility bill that has your address and your information. Those kinds of things can be really helpful, too. But check online, they’ll give you ideas on what would be good options to bring to.
Tanvi: Yeah, they have, like a proper checklist of the acceptable documents. So that was very convenient.
Aimee: Yeah, I know. I I think I skimmed over that when I first went to, when I moved my residency to California from Washington State, and I was like, Oh, credit card doesn’t count here. Okay, well, so you really want to be checking those things. And that can update, too, you know, changes can happen by the time we’re recording this, there could be something new. So definitely read all of the information online, the website for the DMV, it’s pretty easy to manage through, I think. and it’s updated very quickly. And there’s also from what I’ve learned from you, there’s a Youtube channel that can be really helpful. Can you tell us more about that?
Tanvi: Oh, yeah, so. Yeah, so okay, once the account is done and you have uploaded the documents, you go to the DMV and you verify the documents. So then you have to give a Learners Test to get your Learners Permit. So that is, you usually have like 48 questions. Oh, you have 46 questions, and you have to get like 38 of them correct. So while studying for that, I I was very nervous on what they’ll ask and what all to study. So yeah, so I, I was just going through Youtube and I saw, DMV has an Official Youtube channel where they kind of give you tips and tricks on how to pass the test. They also kind of give you an animation of all the rules. So that is much, much better to visualize than going through the booklet. And then they also have steps provided on how to apply for things. So, yeah, that is very convenient.
Aimee: Yeah, that’s super helpful. I know sometimes the questions on the test seem strange. You know. I I was obviously like you stop at a stop sign, and and those kind of more traditional Driver’s License questions. But I remember my test when I moved to California, because even if you’re moving from a different state in the U.S. and you’re doing the like transfer of your license to California. You still have to redo the written test because some of the rules here are different. And so I had to redo the written test, and I hadn’t done it in like 11 years, I think so I was like Oh, great! I don’t remember some of these rules like in my head. I know to like not be too close to someone else’s car, and how long it takes to stop. But there are questions like, can I drop an animal off in the middle of a field? Is that legal? And I was like that doesn’t have anything to do with driving but it does because it can cause a danger on the road, and you cannot do that. That is illegal. You need to take any unwanted animals to the proper locations. But that I remember that question really stuck out because I had kind of studied like the basic driving ones again. And I hadn’t really looked through the rest of the booklet, because the booklet is like you said, it’s kind of boring. It’s better to. I watch it.
Tanvi:It’s very boring. But I would still recommend going through the book cause videos doesn’t cover all the details and all the rules. And DMV, some like it can, they really ask tricky questions sometimes. And like some things that we feel is common sense is not, you know, it’s completely against it. So, for example, in my country, right on red like, when the traffic light is red, it just means stop. But here in, I think U.S. right on red is allowed. So that was something which was very new.
Aimee: Yeah, yeah, unless otherwise posted. As long as it’s safe and no one’s coming in the other direction, you can turn it right on red and in California you can do a u-turn unless otherwise posted, and in Washington it’s the other way around. You can only do a u-turn if it’s posted that you can make a u-turn. So those things can get tricky if you’re coming from a different state, or maybe you were here previously in the U.S. for high school or undergrad, and you were in New York. The the driving test there is going to be different here. So you always want to read through the booklet, watch any videos. I think the booklet actually comes in a couple of different languages, too. I remember they’re being different languages. They don’t cover all of them. But if you’re nervous about, what if I don’t really understand what this is saying, you might be able to find it in a more comfortable language for you. I don’t know if the test can be taken in a language other than English. But you could always check that out online to just in case things that might make it a little easier for you.
Tanvi: Yeah. And they also release a new version every year of the booklet. So make sure you study from the latest one. And there are a lot of apps also, which kind of mimic the DMV test. So it’s also a good practice. To do that before you just and go to the DMV, yeah.
Aimee: Yeah. And you do have more than one chance to take the written test. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
Tanvi: Yeah. So the written test can be taken online and at the DMV, so if you are giving an online test, then you get 2 attempts of online, and then after that, the third attempt has to be offline. So overall under one application, you can give 3 attempts. So if you are just going to the DMV offline, then all 3 attempts you can give there offline. Yeah. So yeah, that’s that’s a that’s a easy one, like 3 attempts is enough to pass the test.
Aimee: And I know for the most part, I think the first attempt, if you didn’t pass it, it’s probably nerves. It’s probably just not being sure what questions to to ask, but it will ask you different questions the next time, so don’t just study the ones that you felt like you didn’t get. It does have lots of different types of questions that it will ask so obviously the things that you missed you want to study just in case they come back up, but continue to study other things, and just, you know, go in with confidence. The questions can sometimes, like you said earlier, be a little tricky. So you want to just make sure that you’re comfortable with it. So you apply online, you do your written test, and then you have a driving test. So what are the requirements for that, and we can talk a little bit more about like day of things as well. But before you get to it, what are the requirements, required documents for the driving test.
Tanvi: So for the driving test, you don’t need many requirements. I mean many documents. You just need your learners permit. and you also need a person who has their license to accompany you. So that person also has to show their license, and then you have to show the insurance of the car. So the car in which you are going to be giving the test. So you have to provide the insurance of that car.
Aimee: Yeah, we talked a little bit in a podcast about renting cars, and that there is an option to take a rental car in the driving test and usually have to show, yeah, the insurance and sometimes the registration. Sometimes they have, you check the registration as well. And so when it’s a a rental car it, it’s that packet is usually together from the Rental Car Company that has all the information on those things. So you definitely want to make sure that you have that documentation altogether, because they will ask you for it.
Tanvi: And also while renting the car, you want to make sure that the person who’s gonna be accompanying you is added as a driver on the that. Otherwise it’s not gonna be fun.
Aimee: Yeah. And they will make sure like, if you show up. And they’re like who came with you today. And you’re like no one, I came by myself. That’s not good. When you have a Learner’s Permit, at no point, should you be in a car by yourself, you are not a certified driver, so you should always have someone who has their driver’s license and usually the things they usually even want that person to be above the age of 18. So in the U.S. you can get your Driver’s License at 16, but you have a couple of years of what they call probationary, when you’re younger, I don’t think you have that when you’re older, but when you’re in that like first age, as like a high schooler. When I was driving, I couldn’t have people my age in the car with me or young people without having an adult present. So things to think about. Make sure you have someone and a lot of students will maybe have a roommate here, maybe that student, that student also has a Driver’s License. So if you’re like, well, I’m not gonna know anybody. Take time, get to know people. People are generally very open to going with you to make sure that you can these requirements and get and get what you need done.
Tanvi: Even your seniors would be happy to help you.
Aimee: Yeah, ask around your lab, Most people are very open to to helping you out. So we talked to a little bit about the Learners Permit. How long can you have a learners permit before you really need to be moving into having a Driver’s License?
Tanvi: So you so the validity of the Learners Permit is 6 months. So there is no sig, I don’t think there is a period after which you can attempt for the drivers test. But you definitely have to clear the driving test within the 6 months. Otherwise you have to start, the whole learners permit process again, and within that within those 6 months you get 3 attempts. So the first attempt is free. And then for the next 2 attempts, you kind of have to pay, I think, like 10 -8, or $8. Yeah.
Aimee: Yeah. So try and do it on your first one, make sure you, there, I’m sure there’s videos on what does it look like, if you’re nervous about it. I think some of the things that I didn’t expect, that I still remember many years later, after getting my driver’s license and doing that driving test was like getting in and checking your mirrors. They want you to very clearly show that you’re checking, that your mirror is in the right spot, and that you can see everything that you’re checking for safety, that they have their seat belt on. Sometimes they have you do an inspection of the car before you even get in. So you want to watch videos and know what you’re what you’re looking for and what you expect.
Tanvi: I think they also make sure that you are turning back and checking the Blind Spot. Even if you have a indicator for the Blind Spot, you want to turn back and check over your shoulder.
Aimee: Yeah, if you rented it like a Tesla, and it’s got the the sensors and all the cameras. They still physically want you to move your body and have your hands, like in the proper positions on the steering wheel. And this may not be how you drive on a regular basis, although for safety you probably should but I will say that they are going to be really particular, and you can get things wrong, they will doc points. There is a certain amount of points that you have to make. you don’t have to be completely perfect. So in Washington, when I got my license parallel parking was a requirement, and I am just not a great parker. I need, I need the car to park for me. That is the dream. So I will say I did not pass that portion of my driver’s license, and neither did my mom. So maybe it’s a genetic issue that we’re not good with spatial recognition, but that’s okay. So if you miss something in the test, don’t start panicking, that you’re going to fail to test. Just take a deep breath and continue on with the test and and do your best to to pass the rest of the sections.
Tanvi: Yeah, even I suck at parallel parking, but luckily California DMV, doesn’t ask you to parallel. So I was like yay!
Aimee: I think they removed that because a lot of cars just do it for you or with cameras, now, it’s not just necessary, so I think they removed it from most states which I’m like. Oh, I would have done so much better now.
Tanvi: But they still ask you to reverse without using the backing camera. Yeah. Yup, that’s easy.
Aimee: Yeah, that would be something, though, that I definitely gotten used to the camera. It might be a little hard. So make sure when you’re driving, practicing, that you’re practicing these different things to backing around corners or backing into a spot, or whatever it is that, they’re going to be asking you to do. That you’re practicing those without cameras or turning the cameras off so that you can practice for the test. So you definitely don’t want to end up getting there and relying too much on technology, because we have a rental, Tesla, right now that all the cameras stopped working today, so if I relied so much on technology, I would not be able to park it. So you definitely want to make sure in an emergency you would still be able to use your car. So you do the application you get your learners permit, and you’re working towards your driver’s license. You practice. I think one of the questions is, have you practiced in different kind of weather? So it that can be hard because it doesn’t rain very often here. But make sure you’re trying to practice at night and on the freeways and in different places with someone in the car who has it has a driver’s license and can help you, if you get nervous. Then you do your written test, and then, or does it written tests.
Tanvi: Written test os before that.
Aimee: I was gonna say the written test comes first and then you get your permit permit, and then you take your driving permit test and then once you’re done with the driving test, you’ve passed it, you are ready to go. And then you just have to renew your license whenever the expiration date is coming up. You can sign up on the DMV’s website for it to email you and let you know that, that is coming up. Sometimes you have to go in person, especially if you need to update any kind of documentation, if you have a change of name, so if you get married or divorced, or change the spelling of your name or something, then you do need to go in and get a new license with additional documentation and that’s all on their website as well. That’s the majority of everything. Is there anything else you can think to add on that?
Tanvi: No, I think we covered most of it. Yeah. And now, the California DMVsite has all of the information that you need.
Aimee: Super easy to navigate, I will say we talked about some of the benefits. So getting your driver’s license, there’s also the option, if you’re like, I don’t really want to drive I think we have a couple of leaders that just have a State ID, so you ca,n similar process to getting it. You apply online. you can walk through that. You don’t have testing on driving, because it’s just saying that you are legally this age. So you can use those things to get into concerts and bars and and buy alcohol and things like that, and without your passport. So we talked about that not carrying your passport around. Having that safe and secure somewhere hidden at home is always the better option. But California also doesn’t recognize international driving licenses (Aimee means the International Driving Permit, IDP). So if you’ve been here for a period of time, and you have a driver’s license from back home, and you’re like, oh, I want to rent a car. The Rental Car Company is going to be like you don’t have a valid driver’s license. You’re here as a resident of California you really need to be changing your license. So something to keep in mind.
Tanvi: Actually, if you have a license from back home, it is valid for a few days, but usually most of the countries also, they also have international driving permit, which is separate from your license back home. So international driving permit is not recognized in California and your back home license will be recognized, but only for a very short amount of time. So you don’t want to rely on that for a long time.
Aimee: Yeah, don’t rely on any other driver’s license being acceptable here in California. And if you’re in a different state, and you were like, Oh, I’ve been studying here for a while, and I have an international driving license (again, Aimee means the IDP). California doesn’t recognize it, even if the state you were previously in does. So state by state rules do make a difference. So you definitely want to check in on that. Trying to think if there’s any other benefits to having your license in some cases, especially if you end up staying in California more long term, it can help with residency. So that is definitely also something in claiming residency for purposes of maybe discount intuition or kids going to school you want to, you’ll want to have your Residency defined here. So I recommend getting at least getting a State ID and definitely a driver’s license if you expect to drive at any point.
Tanvi: You also start. You also start building your driving record, which might be required with insurance companies later. That’s also yeah.
Aimee: I know. My husband waited a couple of years to get his license when he moved to the U.S. and our it took so long for our insurance prices to go down because he, he hadn’t gotten it right away and So it does. They do charge you more when you have a shorter span of the driver’s license, so the longer you can have it the better if you think Oh, I’m probably not going to drive in the next 3 years. You should probably just get your license now. So you at least you’re building that record.
Tanvi: Yeah, exactly.
Aimee: Yeah. Well, thank you all for joining us. I hope that this was helpful. Again, the DMV’s website for California, I think, is really easy to navigate through and has a ton of information. And I think the entire website can be translated. If you feel like there’s some words that maybe are things we don’t normally commonly use, that your or concepts that are just kind of feeling a little more pressure to get through it. You can definitely see if they have a language that’s more comfortable for you. But we will see you on the next episode of the next GIC podcast.