Can I legally drive a motorcycle in California with a New Zealand motorcycle license?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
A friend of mine is travelling to the states and wants to tour around SoCal on a motorbike. He has his motorcycle license in New Zealand. Is it legal for him to ride in California? Are there any states in which it's not legal for him to ride? Will he have to buy special insurance?
usa driving-licenses new-zealand motorcycles
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
add a comment |
A friend of mine is travelling to the states and wants to tour around SoCal on a motorbike. He has his motorcycle license in New Zealand. Is it legal for him to ride in California? Are there any states in which it's not legal for him to ride? Will he have to buy special insurance?
usa driving-licenses new-zealand motorcycles
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42
add a comment |
A friend of mine is travelling to the states and wants to tour around SoCal on a motorbike. He has his motorcycle license in New Zealand. Is it legal for him to ride in California? Are there any states in which it's not legal for him to ride? Will he have to buy special insurance?
usa driving-licenses new-zealand motorcycles
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
A friend of mine is travelling to the states and wants to tour around SoCal on a motorbike. He has his motorcycle license in New Zealand. Is it legal for him to ride in California? Are there any states in which it's not legal for him to ride? Will he have to buy special insurance?
usa driving-licenses new-zealand motorcycles
usa driving-licenses new-zealand motorcycles
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
asked Nov 23 '14 at 20:25
Ben BurnsBen Burns
12814
12814
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42
add a comment |
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
The relevant law is California Vehicle Code §12502 and §12505.
According to §12502,
(a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code:
1. A nonresident over the age of 18 years having in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction of which he or she is a resident, except as provided in Section 12505.
2. ...
According to §12505,
[...] residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent. Prima facie evidence of residency for driver’s licensing purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Address where registered to vote.
(B) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(C) Filing a homeowner’s property tax exemption.
(D) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.
[...] (c) Any person entitled to an exemption under Section 12502, 12503, or 12504 may operate a motor vehicle in this state for not to exceed 10 days from the date he or she establishes residence in this state
What that all means is that, yes, if you have in your possession a driver's license issued by your country of residence, and it legally allows you to operate a motorcycle, you can use that foreign driver's license in California to operate a motorcycle.
There is also a decent writeup by not a lawyer at California Driving: A Survival Guide
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "273"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftravel.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f38950%2fcan-i-legally-drive-a-motorcycle-in-california-with-a-new-zealand-motorcycle-lic%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The relevant law is California Vehicle Code §12502 and §12505.
According to §12502,
(a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code:
1. A nonresident over the age of 18 years having in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction of which he or she is a resident, except as provided in Section 12505.
2. ...
According to §12505,
[...] residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent. Prima facie evidence of residency for driver’s licensing purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Address where registered to vote.
(B) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(C) Filing a homeowner’s property tax exemption.
(D) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.
[...] (c) Any person entitled to an exemption under Section 12502, 12503, or 12504 may operate a motor vehicle in this state for not to exceed 10 days from the date he or she establishes residence in this state
What that all means is that, yes, if you have in your possession a driver's license issued by your country of residence, and it legally allows you to operate a motorcycle, you can use that foreign driver's license in California to operate a motorcycle.
There is also a decent writeup by not a lawyer at California Driving: A Survival Guide
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
add a comment |
The relevant law is California Vehicle Code §12502 and §12505.
According to §12502,
(a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code:
1. A nonresident over the age of 18 years having in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction of which he or she is a resident, except as provided in Section 12505.
2. ...
According to §12505,
[...] residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent. Prima facie evidence of residency for driver’s licensing purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Address where registered to vote.
(B) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(C) Filing a homeowner’s property tax exemption.
(D) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.
[...] (c) Any person entitled to an exemption under Section 12502, 12503, or 12504 may operate a motor vehicle in this state for not to exceed 10 days from the date he or she establishes residence in this state
What that all means is that, yes, if you have in your possession a driver's license issued by your country of residence, and it legally allows you to operate a motorcycle, you can use that foreign driver's license in California to operate a motorcycle.
There is also a decent writeup by not a lawyer at California Driving: A Survival Guide
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
add a comment |
The relevant law is California Vehicle Code §12502 and §12505.
According to §12502,
(a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code:
1. A nonresident over the age of 18 years having in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction of which he or she is a resident, except as provided in Section 12505.
2. ...
According to §12505,
[...] residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent. Prima facie evidence of residency for driver’s licensing purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Address where registered to vote.
(B) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(C) Filing a homeowner’s property tax exemption.
(D) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.
[...] (c) Any person entitled to an exemption under Section 12502, 12503, or 12504 may operate a motor vehicle in this state for not to exceed 10 days from the date he or she establishes residence in this state
What that all means is that, yes, if you have in your possession a driver's license issued by your country of residence, and it legally allows you to operate a motorcycle, you can use that foreign driver's license in California to operate a motorcycle.
There is also a decent writeup by not a lawyer at California Driving: A Survival Guide
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
The relevant law is California Vehicle Code §12502 and §12505.
According to §12502,
(a) The following persons may operate a motor vehicle in this state without obtaining a driver’s license under this code:
1. A nonresident over the age of 18 years having in his or her immediate possession a valid driver’s license issued by a foreign jurisdiction of which he or she is a resident, except as provided in Section 12505.
2. ...
According to §12505,
[...] residency shall be determined as a person’s state of domicile. "State of domicile" means the state where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal residence and to which he or she has manifested the intention of returning whenever he or she is absent. Prima facie evidence of residency for driver’s licensing purposes includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Address where registered to vote.
(B) Payment of resident tuition at a public institution of higher education.
(C) Filing a homeowner’s property tax exemption.
(D) Other acts, occurrences, or events that indicate presence in the state is more than temporary or transient.
[...] (c) Any person entitled to an exemption under Section 12502, 12503, or 12504 may operate a motor vehicle in this state for not to exceed 10 days from the date he or she establishes residence in this state
What that all means is that, yes, if you have in your possession a driver's license issued by your country of residence, and it legally allows you to operate a motorcycle, you can use that foreign driver's license in California to operate a motorcycle.
There is also a decent writeup by not a lawyer at California Driving: A Survival Guide
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
answered Nov 23 '14 at 22:23
CGCampbellCGCampbell
7,90453868
7,90453868
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Travel Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2ftravel.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f38950%2fcan-i-legally-drive-a-motorcycle-in-california-with-a-new-zealand-motorcycle-lic%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Usually, the rules for foreign driving license and foreign motorcycle license are the same and in the US you can drive with your foreign driving license as long as it is in English.
– Nean Der Thal
Nov 23 '14 at 20:43
A friend had a UK motorcycle license of sorts, it changes when you come to Aus. Similarly with NZ licenses - weirdly if you convert a restricted license in Aus it comes out as a full one. People are using this as a loophole to avoid sitting the final NZ driving test(!).
– Mark Mayo♦
Nov 23 '14 at 21:49
Just remember to drive on the other side!
– Andrew Lazarus
Nov 24 '14 at 7:42