I am relocating to California from New Jersey and will be there for around 7 months. Do I have to surrender my NJ driving license and get a new one in CA?
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I'm not sure whether this really qualifies as a travel question. It's more a "living in USA" question. But it's not an expatrates question either ...– hippietrailCommented Dec 13, 2013 at 3:21
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1 Answer
If you are not planning to stay in California permanently, you can continue to use your New Jersey license.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/dl_info.htm#two500
If you are a visitor in California over 18 and have a valid driver license from your home state or country, you may drive in this state without getting a California driver license as long as your home state license remains valid.
If you become a California resident, you must get a California driver license within 10 days. Residency is established by voting in a California election, paying resident tuition, filing for a homeowner’s property tax exemption, or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents.
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I am not sure if I will be a resident or not. I am an international student here at NJ and will join an internship in CA. Will I be a resident in CA?– ACCCommented May 28, 2012 at 21:32
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The section I quoted tells you the things that will make you a resident of California.– chosterCommented May 28, 2012 at 23:31
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@AbhishekChanda There is some ambiguity in the definition above since it says "or any other privilege or benefit not ordinarily extended to nonresidents." If a driver's license is your main concern, you should be okay as long as you don't get too many moving violations in California and your current NJ license remains valid.– TensighCommented Mar 28, 2017 at 6:32