What can Go Wrong When Getting Your NJ Driver License. LIFE IN NEW JERSEY If you havent read any of my other blog posts on the DMV or the NJ MVC yet, then you may be forgiven for thinking getting your NJ driver license is a shoe in. Not to disillusion you too soon but there are many expats who could disagree. A special employer looking for protective relay technicians. CDL Skills Test Waiver SF1507. Use this form to waive the TN CDL road skills test if you recently drove a commercial vehicle in the military. Vista Change Default Download Folder On Mac. They, like myself, know from personal experience that getting your license can be a road lined with cowpats that you will probably step in, if not prepared. If you still think I am exaggerating, then read on for a list of what things can go wrong when getting your NJ Driver License with some helpful tips to avoid the fertilizer. You dont Have ALL the Right Documents. There are a lot of specific primary and secondary documents to take as well as back up documents, or so it seems. Your Home Country Driver License is Not Enough to Avoid Doing the Driving Test. Even experienced drivers from outside the US, may be required to do a driver road. Driver License Road Test Appointment Tn' title='Driver License Road Test Appointment Tn' />TeenGraduated Driver License What is the Graduated Driver License Program Tennessees Graduated Driver License GDL Program is a multitiered program designed to. Yes. You may begin your Tennessee Driver License, Permit or ID application online but to complete the process, you must visit a Driver Service Center with the. Driver License Road Test Appointment Tn' title='Driver License Road Test Appointment Tn' />Make sure you go through the NJ MVCs website list which is actually fairly clear about what is needed. Six Points of ID your passport, I 9. Social Security card give you 5 out of 6 points. All you need is one more, and there are a number of alternatives that you can use. Then you need at least one residency proof. This isnt really that hard either. Just sit down and go through it slowly. Be organized before you go and check everything off. In a previous post, on How to Get a New Jersey Driver License as an Expat, I go through all the documents needed in detail. Check this list when you are planning on the application at the start. Always bring one or two extra ID proofs as a backup. Your Documents are in a Foreign Language and You Dont Have Translations of these. You may not realize it but any foreign documents you use, either primary or supporting, must be accompanied with a translated copy, done by a recognized authority. Sure you might be able to translate them yourself but that wont cut it. If getting the translation done here, the NJ MVC has a link to state approved translators on their website. Make sure you include extra time in your planning to get the documents translated, before you go to the MVC. If you somehow forget to get your home license translated, you may be able to use your International Driving License, as a translated version of your license but not all MVCs are this flexible. You Dont Bring Original Documents. This should be obvious but the MVC dont accept copies of documents, only originals or certified copies. Nor do they accept certificates that are ceremonial rather than legal documents e. Make sure your documents are true originals or acceptable certified copies. Your Name is presented Differently on Your Documents. For most of you with easy names like Jane Smith and so on, this is never an issue. However for other unfortunate people with more complicated names, there can be problems with the way it is recorded. People who have multiple surnames or first names are the most at risk but there can even be problems with names that have hyphens in them. These start to appear usually on things like your visa, your Dept. Homeland Security records used when verifying your immigration status perhaps an immigration officer recorded it incorrectly, Social Security and so on. It becomes a much more serious issue when you are at the MVC and your key documents dont match. Perhaps your middle name is included with your first name or perhaps they left off one of your surnames, or as in my case, where the US online visa application wouldnt let my name hyphen the between Anne and Marie be entered. This small change meant I had a different name spelling on my passport and visa. This became an issue when at the MVC, where they insisted on treating this as Anne M Watson. Although I couldnt get the visa issue fixed, it is much easier to get through all the rounds of name checking, especially at the DMV, when you have your name spelt and presented correctly. You can avoid this issue sometimes by asking wherever it is recorded to check the spelling or requesting your name be presented the right way for consistency where possible. They may not like you asking but it saves more delays down the track when name spelling comes under scrutiny. Ensure you enter your name exactly the same as your other documents and that they all match, otherwise there may be an issue at the MVC. They dont Accept Your Proof of Residence. Normally this isnt an issue but in a recent case, one of my relocation clients was told that his original lease would NOT be accepted because it was over two months old. This is not information that is shown anywhere on the MVC website. Fortunately he had a US bank statement showing his name and address, so it sufficed. There are time limits on the dating they will accept for bank statements, credit card bill statements, utility bills and most other resident proofs. Check the MVC list for accepted time limits. You have the recommended documents that fit the MVC list but they dont accept them. No, I am not crazy  this really does happen. On occasions you get MVC staff who seem to interpret the proof requirements listed in the MVC website differently than others. For instance, the ID proofs you bring are not accepted or they dont like your residency proof as above. It is always a good idea to bring an extra proof if you can, for both ID and residency. For ID, staff members will not usually argue about your passport and SS card as acceptable proofs. These are straight forward. It is the 3rd proof needed where different rulings seem to apply. If you have an ATM card from a US bank, this is preferable for your third proof with most MVCs. Have another US based proof anyway, as a backup. The same applies to residence proof. Bring both a bank statement and a lease with your name and address on it. Then you have a suitable back up, in case you go to a MVC where the guidelines are interpreted differently. Hard to believe but the MVC do not accept this type of card as a form of ID. You Cant Get Your License as Your Expat Partner L1 Has to be With You. For any L2 visa holders accompanying an L1 in the US who are applying for their license, they are technically required to have their L1 partners documents and preferably have them there in person in addition to bringing all their own documents. Although, not all MVCs actually seem to implement this policy, some do. The same applies to when an L2 renews their license. Although this is not on the MVC website anywhere, there is an implicit understanding that the renewal process, requires exactly the same documents as the initial application. While you can risk going without the L1 holder and their documents, you will risk your renewal being rejected until the L1 is with you. In my book, its always better to be prepared for the worst with MVCs, so to take them just in case. Your Immigration Status is not Verified When You Apply. One of the most common issues preventing expats getting their license completed on their first try at the MVC, is that they are told by staff they are not verified when their immigration status is checked. If this happens, your license application goes on hold until you are. The MVC will not allow you to proceed until this has been resolved. What does verifying mean Like the Social Security Administration, the MVC checks your immigration status information against records contained in the Department of Homeland Security databases, including those housed by U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U. S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.