What do you need to get an Indiana Driver's License
- Passport with visa and I-94
- I-20 or DS-2019
- IUSB Student ID Card
- Proof of Residency
- Social Security Card or letter of ineligibility for a Social Security Card
- Due to COVID-19, those requesting documents from the Social Security Administration are experiencing longer wait times than usual or no response at all. Please contact the OISS for more information.
For more information visit Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Questions? Please contact the OISS
International Driver’s License
If you plan to drive a motorized vehicle in Indiana, you’ll need to have a driver’s license. The process of applying for an Indiana Driver’s License is challenging for internationals. If you are licensed in your home country and possess an International Driver’s Permit (IDP), then you can use it in Indiana for one year or until your home country license expires, whichever comes first. We strongly recommend that you do this.
You must obtain the International Driver’s Permit from your home country, prior to departing for the US. Please find more information on this topic below, with thanks from Drivers.com for providing it.
Essentially, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is proof that you hold a valid driver’s license in your own country. It also provides a translation into almost a dozen languages, mainly so that police and other authorities in other countries can read your license in their own language.
The IDP is a special license authorized by United Nations conventions on road safety in 1923, 1943, 1949, and 1968. Nearly 180 countries are signatories.
An IDP is easy to obtain if you know where to apply (more on that later), does not require a driving test, and is available for a small fee. It is, in fact, an official translation of your domestic driver’s license.
Requirements
Applicants for an IDP must:
- be 18 or older,
- have a recognized driver’s license,
- submit two passport-type photos, and
- make their application on an official form provided by the issuing authority.
An IDP cannot be post-dated, extended, or renewed, and is valid for only one year from the date of issue. Each time a new IDP is required, the driver must repeat the entire application procedure. The IDP must be applied for in the country of origin and cannot be used there in place of a regular driver’s license.
We recommend that you contact your country’s Department of Transportation, Department of State, or some kind of (reputable) national Automobile Association. There are scams out there, so please be careful.
Drivers.com has a link on their web site identifying home country issuing agencies. It is not complete, but it will be helpful to some. If your country is not on the list, it would be helpful to us and other students if you would let us know the issuing agency in your country, for future reference.