Just discovered Drivers' License expired...leave in a week
 

We are traveling to France.
We both have valid passports.
We are headed to the DMV tomorrow and will be issued 'temporary driver's licenses' while our new one is processed/produced - takes 3 weeks!
We are renting a car.
Will this be a problem? yikes.....

Nobody here can say for sure. If your temp DL is attached to or somehow extends your expired DL, then who knows, you may be ok.

I would certainly think that a rental car co would want to see a valid DL when renting a car to you.

I recommend you call up the rental car co. Not the 800# or US desk, but the actual rental desk in France and see what they say. It's not guarantee you'll get the same answer when you arrive, but it's better info than any of us or the US reservation agent can tell you.

Could be - they will need to see your drivers license when you pick up your car. Is "we" both of you ???

Stu Dudley

Of course they want to see it, unless you get lucky and get a flake. They always ask for it, they can't give their cars to people without licenses. I don't know how they'd view the temporary thing, it is a license, I suppose.

Are you seriously saying BOTH of you have DLs that will be expired?

Go to AAA and pay the $12 or so for an International Driver's License - if they will give it to you but if you explain i would think so

IDP is not a real license but a internationally accepted translation of your valid state license - cops or rental may just look at that?

While France does not require an IDP, go to AAA and spend $23 for an International Drivers Permit. Never know, it might help if you have a problem. Plus, one page is in French for easy interpatation.

P.S. $15 for the IDP and $8 for the photo. Listen to Pal.

seriously - yes.
our birthdays are a few days apart. i checked the passports six months ago but never thought of the driver's licenses. we just noticed today!! the 'temporary' license that the state of Utah issues is valid. it's a 'real' license, it's just not the fancy formalized looking one as it takes three week for them to actually create it. there is no way to expedite the creation of the 'real' license, i've already called several people to verify this.
i could cry....
thanks for the tips. we will call the agency and see waht they say.

Here in TX they do the temporary paper licenses but we are not required to surrender the plastic license. Is that how it works in Utah? I should hope they would take the paper license if you still have the plastic one to accompany it. I would call and ask the rental car agency. Good luck.

Car hire company staff are specifically instructed to see a currently valid driving licence.

An IDP ISN'T a licence: most staff I've discussed this with have told me they simply won't accept one by itself and that a real licence has to be shown.

i am on hold with hertz right now...forever....
i'll let you know what i learn.

sigh.
it's not looking good.
the lady i talked to at hertz told me that it has to be the "official" license and not a "temporary" one. i tried to explain that it is a valid license it is just not the final hard copy version....but she kept saying that it has to be the 'official' license.
not sure what to do now.
thanks for the input.....

Do you speak French?? Did you call the actual Hertz office in Nice???

Stu Dudley

stu,
no, i don't speak french. i called the international desk at hertz. i am trying to find someone who speaks french who could contact the Nice desk for me. thanks again for the tip - i'll try to find a way to call them directly....that is going to be the best way to get the most correct answer.

It doesn't look good. I think the issue is that those temporary paper things are way too easy to forge, that's all. You could easily just print it yourself off your computer by making one up. I really don't blame them, actually. There is a reason they want an official license that is plastic and laminated with photo, etc. Also, people who are forging IDs, etc., could get a temporary from someone who already got the permanent.

Where I live, they don't even have such things, they make them on the spot. In fact, I'm not even sure what a temporary DL is, except for a learners permit which isn't a license. You have to get one of those if you let your license expire more than 6 months or something, and the retake all the tests. But otherwise, you just get one when you go to the DMV. I imagine the Hertz lady thinks it is a learners permit or something.

Unless your temp is like that (laminated and with photo). What do you mean, it's not the final "hard copy" version? That term just means a piece of paper printed off rather than virtual info on the computer still.

Your state is in the dark ages with making licenses.

Contact your congressperson! OR if this is a state thing, your state senator! Those guys get the rules bent all the time ... the right pressure can get a laminated one done in a day. Do you really think that if an elected official (or a celebrity) was heading overseas and suddenly needed a driver's llicense, they couldn't get one expedited?? .... you need some political clout to get bumped to the front of the line.

Have u ever given any money to a VIP elected official?? If not, maybe your dad has? THink creatively. Sorry to be cynical, but this is your hope now.

Since this is Utah, it's probably more helpful if you're Republican.

Best wishes!

yes, i find myself in a most unfortunately situation. i am kicking myself as usually i am so on top of this stuff, organized, forward thinking, etc.

anyway, yes. utah recently changed it laws to make getting a driver's license insanely difficult. i too can understand why a rental agency wouldn't really accept a piece of paper as the forgery potential is probably off the charts. it is simply a piece of paper that says the 'real' license is on the way. i have a another call into the DMV to see what they can do, if there is anyway to expedite this process. probably not....

thanks again for all of your input - i might just need to postpone my trip.

See if the DMV will write a letter on official paper to accompany this "temp"license stating that it IS an official license while you are waiting for a hard copy, PLUS the AAA IDP.

Do not bring anything to clerk's attention when you check in. If they need to see the letter, produce it.
Also make a cancelable reservation at another car place. If first place doesn't accept it, try another one. You never know.

... didn't see previous post about the paper/ letter.

Do you have to surrender your laminated license when you get the temporary one?? Seems to me if you have both a laminated one and an "extention/temporary" license, you may be able to get somewhere. However, the French clerical people don't like to bend the rules. If you get through to a 'supervisor" in France tomorrow (they have gone home today) and they say it is OK, make sure that you get their name because you may need that to prove to the clerk that it is OK. I would start calling France at 3am eastern time - 9 am in France. If you call the airport location, there is probably someone there who can speak good English. Use the work "extension" and not "temporary".

If you don't get to keep the laminated one with a picture - I agree with Christina that you are most likely SOL. Start planning your public transportation trip ASAP. Actually, you happen to have chosen a region where train & bus transportation can get you to a lot of interesting places.

Stu Dudley

If you can't take your laminated expired license along also, take a color photocopy to help explain the procedure. Would a letter from YOUR insurance company stating they accept this as official license help also? I hope you are able to work it out.

Travelerjan has probably pointed you to the right direction. 3 weeks is a loooong time.

I had a similar incident. We arrived in France for our vacation, only renting a car for a few days in the middle of the trip, going to a little town somewhere I don't remember right now. When we got to the counter they noticed that my DH's license was expired, no, they would not let him rent the car. No problem, I have my license....oh, our birthdays are two weeks apart and mine is expired too! I spoke french, english, italian if they would have understood it, I explained that my DH left the REAL one at home, he does have one, it's just not in his wallet. For God's sake, he is a police officer, they wouldn't let him drive the car with an expired license, honey show him your police ID....no it still didn't work. Fortunately we have a large limit on our cc and we were able to BUY the car for 14,000 euros!!! I've never taked such good care of a car, it was all returned on the card when we returned the car, but we didn't enjoy the experience!

susanna - that sound miserable....good problem solving but i don't have a card with that kind of limit (which is probably a good thing!) :)

i have two calls/emails into my congressmen. i have a call into the DMV. we have made a back-up reservation at another agency; though if we can't get through one, i doubt we can get through a second one. my husband is working on calling the Nice reservation desk directly....i don't know what else to do. i hate to cancel but even more, i hate to get there and find out we cannot execute our plans as no one will give us a car.

i realize that public transit is an option (thanks stu) but we truly enjoy traveling when we have the freedom of a car. maybe i just need to get over that, sling on my backpack and pretend i'm 20 again..... :)

I was in a similar situation a few years ago - didn't realize my license was expired until I tried to get and IDP. My state (MN)cuts the corner off the official license, writes up a temporary renewed license and we keep both and then toss them when the new one arrives. I used the cut card and temp paper license to get my IDP at AAA. I rented a car in France and they looked at my cut license and the temp paper license and that was it. I was not prevented from renting the car. I realize that everyone's experiences can and are different.

Can you skip renting a car and take trains instead? That solves the whole issue if you have valid passports, which you say you do. Is the car/driving paramount to this trip? I'm not sure where in France you're going, but the train system there is quite good, and it seems a little bit crazy to postpone a trip simply because you can't rent a car.

okay - i am going to explore the train option. i have never used a train in my european travels...always rented a car and went where we wanted, when we wanted...

SO, what websites do i need to go to? do i get a pass of somekind or do we pay as we go? do we need to make reservations in advice or can we just hope on a train when we get there if they don't give us a car? we are there for 7 days, starting in a little over a week....

you ALL have been invaluable to me in the past 24 hours with travel advice and now giving me great options as i find myself in a weird little corner i have backed myself into...

Do your planning here
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
The Nice station is "Nice Ville" dates are in DD/MM/YYYY and often there is a different schedule for Sat & Sun. If you don't want to stay in Nice (large city) try Antibes or Villefranche.

No need to make reservations in advance.

Read my itinerary about my train trip into the Alps to the charming villages of Saorge and Tende . Also there is a train to the village of Entrevaux & several villages on the way & beyond. We stayed in a Gite across the gorge from Entrevaux for a week. There is a "name" for this scenic train - but I forgot what it is.

You can get to all of the coastal cities & villages on the Cote d'Azur by train - except St Tropez. There is a ferry to St Tropez. You can take buses to some of the villages in back of Nice - St Paul, Vence, etc.

I would not travel to Provence. Train & bus travel there is less frequent and you would probably have to stay in a large city like Avignon to take advantage of public transportation - and you stated that you're not fond of large cities.

Stu Dudley

I would not get so anal about the "laminated" version.
(Old) drivers licenses in Europe come in any shape you can imagine, and since they are not ID, people are not forced to renew them or exchange them.
susanna had a hard time because they had no valid DL with them.
Who knows what had happened if they had a temporary license (in whatever shape or color) with them.
I think that you have a good chance to rent that car. In fact, you have a valid DL - it just looks a bit funny (just like dozens others the rental car agency processes every day)

stu - thanks for the information - i will look into this option and be prepared in case we cannot carry out our initial plans. again, you are a valuable resource.

cowboy - you are giving me hope. thanks so much. we are going to go armed with every form of ID we can find, a letter from the Utah DMV and anything else that 'might' help our cause.

i'll let you know what i learn at my appointment with the DMV tomorrow.....THANK YOU once again.

I don;t get it - don't these states send reminders 3 months in advance that your lic is going to expire and you need to get a new one? Mine has followed me all over the place to ensure that I renew on time. Are you sure there's no central office that will give you a renewal on the spot for extra $?

(And agree that you need to contact the office where you will be renting to find out if this is OK.)

"<i>i have two calls/emails into my congressmen</i>"

Why congressmen? This is strictly a State issue. If you want to see if someone can help you expedite w/ DMV -- contact the Governor's office and your local legislators -- not congress member.

Also don't understand two congressmen -- you live in a specific congressional district w/ ONE member. But in any case-- contact your State officers -- not the Feds . . . .

Nice is a really good base for public transportation. You can take the train along the Riviera to Villefranche, Monaco, and Menton, Antibes and Cannes.

In addition the bus system for the area is great. We took a bus to the Villa Ephrussi-Rothschild, an over-the-top Belle Epoque villa with a beautiful garden. You can also bus to Eze and St. Paul de Vence as well as other smaller towns in the vicinity.

Maybe this is an opportunity to relax and enjoy someone else doing the driving. I love taking the trains in Europe. The scenery just slides by the window, the seats are wide and comfortable, there's a toilet at the end of the car and probably a restaurant car not too far away. You arrive in the middle of town with no worry about parking. You might like it.

@nytraveler - neither my husband or i received a reminder....i have no idea why? there is no such thing as an on the stop actual new official drivers' license. i was told twice that they send them out somewhere else to be processed.
@janisj
okay - i meant a congressman and a local city official. someone earlier suggested a congressman and i thought it wouldn't hurt to shoot off a quick message. i doubt there is anything he can do but i just wanted to try.
@mimar
thanks for the vote of confidence for train travel. i'm exploring this option

Not city and not Fed -- your contact should be w/ <u>State</u> officials. Thus the Governor's office and your state legislators. Neither the city/mayor nor feds have control/influence over the Utah state DMV. If you want to pull strings, they should be strings attached to DMV - the legislature and Governor both of which have constituency staff who can often help w/ things like this

babyatlas, I agree with Cowboy; you will have valid licenses. No need to borrow trouble.

Ditto PalenQ. Just take the temporary license to AAA and get an IDP. Make a color copy of your old license, if you still have it, and bring that also.

If you have to use the trains that would be a blessing. See http://tinyurl.com/eym5b to learn how everything works over there.

This reminds me of the time I landed in Pittsburgh and went to the Hertz counter to pick up a car. Oops, no DL in the wallet. I had left it in the car back home. My wife faxed a copy to the Hertz counter and they rented the car to me.

You need to have a contingency plan in case you are refused a car.

Depending on your routes, though, train tickets, if your schedule is set, are less (often much less) if purchased ahead than on the spot.

Jeepers. I received a notice six weeks before my license expired with the option to renew it online. My new one arrived in the mail within a week!

@djkbooks - we are working on a contingency plan right now. not sure exactly what it will look like but we are going to bring considerably less luggage/stuff (which is actually good) and redo our itinerary to take trains. so we will have to routes - one with car, one with train.

What would happen in UT if you were stopped and asked to produce your DL? A temporary DL <b>IS</b> an official DL.
As the lovely and talented P_M notes, in this situation in TX we keep the expired license and get a paper receipt that serves <u>with</U> the expired photo license as the temporary but <i>official</i> DL.
If UT makes you turn in your expired license, just tell them you lost it. Then take it and your paper and present them together at the counter.
Now exhale and stop kicking yourself.

seamus....you are a breath of fresh air.
my husband has already decided to go the 'lost it' route so he will still have his old license, he will have the temporary license AND because his license doesn't expire for a few days we are going to go and get the IDL tomorrow so he will have that too.

still going to have a backup plan in place but whatever will be will be - this just adds to the adventure (at least that is what i keep telling myself).