I’m a Student in California Do I Need California Auto Insurance?

Reader’s Question:

Do I need to have a CA driver’s license to be insured in the state of California? I will be a student but I do not want to give up my driver’s license in Hawaii.

Andrea

Central Coast, CA

No, you do not need a CA driver’s license to be insured in Central Coast, California with CA insurance on a car. You should be able to register and insure a car in the state of CA with your Hawaii driver’s license since you are a student and therefore would not normally fall into the resident category the state of California has in place.

If after you finished school you decided to live in California then you would need to change over your Hawaii license for a California driver’s license.

The CA Department of Motor Vehicles states that if you take a job in CA or become a resident in California, you must obtain a CA driver license within ten days.

You may contact the CA DMV directly if you have any questions with regards to how to register a car.