Many of our clients start on a foreign license and end up with a California one. The policy does not end when that happens, but it does change, and the change is usually in your favor. This post is about that moment: when you have to get the California license, what to tell your insurance agent once you pass, what happens to the rate, and the mistakes that cost people money along the way. For how to get insured on a foreign license in the first place, see our page on auto insurance with a foreign or international license in California.
Car insurance for foreign license holders in California: the basics before you call
Here is what IIS Insurance Services tells every caller with a foreign license:
- You can buy a policy with a valid foreign license. We also insure drivers with an AB 60 license or an ITIN. A Social Security number is optional, and none of the insurance companies we work with require it. Most do not ask for a passport either.
- An International Driving Permit is a translation of your home license, not a license. Carry it with the original.
- Visitors 18 and over may drive on a valid home-country license for as long as it is valid. A new California resident must apply for a California license within 10 days of establishing residency.
- Every policy carries at least California minimum liability: $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injury, and $15,000 for property damage. Credit scores are not used in California auto rates.
- Most of the insurance companies we work with credit home-country driving history. Proof might be asked for, so have it handy.
- We quote and bind by phone, usually the same day, in seven languages, from our office in Sherman Oaks. Call (877) 210-9514.
When a foreign license holder has to get a California license
The California DMV draws the line at residency, not at time in the state. A visitor can keep driving on a valid home-country license. The 10-day clock starts when you become a resident, and the DMV counts things like registering to vote, paying resident tuition, claiming a homeowner’s exemption, or receiving any benefit reserved for residents. From that point you have 10 days to apply for a California license. A vehicle you bring into the state has to be registered within 20 days, which is a separate rule for the car, not the driver.
Sometimes we see a client who has been on a foreign license for a year or more without a problem and assumes the policy requires nothing else. The insurance policy is not what forces the change; the DMV’s residency rule is. But the policy is what gets better once you make the change, which is why we bring it up. Our post on how long you can drive in California with a foreign license goes through the visitor and resident rules in detail.
What to send your agent after you pass the test
Once the California license is in your hand, call us or send us a photo of it. We update the policy with the new license number and the issue date. That is the whole task on your side. On our side, three things can happen, and we tell you which ones apply to your policy.
The rate is reviewed
A California license in most cases will reduce your rate. The insurance company now has a California license number to rate against, and the record it builds from that date is yours. The reduction is not automatic on every policy or every company, and it may apply at the next renewal rather than mid-term, so ask us when the new number takes effect. If the current insurance company does not give a better number, we shop it again with the others we work with.
Your home-country history still counts
Getting a California license does not erase the years you drove at home. Most of the insurance companies we work with credit home-country driving history for years of experience, which matters because Proposition 103 ties California auto rates mainly to the driving record, annual miles, and years of driving experience. If you can get a letter or record from your home insurance company or licensing authority, have it ready; it might be asked for.
Who else drives the car gets a second look
If a spouse, a parent, or a roommate drives the car, this is the time to settle how they are listed. A named-driver policy covers the drivers named on it. If a family member is still on a foreign license and drives the car regularly, they can be a named driver on your policy or carry a policy in their own name. Do not leave a regular driver off the policy to save money; it is the kind of saving that disappears in the first claim.
| Situation | License | What to do about the policy |
|---|---|---|
| Visiting, not a resident | Valid home-country license, IDP as a translation | Policy on the foreign license; nothing to change |
| Became a resident | Apply for a California license within 10 days | Keep the policy in force; update it when the license is issued |
| Passed the test | California license | Send the new number to your agent; ask for the rate review |
| Family member still on a foreign license | Valid home-country license | Named driver on your policy, or their own policy |
Keeping car insurance for foreign license holders affordable before and after the switch
- Pay the term in full if you can. It usually costs less than monthly payments with the insurance companies we work with.
- Choose a higher deductible on comprehensive and collision if the car’s value allows it. A lender sets the floor on a financed car.
- Keep the policy continuous. A gap between the foreign-license policy and the California-license policy does not save money; it costs you the continuous-coverage history you just built.
- Tell us about the California license the week you get it, not at renewal. The sooner the policy carries the new number, the sooner the record under it starts.
Another situation we have handled in our agency is the international student who got a California license in the spring, never told anyone, and renewed in the fall at the foreign-license rate. One phone call fixed it, but it was a season of premium that did not need to be paid. If you are a student on a foreign license, our post on car insurance for international drivers in California covers the teen and student cases, including the nonresident minor’s certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get car insurance in the USA with an international driver’s license?
In California, yes, with a valid home-country license. IIS Insurance Services writes these policies by phone, usually the same day. An International Driving Permit on its own is a translation and is carried with the original license.
Do I need a California driver’s license to insure a car in California?
No. You can insure a car with a valid foreign license. Once you become a California resident, the DMV requires you to apply for a California license within 10 days, and the policy is updated when you get it.
Can non-US citizens get car insurance?
Yes. Citizenship is not an insurance requirement. A valid license is. A Social Security number is optional, and none of the insurance companies IIS Insurance Services works with require one; an ITIN or a foreign license is enough to write the policy.
Is an International Driving Permit valid in California?
It is valid as a translation of your home license, carried together with that license. It is not a license by itself and does not replace a California license once you are a resident.
Does my rate go down when I get a California license?
In most cases, yes. IIS Insurance Services reviews the rate when you send us the new license, and if the current insurance company does not improve it, we shop the policy with the other companies we work with.
Call IIS Insurance Services when your license changes
IIS Insurance Services has insured drivers on foreign licenses in California since 2009. Whether you are on a home-country license today or you just passed the California test, call us, send a photo of the license, and we will quote several insurance companies, bind by phone, usually the same day, and update the policy the moment your license changes. We help clients in seven languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, and Georgian. Call (877) 210-9514.
Reviewed by George Karapetyan, IIS Insurance Services. CA license #0E94849, agency license #0G56765. Last reviewed October 2026.