Some of the people who call us on a foreign license are not moving here. They are visitors: a parent spending several months with family, a professional on a long project, someone splitting the year between home and California. A week or two usually means a rental car. A stay of several months often means buying a car, or keeping one here, and that is when car insurance becomes your own decision. This post is for that visitor. For how foreign and international licenses are insured in general, see our page on auto insurance with a foreign or international license in California.
Car insurance for foreign visitors 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.
- 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. Call (877) 210-9514.
Can a foreign visitor drive and insure a car in California?
IIS Insurance Services gets this question from visitors often enough that we answer it in two parts: the license and the car. On the license side, California law lets a nonresident over 18 drive here with a valid license issued by the country where they live, carried with them. There is no fixed number of days for an adult visitor, as long as the home license stays valid and you remain a resident of your home country.
On the car side, the rule follows the car, not the driver. A car registered in California has to carry insurance, and the DMV requires insurance on file for a registered vehicle. So if you buy a car here, or keep a car here that is registered in your name, the policy is your responsibility, at California’s minimum limits or higher. Our post on how to buy a car in California with a foreign license covers the purchase and registration side.
Temporary car insurance for foreign drivers: what visitors are really asking for
IIS Insurance Services gets many calls asking for temporary car insurance for foreign drivers, and most of them come down to one need: coverage for the months you are here, on the license you have. With the insurance companies we work with, that is a regular auto policy written on your valid foreign license. Ask us about the policy term and what happens if you leave before it ends, so there are no surprises when you go home.
Short visits and rental cars
If you are here for a week or two and driving a rental car, the coverage question is between you and the rental company, and it is answered at the counter. This post is for visitors who own or keep a car here, where the policy is in your name.
Driving a friend’s or host family’s car
Whether you are covered driving someone else’s car is a policy question, the same as it is for any driver. If you will drive a friend’s or host family’s car regularly, ask the owner to check with their insurance company whether you need to be listed as a named driver on their policy. A named-driver policy covers the drivers named on it, and leaving a regular driver off is the kind of saving that disappears in the first claim.
| Your stay | License | Insurance step |
|---|---|---|
| A week or two, renting | Valid home license, IDP as a translation | Ask the rental company about its coverage |
| Several months, buying or keeping a car | Valid home license | A policy on the car at California minimums or higher |
| Driving a friend’s or host’s car | Valid home license | The owner checks whether you need to be a named driver |
| Decided to stay and became a resident | Apply for a California license within 10 days | Keep the policy in force and update it when the license is issued |
Best for long-stay visitors: what we need to quote car insurance for foreign visitors
IIS Insurance Services keeps the quote short for visitors, because most of what moves the price is already on your license and your driving history. If you are buying from a private seller, call us before you drive the car away; with the details below ready, we can usually bind the same day.
- Your valid foreign license, and an International Driving Permit if you have one as a translation.
- The car’s year, make, model, and VIN, and whether there is a lender.
- The California address where the car will be kept.
- A record of your driving or insurance history from home, if you can get one. Most of the insurance companies we work with credit it.
- Who else will drive the car, so they can be listed.
A higher deductible on comprehensive and collision, if the car’s value allows it, and paying the term in full are the two simplest ways foreign-license clients lower the price. A lender sets the floor on a financed car.
When a long visit turns into residency
IIS Insurance Services reminds long-stay visitors that the license rules change the day you become a resident, even if the car and the policy stay the same. The DMV says you are a California resident if you intend to live here for six months or more in one year, and registering to vote, paying resident tuition, claiming a homeowner’s exemption, or receiving any benefit reserved for residents also count. From that point you have 10 days to apply for a California license.
The car has its own rule. A vehicle you brought into the state has to be registered here within 20 days of becoming a resident or bringing it in.
Your policy does not end when you become a resident. Keep it in force while you apply, and send us the California license when it is issued; in most cases it will reduce your rate. Our post on how long you can drive in California with a foreign license goes through the visitor and resident rules in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner get car insurance in the USA?
IIS Insurance Services insures visitors in California on a valid foreign license, and citizenship is not an insurance requirement. A Social Security number is optional, and none of the insurance companies we work with require one.
Do you need proof of residency to get car insurance?
IIS Insurance Services needs the California address where the car is kept, because that is where the policy is rated. You do not need to be a California resident to buy a policy on a car kept here.
What type of car insurance do foreigners need for rental cars in the USA?
IIS Insurance Services points short-term visitors to the rental company, since rental coverage is offered and explained at the counter. If you buy or keep a car here, you need your own policy with at least California’s minimum liability.
Can I drive a car in California with an international driver’s license?
IIS Insurance Services tells every visitor that an International Driving Permit is a translation, not a license. A visitor over 18 drives on the valid home-country license, with the permit carried alongside it.
Which car insurance is best for visitors to California?
IIS Insurance Services looks for insurance companies that accept a foreign license without a big surcharge, credit home-country history, and offer monthly payments. We compare several for you instead of pointing you to one name.
Call IIS Insurance Services for car insurance as a visitor
IIS Insurance Services has insured drivers on foreign licenses in California since 2009. If you are visiting for months and buying or keeping a car, call us with your license and the car’s details, and we will quote several insurance companies, bind by phone, usually the same day, and update the policy if your stay turns into residency. 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.