Any reason to renew my drivers license if I plan to move abroad?
Seconding stavros’ suggestion to avoid remote dealing with bureaucracies. I continue to renew my Calif. license each time it expires, as a back-up, but it also means I have to then write a letter to my home state explaining that I still live abroad and if they would simply schedule my jury duty for a particular date and give me several month’s notice, I’d be more than happy to make an appearance, but otherwise it will be pretty impossible for me to fly in from Japan to serve. I also went through the rigorous process of acquiring a Japanese license. Because public transportation is not actually an option in my life. As far as I know, maintaining these two licenses means I’m covered to drive for at least a year in most nations…because you just never know where you might end up. None of which answers the question of whether *you* should renew if you really have absolutely no intention of driving from here on out….
In most European countries you can drive on a U.S. license for one year before having to get a national license. If you’re going to be in Germany for about this length of time, it might be convenient to have a U.S. license. A German license is expensive and a bit difficult to get (especially if you do not speak German.) Where to renew? It depends on where you want to have U.S. residency for tax and voting purposes. Texas (I believe) has no state income tax so you’ll save yourself having to file a state return while abroad. Of course you’ll have to vote for Texas politicians, but maybe doing this by mail from Germany won’t be so distasteful.
