Driving in the US

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Getting a Driver's License

If you are a non-resident temporarily living in Virginia, you may drive with your home state or country driver’s license and license plates no more than six months.

FAQs

Q: Can I drive with my country driver’s license in the US?
If you are a non-resident temporarily living in Virginia, you may drive with your home state or country driver’s license and license plates no more than six months.
 
Q: What steps do I need to take to apply for a Virginia driver’s license?
To apply for a Virginia driver’s license, go to the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website.  Please note that you first must complete the International Student Check-In before you can apply for a Virginia driver’s license.
 
Q: Where is the DMV office located?
There is a DMV office in Fair Oaks Mall.  If you do not want to travel off campus, you can visit the DMV2Go at the Fairfax campus.
 
Q: Can I rent a car at Mason?
Yes! You can rent a car for a couple of hours or an entire day through http://www.zipcar.com/gmu.

DMV2GO

In this video, you will learn about the DMV2GO service.

If you plan to travel to campus by car, we highly encourage you to review the Parking Services website and the FAQs web page.  

Mason does NOT offer free parking.  You can buy a daily, weekly, monthly or annual parking pass.  The cheapest visitor parking is at the Field House at the Fairfax campus for $3.00 per day.  Please do NOT park your car at the shopping mall "University Mall" across the Fairfax campus.  Your car will most likely be towed and you will have to pay a fine of at least $150.

Driving in the US

In this video, Vinay talks about his experience driving a car in the US.

Shaun’s Story

In this video, Shaun talks about the benefits and challenges of owning a car.  When you consider buying a car, make sure you also budget for car tax.  To learn more about car tax, go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta/car-tax.htm