Car hire - clean licence??

[Elaine311]

I've just received confirmation of my flights/car hire booking for next year and I see that it says you must have a full clean driving licence. I have 3 points for speeding - does that mean I won't be allowed to drive??? I'm seriously panicking now!

Elaine

[blott]

Don't panic Elaine! Normally, with every car rental company I have come across in Florida, if you are entitled to drive in the UK (ie you have a driving licence that hasn't been rescinded) then you're able to drive in the USA.

[sarahjk]

Hi
My hubby had 3 points on his license the first time we went 4 years ago for jumping lights back then it didnt pose a problem but not sure about now it would be best to ask the car hire company direct it may be that there is an excess you have to pay rather do it now than get there and discover that you can not drive

Good Luck

Sarah[|)]

[chrisj]

Just checked with a friend who works in a car hire place and she said it would be ok, but
suggested you contact your hire company just to make sure

[Elaine311]

Thanks for the replies. I was hyperventilating at the thought of having to tell my parents that they were going to have to be the designated drivers (my partner has speeding points too - more than I have!). I've emailed the girl I booked it all through and asked her to clarify the situation. It's only 3 points and it's not like I knocked down an old lady or anything

Elaine

[huckleberry house]

Hi Elaine
Dont panic,I am in Florida now with 5 points(for speeding) and not even a raised eyebrow.It will be fine.
Lesley

[nelly]

i have a drink driving conviction and 7 points for no insurance (because of the drink drive) and they dont bother even asking to see your license.

[huckleberry house]

Nelly

I dont know which company that was with but Dollar definitely did ask to see my licence.

Lesley

[sunseeker]

Hi all
Dollar asked to see my licence too, but only to take down the number
off it. They didnt bother with any other drivers in our party.
I'm sure you will be fine Elaine.
Dave

[fiona]

Apropos this you might be interested in this article from the Saturday edition of the Daily Telegraph (Ask Gill):

Will US know about my drink-drive offence?

Name and address supplied
I have visited the United States three times since my drink-driving conviction in 1997 and thought nothing of it until I read your column two weeks ago. I telephoned the US Embassy last weekend to request the relevant documentation and was told there could be up to five months' delay in obtaining a visa.

I asked whether everyone's records for crimes and serious traffic offences in Britain would have been passed to the US immigration authorities and was told that they would - and that any attempt to enter the US without a visa would be "hazardous".

An application form arrived three days later and it took only a couple of days to obtain a memorandum of conviction from my local magistrates' court.

My appointment at the US Embassy in London is in three weeks' time (not three months as I had been told). I am hopeful that my application will be successful and that I will receive my visa in time for my November trip.

Gill's response
This is one of many letters and emails from readers saying they have been travelling to the US for years without a visa - even though they have "spent" convictions for quite minor offences such as driving without due care and attention (in the case of one man, 47 years ago), conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace and not reporting an accident. Do they really need to apply for a visa?

The US Embassy (www.usembassy.org.uk) is adamant that anyone who has ever been arrested and charged with any crime or misdemeanour - other than speeding offences - must apply for a visa. There seems to be some confusion over whether a conviction for driving without due care and attention is allowed under the visa waiver scheme. In such cases, the US embassy recommends emailing the US Consulate at londonconsular@state.gov for clarification on whether a visa is needed.

"It does not matter what the criminal offence was or how long ago it occurred. The person will need to be interviewed, because each case is dealt with on an individual basis," said a spokeswoman for the US Embassy. "Anyone who has been travelling to the US with a spent conviction - or who was once arrested and charged, but not convicted - has been lucky. They have also lied on the immigration form, which is an offence."

The embassy says the need to declare a conviction has been in place since 1988, but agrees that, since September 11, there has been a gradual tightening of the regulations. It also says it expects waiting times - both for appointments and the subsequent approval and issue of visas - to shorten after the end of September.

On August 2, the US Department of Homeland Security also suspended the right of those with criminal convictions to transit the US without a visa. The embassy says this applies even if you are only changing planes at a US airport (ie, staying airside on your way to, say, Australia). It would appear difficult for the US authorities to police this requirement if the journey goes smoothly. However, a problem may arise if passengers in transit need to go through US immigration should there be a security alert. At some airports, it is also necessary to clear immigration if the onward flight leaves from another terminal.

But, as many readers have pointed out, how do the US authorities know about minor criminal convictions in Britain? I asked the Home Office whether any US departments have access to British criminal records. "There is no shared database for convictions," said a spokesman. "The US government does not have access to the Police National Computer. The security services do share information about high-profile crimes, serious offences or if someone is a security risk, but it is not routine." And if the US authorities were to ask if someone had a spent conviction for a minor crime, would this be divulged? "Probably not." The US authorities will not reveal where they might obtain such information, whic