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Transportation

Los Angeles

Public Transit TAP Card

Rail / Bus / Subway Schedule

Students can apply for an LA Metro TAP card for more affordable transportation. Unfortunately, IAU cannot ensure that you will be approved for a reduced fare TAP card.

 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has its own regulations for approving passengers for reduced fares. Please click the following link for more information: College/Vocational TAP Card

 

We can provide you with additional documentation in the form of a TAP Enrollment Verification and Official Registration Form, but your eligibility for a reduced fare may depend on your course schedule. Please click the following link for more information: Reduced Fare TAP Card – Request for Documents

IAU has no control over Metro’s standards for approving students for a reduced fare TAP card. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Starting April 2024

20 Free Rides With TAP Card

IAU students have the opportunity to enjoy 20 FREE rides every month using your current TAP card. Whether you’re commuting to campus or exploring the city, this offer is designed to make transportation more accessible and convenient for you.

Activating your 20 free rides is simple and can be done in one of two ways:

On-Campus Activation:
Visit our campus and present your current TAP card at ISS team on LA campus. You can schedule your activation time on campus by filling a Google Form. This ensures a convenient and hassle-free experience tailored to your schedule. Our staff will be on hand to assist you in activating your 20 free rides.

Self-Activation:
Follow the guidelines to activate your free rides independently. It’s quick, easy, and allows you to manage your activation on your own schedule.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact International Student Support office at [email protected]. 

International Student Driver License

Californian DMV List

In California, to get an international student driver license is somewhat easy. First of all, you have to make an appointment with your DMV office. The DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles in California. There are three ways of getting an appointment: by phone, scheduling on the DMV website, or simply by going to the nearest DMV office. Each year, millions of people apply to get a new driver license or to renew their driver license. This means chances are; if you go to a local DMV office, you’ll at least wait 4-5 hours to start your process because there are always long lines in front of DMV offices.

If you apply on the Internet, you’ll get your appointment in 2-3 weeks’ time. Don’t forget that the DMV works very slowly in California. You have to be prepared for your appointment. 

Tip: Check less populated areas nearby and try your chance by visiting the office early in the morning.

Required Documents

  1. A valid passport
  2. I-94 document (this shows your arrival to the US on it, check this website to get it);
  3. Your Form I-20;
  4. Social Security Card only for J-1 Scholars (regular F-1 students are not required to have an SSN or work permit to get driver license in CA);
  5. At least two residency verification forms (this may be any two utility bills like electric, gas, Internet or cable tv)

With these documents, you’ll fill an application form at the DMV office. If you have your international driver license, bring it with you too. The DMV officer will examine your eye-sight first. After this, they will take your photo. Don’t forget that this photo will be the same photo on your driver license. If you are someone who cares about their appearance, you’d better get prepared before taking a photo.

Practice for Written and Driving Tests

Then there is the written test. Written tests are available in most languages online but not all of them. You can choose to take the written test in your native tongue. If you are lucky, you’ll take a computer test; if not you’ll get a paper-based test. Never trust your driving abilities. Because some rules may be different from your home country. So you need to study before taking the written test.

After the written test, you need to make another appointment for the actual driving test, aka, behind the wheel test. 

Whether you are a fantastic driver or a formula-1 racer in your home country, you have prepar for the driving test if you want to pass the test in your first attempt. Most people do not pass the test in the first attempt. DMV officers in California take it very seriously and if they sense that you are new in the country, chances are you’ll fail the first attempt. So practicing the test route might be a good starting point.

Temporary Driver License

After you pass the test, they’ll give you a “temporary driver license”. This is basically a printed document with no photo on it. You have to wait a couple of months to get your actual driver license. Because you are an F-1 or J-1 student who wants to get an “international student driver license”, your information goes to the DMV Center in Sacramento and to Homeland Security, of course.

If you have a very common name or a name that may resemble some people who are involved in suspicious federal activity, the duration of getting your driver license will be much longer than you expect. In fact, it may take several months, even up to 9 months.

Meanwhile, your temporary license only has a 3-month valid period. This means if you didn’t get your real driver license, your temporary license will expire and you have to go to the DMV to renew your temporary license. You can call the DMV to track your application status.You have to be very patient because the wait time for most calls is around 30-40 minutes.

In some instances, even if you are lucky enough to talk to a DMV officer, they may forward you to another phone number which deals with international student issues. So be patient again. Because the wait time is still not less than 30 minutes.

When you get your driver license, you may be disappointed because the expiration date of an international student driver license is very limited. If you take a certificate program, your license will not be valid for more than 1 year. If you are on OPT after your program, you may want to renew your driver license before applying for OPT.

Note for OPT Students

OPT Students have different procedures for renewal. Because you are on OPT, you need to show your SSN and EAD Card (Employment Authorization Document) to the DMV in order to renew your license. Otherwise, the DMV will not approve your renewal.

Different states have different rules. These rules are for students who are in California. For instance if you live in Pennsylvania, the DMV will ask for your Social Security Number. If you are not eligible for an SSN yet, then you have to get a letter from the Social Security Office that says you are not eligible for SSN. This is not true for California.

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