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Community Information :: Student Handbook :: Students

How can I get a Driver's License?
How can I get a Social Security number?
Can I work on an F-1 visa?
How can I find out about employment?
What do I need to know about taxes?
How can I contact my consulate?

How can I get a Driver's License?

When do I apply for an Indiana license?

You can apply for an Indiana license anytime after you arrive.  However, if you are driving on your foreign license, you should begin the process of getting an Indiana license no more than seven months after you arrive.  You must be at least l6 years of age to get a learner's permit and 16 years of age plus 6 months in order to get a permanent license.

Where do I apply for an Indiana driver's license?

You apply at the local branch of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). 
That address is:

1612 S. Liberty Drive
Suite A
Bloomington
812-336-3018
That office is about half a mile from Wal-mart and Sam's Club.

What do I do first?

Get a copy of the Indiana Driver Manual.  BMV provides copies for free.  You can print out an electronic version by going to the BMV website.  The driver manual has information about traffic laws, traffic signs, and other regulations that affect driving and owning a car in Indiana.  When you apply for a license, you must take a written test.  To pass the written test, you have to know the information in the driver manual.  After you have studied and understand the rules in the manual, you are ready to take the written test.

When I am ready for the written test, what do I have to take to the BMV?

When you have studied the Indiana Driver Manual thoroughly, take the following items to the BMV:

  1. Primary Document: Valid Passport with Visa information and I-94 card attached.
  2. Secondary Documents: At least two of the following items:
    1. Student ID card
    2. Bank statement with name
    3. Insurance card with name
    4. Major credit or debit card
  3. Proof of a mailing address in Bloomington:
    1. Bank statement that shows name and mailing address
    2. Utility bill for mailing address
    3. Credit card bill for mailing address
  4. Your social security card (with social security number).

If you are eligible for a social security number, then you cannot apply for driver's license until you have your social security card. The Office of International Services' staff can help you determine whether you are eligible for a social security number, and we can explain what you have to do to get that number. You get your social security number from the Social Security Administration, not from the BMV.

If you are not eligible to receive a social security number, you do not need the social security card. You must explain to BMV staff that you are not eligible for a social security number. The BMV will use the number on your I-94 card instead.

What will happen at the BMV?

You will take a number and wait. It is usually faster to go in the middle of the month, rather than in the first or last week of the month when the office can be very busy.

When your number is called, a staff member will look over your documents. If you do not have a social security number, the BMV will send copies of some of the documents to Indianapolis for verification. If you have brought all the documents you need, you will then take a written test that requires you to answer fifty questions. Each question will provide four possible answers; you must select the correct one.

If you pass the written test, then you will take a vision test. If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses to pass the vision test, then your license will require that you wear these whenever you are driving.

If you have a social security number and have completed all the steps, BMV will issue the learner's permit. You will be charged $9 for this permit. If you do not have a social security number, the BMV will send your documents and test results to Indianapolis. You will receive a notice when you may go to get your learner's permit.

What do I do with a Learner's Permit?

The learner's permit allows you to drive a car as long as an adult, 21 years old or older, with a permanent driver's license, is in the front seat of the car with you.

If I have obtained my learner's permit, when can I get my license?

You must wait for 60 days after you get your learner's permit before you can apply for your permanent license.

After 60 days, if you have a social security number, then you can return to the BMV with your documents and apply for a road test.

If you do not have a social security number: You will get a notice mailed to you. The notice will tell you whether the documents you submitted for the learner's permit have been accepted. If they have not been accepted, you should follow the directions in the letter.

If 60 days have passed and if you have received a notice that your documents are acceptable and if you are ready to take a road test to show how well you drive, then go to the BMV again and apply to get your permanent license. They will follow the same procedure that you followed when your received your learner's permit. When staff have verified and approved these copies, BMV will send you a notice. You must have this notice before you can get your license.

When you have the notice and when you have waited 60 days, go back to the BMV and make an appointment for a driving test. Usually, you cannot get an appointment for the same day, so you will have to come back another day.

What does one do for a driving test?

Go to BMV at your appointment time. Be on time or you may have to make another appointment. You must have a car with a valid license plate to drive for the test (BMV does not provide a vehicle for the test). An official licensed driving examiner will sit in the passenger seat for the test. He or she will ask you to drive and tell you in which direction to go, where to turn, park, etc. The examiner will decide if you can handle the car safely (including parking), and if you know and obey driving rules. If you violate even one driving rule, you will fail the test. The driver manual describes this test. The driving test usually lasts for only l0 to l5 minutes.

If you pass the driver's test, the BMV will photograph you and collect some additional information, and a staff member will prepare your license. You can leave with your valid Indiana driver's license.

If you lose your learner's permit, then you must start from the very beginning and bring in all your documents again. If you lose your permanent license, you must start all over again with the learner's permit.

If your license or permit is taken from you by a police officer, then you may have to wait awhile before being allowed to reapply. Again, you would start with the necessary documentation for a learner's permit.

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How can I get a Social Security number?

Standard Documents

All international persons must show the following documents in order to complete an application:

Additional Materials:

F-1 Students with On-Campus Hourly Jobs

All F-1 students need to submit the standard documents listed above.  Also, F-1 students need proof of a job or a job offer.  For students to be considered to have a job at IU, the hiring department must have completed, or will complete, a Hire-edoc in HRMS.

F-1 students can prove their employment with either a pay advice or paycheck stub, or they can supply a letter from their employer.  The letter should follow this format:

Sample Employer Letter

The employer letter must be printed on an original of the employer's colored letterhead and must have an original departmental signature.  The employer's letter may not list more than one student at a time.

In addition, students need to provide a DSO letter.  To obtain the DSO letter, students should bring their employer letter to the Intensive English Program’s main office in Memorial Hall 313.

F-2 Dependents

F-2 dependents may not work and therefore do not qualify for a social security number.  The social security office will not accept their applications.

Social Security Address:

The Bloomington branch of the Social Security Administration office is located at:

515 West Patterson Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403

Hours: 9:00–4:00, Monday–Friday (except Federal holidays), Telephone: 812-334-4222

Your application will usually take about two weeks to process.  Your social security card will be sent to you by regular mail.

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Can I work on an F-1 visa?

F-1 Students in the Intensive English Program are allowed to work on-campus only.  Students do not need authorization from the Intensive English Program or the Office of International Services in order to engage in on-campus employment.  However, there are some conditions that must be met in order for the student to maintain his or her status, and in order for the University to legally employ an international student.

These are the conditions under which a student in F-1 status may work on campus:

* This means 20 hours per week total for all on-campus jobs combined.  In other words, you may work one job at 15 hours per week plus one job at 5 hours per week, but you may NOT work one job at 15 hours a week plus one job at 10 hours per week (as this would equal 25 hours per week total).

Students who do find employment will need to apply for a social security number.  You will need to get a letter from your employer showing proof of the job offer and a letter from the Intensive English Program confirming that you are a full-time IEP student before you can complete your social security application.

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How can I find out about employment?

Career Development Center

The Career Development Center (CDC) is located at 625 N. Jordan Ave. (the northwest corner of 10th and Jordan, across from the Main Library and the Health Center).  The CDC provides on-campus and off-campus employment information for IU students.  The CDC maintains listings of many open positions on their web site.  Students are encouraged to check the job listings on a regular basis because new jobs are added frequently.  The information provided on the web and in the office allows the student to make direct contact with the employer to arrange an interview.  Take care to read the contact information, hourly rate, and job duties.  Additionally, note that international students are not eligible for any job which requires "work-study" approval.

Other Resources

You need to contact each office separately to ask about open positions and to apply.  Some potential on-campus employers include the following:

IDS Classified Ad Section

The Indiana Daily Student (IDS) newspaper has many job listings in the classified section.  Be sure to look for HOURLY ON-CAMPUS jobs.

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What do I need to know about taxes?

Federal Tax Information

Nonresident students present in the United States on an F, J, Q, or M visa and who had a U.S. source of income in the previous year must file either Form 1040NR-EZ or Form 1040NR.  The due date for filing is April 15 each year.

Indiana University has purchased special software to assist the non-resident taxpayers with filing their Federal Taxes.  The software will be available in February.  There will also be a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Advisory) program with trained volunteers to assist non-resident aliens for tax purposes with their tax forms.  This program will begin in late February or beginning March.

U.S. source income includes: wages, tips, scholarships, fellowships, fee remission, certificate of deposit (CD) interest, investment interest, and investment income.

If you were employed in the US, your employer will send you a W-2 form to indicate how much money you were paid for the year and how much money in tax was withheld.  You will need this form to file your Federal and state taxes.  Some students may also receive a form 1042-S in late February from their University.  This form will also be necessary to file taxes.

State Tax Information

State Tax Forms that you need to file: Nonresident students and dependents present in the United States on an F, J, Q, or M visa must file Form IT-40 PNR if they had any type of Indiana source income.  The due date for filing is April 15.  You need to finish your Federal Tax Returns before starting to file State Tax Returns.

Indiana source income includes: salaries, wages, commissions, tips, farm, business, a partnership or an S corporation, trusts and estates given to nonresident heirs, pensions and most interest and dividends.

If you have no Indiana source income or you only have interest from a U.S. bank account, a U.S. savings and loan account or a U.S. credit union account, you will not need to file any Indiana state tax forms.

Form 8843

All International students, scholars, and dependents who are a nonresident alien must file form 8843, even if you did not have any source of income for the current or previous year.  Form 8843 must be filed for each family member who is in the U.S. on an F-2 or J-2 visa.

There is no monetary penalty for failure to file.  However, in order to be compliant with federal regulations, you must file.

The deadline for Federal and State tax form/return is April 15.  If you do not need to file any other tax form/return besides form 8843, the deadline is June 15.

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How can I contact my consulate?

The following link will take you to the Electronic Embassy which provides information on each of the embassies in Washington D.C. There you will find links that provide the mailing addresses, telephone numbers and email of the embassy staff along with current travel news and alerts for their citizens.

http://www.embassy.org/embassies/

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