Auto Insurance Claims: When do I buy the Insurance?, social security number, license tag

Question
Hello Richard

I shall be moving to the US next month and I will be based in California. I will have to buy a car fairly soon and I had a few questions:
1. I wanted to know when exactly do I buy the auto insurance? How much time do I have between buying the car and getting my auto insurance?
2. Do I need a US Driver's license to buy the insurance? I currently have an Indian license and an International Driver's permit.
3. Do I need a Social Security Number to buy auto insurance?

I suspect that both the Social Security Number and the Driver's License will take some time to get and I was wondering if I can buy a car while I wait to get them.

Thanks for your help.

Regards
Kunal

Answer
Hi Kunal,

You will not be able to drive a car without a drivers license. You may be able to buy insurance with an international permit but it will be very expensive. When you buy a car you will also have to register the car with the state to get a license tag on the car. In order to do this you will have to have insurance first. In many cases you will need a social security number to purchase a car, insurance and registration.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh