[mohsel]

for your year first year here use your US licenses ....
when you return on a VLS-TS do the exchange (if your state is one of those that permit license exchange) within the first 12 months of your arrival ... the sooner you do that the better to avoid any delays ... all you need is to validate the VLS-TS and have a proper address.

 

[mohsel]

I don’t have a decisive answer, but it looks like you can obtain a temporary residence card.

If you work through the questions here, the only exemption to the one year deadline is for students. It may be that as short stay visa holders, you would not be deemed to have your “normal residence,” but I would not count on that.

the OP has a VLST not a VLS-TS hence they do not qualify for having the residence card, their visa allows them to stay for 12 months then they have to leave hence will not qualify as a valid residency for license exchange