Jackh
8/29/2020 14:40 EST
Hi
I left home 25 years ago and am thinking of retiring in Ireland. I think I can exchange an old French license I still have (hope anyway) but my husband will have to do the test as he has only a US drivers license. Is the test as awful as it used to be and the rate of failures still high? Thanks Jack
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dbarnwell
8/30/2020 09:48 EST
Jackh You have raised a topic which elevates my blood pressure, namely Ireland's discrimination against its citizens who have lived overseas for a long time. In your case, if the French license is expired I don't think the Irish will accept it for exchange. Must be current. In your husband's case, he will have to take the driving test. I think that's reasonable, because no US state has a reciprocal agreement with Ireland. BUT he also will have to take a course of driver ed classes! It was a 12 hour course, but I think they lowered that to six for people who already know how to drive. It's still ludicrous, and costly. The absurd thing is that he can drive for a year on his US state license, though that may have insurance implications.
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EUBound
8/30/2020 17:40 EST
I thought French driver's licensed never expire. Also, your husband can continue using his US licence as long a it remains valid. Buying and insuring a car though becomes a problem without an Irish license.
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dbarnwell
9/2/2020 13:02 EST
EUBound: I'll take your word about French licenses not expiring. Kind of odd. But you're wrong to say the guy can use his US state license as long as it is valid. There is in fact a maximum of one year validity from assumption of residence in Ireland. OK, a cop is not going to know how long you have been living in Ireland, but I am certain auto insurance will be very hard to get without a local license.
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EUBound
9/2/2020 17:37 EST
dbarnwell, that's correct and almost exactly what I said.
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Muddled
9/3/2020 03:06 EST
DBarnwell is correct. Somewhere in the back of my mind I think there may be implications if someone using a US licence (or non-EU) for more than the allowable one year and gets into an accident, that their insurance policy may not cover them. While someone might "get away with it", it's not worth doing. I have a British friend who still uses her UK licence, which doesn't expire. So perhaps French ones don't either.
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Muddled
9/5/2020 08:18 EST
I took my driving test in Ireland in 1996, before there was even a Driver's Theory Test; I was able to get a Provisional Licence (now a "Learner's Permit) simply by applying. Depending on how far back you're talking, it's a lengthy, painful process for people coming or returning from other countries. Always go to the source for any legal information https://www.ndls.ie/holders-of-foreign-licences.html#holders-of-driving-licences-from-other-countries
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Muddled
9/5/2020 08:20 EST
Here's what I found about French driver's licences https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/driving-licence/driving-licence-exchange-recognition/france/index_en.htm#:~:text=French%20driving%20licences%20are%20valid%20for%2015%20years.
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dbarnwell
9/5/2020 12:32 EST
There was a cabinet minister, a middle-aged man, forced to resign a month or two back when it came out that he had been driving all his life on a Learners Permit/Provisional License. Had never taken the Test.. Of course he was caught driving drunk, which didn't help his defense.
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