drivers licence usa for irish

samsclub

my sister in law irish passport lived in ny for 25 years full usa licence living here now soon.................is it straight forward to change to irish ?

Faith+1

samsclub wrote: »

my sister in law irish passport lived in ny for 25 years full usa licence living here now soon.................is it straight forward to change to irish ?

No unfortunately not. Your sister will have to start from scratch .i.e. Eyesight report, theory test, learner permit, EDT, 6 month wait for test and then pass to get her full Licence.

loobylou

Afraid not, she'll have to sit a test.

MilanPan!c

Faith+1 wrote: »

No unfortunately not. Your sister will have to start from scratch .i.e. Eyesight report, theory test, learner permit, EDT, 6 month wait for test and then pass to get her full Licence.

Sure the state couldn't get it's pound of flesh otherwise...


plus we know the high standards for Irish drivers... /sarcasm

Sheldons Brain

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Sure the state couldn't get it's pound of flesh otherwise...

Silly comment. These things cost money, if the State wanted money if would simply recognise the US licence for €500.

plus we know the high standards for Irish drivers... /sarcasm

Well they are higher than for US drivers, the US has over twice the accident rate and fatality rate as Ireland, despite having much better roads and bigger cars.

BuffyBot

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Sure the state couldn't get it's pound of flesh otherwise...

Sure, the US hands out licences like candy to Irish licence holders..

Oh, wait. No.

MilanPan!c

BuffyBot wrote: »

Sure, the US hands out licences like candy to Irish licence holders..

Oh, wait. No.

In fairness, having now driven on Irish roads for seven years, on a daily basis, I wouldn't be rushing to give Irish drivers a license...

BuffyBot

In fairness, that wasn't your claim

I've seen some absolutely atrocious driving in the US as well..

MilanPan!c

BuffyBot wrote: »

In fairness, that wasn't your claim

I've seen some absolutely atrocious driving in the US as well..

Me too, but nothing like here.

I have a few friends that are Guards as well and they tell me that the majority of drivers they deal with don't even pretend to care about the rules. Which is what it feels like.

Sheldons Brain

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Me too, but nothing like here.

I have a few friends that are Guards as well and they tell me that the majority of drivers they deal with don't even pretend to care about the rules. Which is what it feels like.

The Guards deal with people that don't care about the rules. Imagine that! What about the other 95% of the population?

MilanPan!c

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

The Guards deal with people that don't care about the rules. Imagine that! What about the other 95% of the population?

[rolls eyes]

The Guards have a much more complete picture of Irish drivers than random people.

For example, I see drivers run red lights here once every month or so.

In 10 years in Boston I saw this maybe once. The same goes for driving the proper speed limit. No one here cares. That's not the case in the states.

I've also driven extensively in the UK and Canada and a bit in France and never saw the complete disregard for the law as you see here. I've also never seen such mismanagement of the roads and traffic management. It's pathetic.

Sheldons Brain

MilanPan!c wrote: »

[rolls eyes]

The Guards have a much more complete picture of Irish drivers than random people.
For example, I see drivers run red lights here once every month or so.
In 10 years in Boston I saw this maybe once. .

Are you not just a random person, should we give weight to your observations?

No one here cares.

Exaggerate much?

That's not the case in the states.

Why have they twice as many fatalities there, despite having much better roads?

Now the standard of driving in the US varies, but in some places it is plain appalling.

ProudDUB

Faith+1 wrote: »

No unfortunately not. Your sister will have to start from scratch .i.e. Eyesight report, theory test, learner permit, EDT, 6 month wait for test and then pass to get her full Licence.

She doesn't have to wait the six months before she can sit her test. She does have to get a leaner permit & do the 12 mandatory EDT lessons. But if you have a full license from the US, you do not have to wait the six months that normal learners have to, before you can sit your test.

Once her 12 lessons are logged as being done, she'll have to send her US license off to Shannon to prove that she has it. When they get it, they will remove the hold off her account that stops people from scheduling a test, if they have had their learner permit for under 6 months. Once the hold is removed, she can schedule her test for the first available date. The process takes about a week. She'll get the US license back in about 2 weeks.

MilanPan!c

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Are you not just a random person, should we give weight to your observations?



Exaggerate much?



Why have they twice as many fatalities there, despite having much better roads?

Now the standard of driving in the US varies, but in some places it is plain appalling.

I've actually been in 49 out of 50 states, lived in three and in the UK and in Ireland.

No where have I seen such a blatant disregard for the rules. In fact, most Irish people I speak to agree with me on this, and find their fellow drivers to be awful. Go figure.

You can pretend it's not true, but there's many threads on boards and people here like me that have lived in other places, that back up my assertions.

As for higher fatality rates, who'd be surprised based purely on the amount Americans drive, but that's a completely different issue than skill and willingness to follow the rules.

Drive down the M50. How many people are obeying the posted speed limit? People seem to just drive however they want. They same attitude seems to apply to red lights. They seem to be a suggestion here. Many Irish people agree.

Sheldons Brain

MilanPan!c wrote: »

I've actually been in 49 out of 50 states, lived in three and in the UK and in Ireland.

No where have I seen such a blatant disregard for the rules. In fact, most Irish people I speak to agree with me on this, and find their fellow drivers to be awful. Go figure.

You can pretend it's not true, but there's many threads on boards and people here like me that have lived in other places, that back up my assertions.

I'm sure I'll be criticising Irish drivers, and those who drive in Ireland who are often not Irish. But the only way things can be improved is by having tests and lessons, not excusing people from them.

As for higher fatality rates, who'd be surprised based purely on the amount Americans drive, but that's a completely different issue than skill and willingness to follow the rules.

It is true that people drive more in the US, when you adjust for this the fatality rate is only 75% higher. But this marginal mileage is on very good roads for the most part, if you compared similar road types the comparison would be a lot worse. People in the US just aren't great drivers, although by no means the worst.

MilanPan!c

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

I'm sure I'll be criticising Irish drivers, and those who drive in Ireland who are often not Irish. But the only way things can be improved is by having tests and lessons, not excusing people from them.




It is true that people drive more in the US, when you adjust for this the fatality rate is only 75% higher. But this marginal mileage is on very good roads for the most part, if you compared similar road types the comparison would be a lot worse. People in the US just aren't great drivers, although by no means the worst.

The main difference I see if I'm honest is that they follow the rules. People don't run red lights, ignore stop signs and the speed limit, and tow cars with ropes.

The worst issue here isn't even the drivers, but the road layouts/signage/etc.

Pedestrian crossings next to roundabouts?! Different numbers of lanes on either side of a stop light? Three lane roundabouts??

Madness.

Faith+1

ProudDUB

MilanPan!c wrote: »

The main difference I see if I'm honest is that they follow the rules. People don't run red lights, ignore stop signs and the speed limit, and tow cars with ropes.

The worst issue here isn't even the drivers, but the road layouts/signage/etc.

Pedestrian crossings next to roundabouts?! Different numbers of lanes on either side of a stop light? Three lane roundabouts??

Madness.

I'd agree with this to a certain extent. I have lived in the US too. Irish driving conditions are a lot more challenging than US ones, which leads to things happening that may not always be the drivers fault.

For example, I frequent a very busy roundabout that is near a huge shopping centre. It has 4 lanes on approach, but only 3 as you exit. The signage is very poor. You can only see the signs (telling you which exit is which) if you approach the roundabout in the far left lane. If it is dark, raining, or you are in the far right lane (which you would be, if you were exiting from the car park beside the Dunnes or the cinema) there is no way to read the signs, until you are almost on top of them. It leads to lots of last second veering across lanes to get into the correct one. What is that, bad driving or bad road design?

Then again, on our roads here, we have drivers who are 50 plus, who never had to sit a driving test in their lives. You have drivers who never got any driving lessons from a trained professional, as the mandatory 12 EDT lessons only affects people who got their first learner permit after April 2011. You have clueless learner drivers who chance their arms driving alone, as the enforcement of the driving unaccompanied law is so lax. You also have people on the motorways who have no idea what they are doing, as the current learner driver process does not include motor way driving. The system as it is, even goes out of its way to guarantee we will never have decent drivers on the motorway, as bylaws specifically prohibit learners from driving on them.

Sheldons Brain

I'd agree with this to a certain extent. I have lived in the US too. Irish driving conditions are a lot more challenging than US ones, which leads to things happening that may not always be the drivers fault.

All the more reason to train drivers on Irish roads.

Then again, on our roads here, we have drivers who are 50 plus, who never had to sit a driving test in their lives

These should be made do a test.

The system as it is, even goes out of its way to guarantee we will never have decent drivers on the motorway, as bylaws specifically prohibit learners from driving on them.

This is complete nonsense. The rules of the road do include motorways and the learner driver will have proven control of the vehicle on other roads. There is nothing especially complicated about driving on motorways and plenty of people drive perfectly well on them despite not having done a driving test on one. Are you a "decent" driver on a motorway?

Jumboman

I knew someone from australia who was able to transfer their australian driving licence into an Irish one back in 2007. Does this not happen anymore ?

Pro Hoc Vice

MilanPan!c wrote: »

I've actually been in 49 out of 50 states, lived in three and in the UK and in Ireland.

No where have I seen such a blatant disregard for the rules. In fact, most Irish people I speak to agree with me on this, and find their fellow drivers to be awful. Go figure.

You can pretend it's not true, but there's many threads on boards and people here like me that have lived in other places, that back up my assertions.

As for higher fatality rates, who'd be surprised based purely on the amount Americans drive, but that's a completely different issue than skill and willingness to follow the rules.

Drive down the M50. How many people are obeying the posted speed limit? People seem to just drive however they want. They same attitude seems to apply to red lights. They seem to be a suggestion here. Many Irish people agree.

Funny in this survey of 10 worst countries ireland does not appear but USA does http://www.gadling.com/2010/05/05/the-worlds-10-worst-drivers/ funny 1 random person on Internet v large survey.

Also http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/ twice as safe to drive in ireland than USA.

WHO deaths per 100,000 people Ireland 4.7 USA 11.4 funny that for such good driver they kill so many people, never knew careful drivers could have so many accidents. http://apps.who.int/gho/athena/data/GHO/RS_196,RS_198.html?profile=ztable&filter=COUNTRY:*

Jumboman

BMWs and taxi drivers are the worst drivers on the road.

Why does everyone who drives a BMW have to be a c**t ?

Del2005

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Me too, but nothing like here.

I have a few friends that are Guards as well and they tell me that the majority of drivers they deal with don't even pretend to care about the rules. Which is what it feels like.

The Gardaì are part of the problem. The police in most countries I've been to have always roll modelled good driving the Gardaì don't they abuse the power they have, exempt from most traffic laws. If people see the person who's supposed to enforce the law breaking it why should they obey it.

Then there's RSA who think exceeding the posted limit or DUI are the only motoring laws we have.

Our driving test is tougher than in the US. We just don't bother enforcing our laws, before or after the test, instead we make new laws to ignore.

Faith+1

Jumboman wrote: »

Why does everyone who drives a BMW have to be a c**t ?

Agree with you there! I remember when I was taking lessons years ago even my instructor told me to watch out for BMW w*nkers! There probably is nice BMW drivers out there but I'm yet to meet one.

Del2005

Jumboman wrote: »

I knew someone from australia who was able to transfer their australian driving licence into an Irish one back in 2007. Does this not happen anymore ?

It's down to mutual recognition. We have an agreement with Australia but not the US. Maybe due to there being 50 States which each issue their own licence.

Pro Hoc Vice

Del2005 wrote: »

The Gardaì are part of the problem. The police in most countries I've been to have always roll modelled good driving the Gardaì don't they abuse the power they have, exempt from most traffic laws. If people see the person who's supposed to enforce the law breaking it why should they obey it.

Then there's RSA who think exceeding the posted limit or DUI are the only motoring laws we have.

Our driving test is tougher than in the US. We just don't bother enforcing our laws, before or after the test, instead we make new laws to ignore.

We don't enforce driving laws, http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/library3.nsf/(WebFiles)/87BE463114EF96FF80257BA20033953B/$FILE/Courts%20Service%20Annual%20Report%202012.pdf page 37 and that is only matters that went to court does not include matters that fixed penalty notices only.

InTheTrees

Twenty years in the Usa and ive never experienced such bad drivers.

In most States it takes about twenty minutes to get a licence. A brief multiple choice test followed by a drive around the block and its done. No appointment necessary and you'll be done in less than half an hour. They also take their tests at age 16, so by mid twenties anything they had learned is long forgotten.

That's in the two States ive taken a test anyway. Ive been here long enough to know its the norm too. Massachusetts is slightly more strict but still no where near euro standards.

Nobody here uses turn signals. And in the rare occaosions they do its usually incorrectly. Lane discipline, basic observation are all way below Irish standards. Most States also don't have any kind of vehicle safety tests so basically anything that can move is out on the road. Insurance is required but its not necessary to prove it to get your car taxed so there's a lot of uninsured drivers. Its mayhem most of the time. Weekend local Tv news is always full of the recent road deaths.

So its absolutely no surprise that Americans need to take an Irish driving test.

Pro Hoc Vice

InTheTrees wrote: »

Twenty years in the Usa and ive never experienced such bad drivers.

In most States it takes about twenty minutes to get a licence. A brief multiple choice test followed by a drive around the block and its done. No appointment necessary and you'll be done in less than half an hour. They also take their tests at age 16, so by mid twenties anything they had learned is long forgotten.

That's in the two States ive taken a test anyway. Ive been here long enough to know its the norm too. Massachusetts is slightly more strict but still no where near euro standards.

Nobody here uses turn signals. And in the rare occaosions they do its usually incorrectly. Lane discipline, basic observation are all way below Irish standards. Most States also don't have any kind of vehicle safety tests so basically anything that can move is out on the road. Insurance is required but its not necessary to prove it to get your car taxed so there's a lot of uninsured drivers. Its mayhem most of the time. Weekend local Tv news is always full of the recent road deaths.

So its absolutely no surprise that Americans need to take an Irish driving test.

But but "MilanPan!c" says the exact opposite, I'm all confused now. You see the data agrees with you, higher accidents and deaths, but "MilanPan!c" only ever saw 1 person in Boston break a red light. I'm all confused now.

ProudDUB

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

This is complete nonsense. The rules of the road do include motorways and the learner driver will have proven control of the vehicle on other roads. There is nothing especially complicated about driving on motorways and plenty of people drive perfectly well on them despite not having done a driving test on one. Are you a "decent" driver on a motorway?

Yes, I am as it happens. A big reason for that is that is because I was taken on a motorway by my instructor, when I was first learning how to drive. (It was in the US.) He instructed me on:

-how to how to merge safely and correctly with traffic that is already on the motorway.
-how to indicate and change lanes, safely and correctly, when driving at speeds far greater than I would be going on regular roads.
-how & why to stay far enough behind other cars
-correct lane usage
-checking blind spots and judging how far cars were behind me, when driving at high speeds
-how to observe other drivers and predict what they may do in their cars
-how my cars brakes/tires/steering etc etc reacts and responds to wet or icy roads when driving at high speeds

Any one can read the rules of the road and consider themselves to be an expert on how to drive, but somethings can not be learned out of a book. Motorway driving does not come easy for everyone. After nearly 20 years in the US, I can do it in my sleep, but not everyone can.

A lot of people find the speed & the number of lanes intimidating. It makes them nervous and that nervousness impacts their decision making and the quality of their driving. A lot of them also make bad driving decisions on the motorway, as they were never taught the correct way of doing things in the first place. The motorway network does not cover the entire country, so a lot of people may only ever drive on them if they are traveling to a big city. That unfamiliarity can lead to their making mistakes.

What is the harm in inserting a trained professional into the process and, having them guide learners thru the process of motorway driving, just as they do other aspects of their driving? It would make them better drivers imo. Would I have become as "decent" a motorway driver as I am, without having an instructor show me the ropes? We'll never know about me specifically. But I refuse to believe, that it couldn't but have an impact on learners driving on average

InTheTrees

Pro Hoc Vice wrote: »

But but "MilanPan!c" says the exact opposite, I'm all confused now. You see the data agrees with you, higher accidents and deaths, but "MilanPan!c" only ever saw 1 person in Boston break a red light. I'm all confused now.

Well I dont know about him but my credentials are that I've got my original Irish Licence, plus I did an english test (didnt realise you could swap one for the other) and got an english Licence. And drove in England, and europe for years. Then moved to California and passed their test, then on to Washington State and passed a test there. Thirty years or so.

I also have a brit pilots license and a US pilots licence. Relevant only in that I like fast machines and I dont mind taking tests.



So I put American drivers far behind Irish drivers. But thats not so say the irish are as good as the germans...

ProudDUB

InTheTrees wrote: »

Nobody here uses turn signals. And in the rare occaosions they do its usually incorrectly. Lane discipline, basic observation are all way below Irish standards. Most States also don't have any kind of vehicle safety tests so basically anything that can move is out on the road. Insurance is required but its not necessary to prove it to get your car taxed so there's a lot of uninsured drivers. Its mayhem most of the time. Weekend local Tv news is always full of the recent road deaths.

Nobody uses turn signals and the roads are mayhem most of the time? Seriously? Come on now. You just won the Boards.ie award for most over the top exaggerations in one post. :P Plenty of people indicate and no, the roads are not mayhem most of the time. I have spent a lot of time driving in Seattle. The roads there are far, far from being in mayhem conditions.

As to the bold part. I dunno about WA, but in Georgia, not only do you have to provide proof of insurance to tax your car, the two computer systems are linked. If your insurance goes out of date, at one second past midnight, an automatic update is sent to the motor tax computer system that the registered owner of your car is no longer insured. Your motor tax is canceled at two seconds past midnight.

When you bring your insurance up to date, you have to go to the motor tax office and show that your insurance is current again. When are happy that it is, they will reactivate your motor tax. This is all done to encourage people not to let their car insurance tax lapse, coz if you do & you get busted for it, you are in doubley deep do do & the fines are massive. When this was brought in about 10 years ago, it really had a big impact on the numbers of uninsured motorists on the roads.

InTheTrees

ProudDUB wrote: »

Nobody uses turn signals and the roads are mayhem most of the time? Seriously? Come on now.

What I wrote was "Nobody here uses turn signals. And in the rare occasions they do its usually incorrectly."

I stand by my "in the rare occasions they do its usually incorrectly" statement.

Turn Signals/Indicators; You might possibly see one car in ten using them. And less on the freeway. A majority never use them. Never. Ever. You might be making eye contact with the driver at an 4 way intersection and be waving them on and they wont use them. They never have and they dont know how. (Remember most Americans get their license at age 16 after a lesson or two with dad.)

In Ireland/england we are taught to look in the mirror, check that its safe, and then signal, in plenty of time. In the US, they (the few that use them) mostly turn the indicator on as they're turning the wheel to turn, all in one movement. An almost meaningless gesture (I think) that contributes to the general apathy towards using them at all.

In Ireland you're taught that the turn indicator is a signal of a maneuver that you intend to do, in the USA the turn indicator is a signal of what you are currently doing.

I believe the Irish/English method is safer and less confusing for everyone.

InTheTrees

ProudDUB wrote: »

I dunno about WA, but in Georgia, not only do you have to provide proof of insurance to tax your car, the two computer systems are linked.

Interesting. Not out here though. And no safety inspections either. And if your vehicle is over twenty five years old then its exempt from the Emissions Test.

I think "road worthiness" comes down to the discretion of the Cops out on patrol.

InTheTrees

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

I'm sure I'll be criticising Irish drivers, and those who drive in Ireland who are often not Irish. But the only way things can be improved is by having tests and lessons, not excusing people from them.

This. American License holders need to pass an Irish test if they're staying any longer than a holiday.

InTheTrees

This will give Irish Drivers an idea of American Driving standards. Links to the Drivers Handbooks from California and Washington. These are the documents that the multiple choice test is taken from.

This is almost all I can find on Freeway Driving in the Washington State Drivers Handbook:

Passing –
On a road with two lanes traveling in the same
direction, the left-hand lane is intended to be used for passing
slower vehicles. On roads with more than two lanes traveling
in the same direction, use the right lane for slower speeds,
the middle lanes for higher speeds, and the left-hand lane for
passing only. If you pass on the right, the other driver may
have difficulty seeing you and might suddenly change lanes in
front of you. Never pass on the shoulder, whether it is paved
or not. Other drivers will never expect you to be there and may
pull off the road without looking.

On a road with two or more lanes traveling in the same
direction, stay in the right lane except to pass. On a road with
three or more lanes traveling in the same direction, if there is a
lot of entering or exiting traffic, use the center travel lane.

Washington State Drivers Handbook:

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/docs/driverguide-en.pdf

And here's the California Manual.

http://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/driver_handbook_toc.htm

Del2005

InTheTrees wrote: »

In Ireland/england we are taught to look in the mirror, check that its safe, and then signal, in plenty of time. In the US, they (the few that use them) mostly turn the indicator on as they're turning the wheel to turn, all in one movement. An almost meaningless gesture (I think) that contributes to the general apathy towards using them at all.

In Ireland you're taught that the turn indicator is a signal of a maneuver that you intend to do, in the USA the turn indicator is a signal of what you are currently doing.

I believe the Irish/English method is safer and less confusing for everyone.

Nah they stopped teaching people how to indicate here a few years ago, or so it would appear driving these days. Motorists in Ireland now indicate after they start the turn, for some reason have to swing left to make a right turn and mirrors are for ???

I did a driving test in OR and one of the things I was marked down on was shoulder checks before changing lanes or turning. Tester seemed used to Irish people not shoulder checking as he commented about it not being part of our test, which it wasn't when I passed. And to show how bad the test is the other thing I marked down on was driving the wrong way up a one way street and I still passed!

Sheldons Brain

I passed. And to show how bad the test is the other thing I marked down on was driving the wrong way up a one way street and I still passed!

No matter, sure you were probably driving on the other side of the road as well.

samsclub

thanks for all you guys feedback interesting stuff

CalRobert

I'm from the US and just finished up my EDT with an instructor who was at least willing to do it in 2-hour sessions. I have a driving test later this week. Honestly, given that US drivers are almost universally abysmal (not to mention they all seem to harbor a keen desire to murder bicyclists), I think it's great that people from the US have to go through the full process of getting a license here.

The roads are less predictable and narrower, bicyclists and pedestrians far more common, and of course driving is on the other side of the road. Your average US driver (at least if they're from Los Angeles; maybe other places are better) would kill 12 people in their first ten kilometers. Of course, they would be patting themselves on the back, because the US loves dead bicyclists, and cops will never, ever, ever find fault when a bicyclist has been killed.

I suppose there's some slight hyperbole in my writing, but I rode a bicycle in LA before moving here and was screamed at, hit, and almost punched over the course of a year.

TeaBagMania

ProudDUB wrote: »

She doesn't have to wait the six months before she can sit her test. She does have to get a leaner permit & do the 12 mandatory EDT lessons. But if you have a full license from the US, you do not have to wait the six months that normal learners have to, before you can sit your test.

Once her 12 lessons are logged as being done, she'll have to send her US license off to Shannon to prove that she has it. When they get it, they will remove the hold off her account that stops people from scheduling a test, if they have had their learner permit for under 6 months. Once the hold is removed, she can schedule her test for the first available date. The process takes about a week. She'll get the US license back in about 2 weeks.

Hello DUB,
May I ask where you obtained this information? I have been thru the RSA and citizensinformation.ie web sites and fond no mention of this.

CalRobert

I just did this - not sure what state she's from but all I had to do was send both my California driver's licence and a recent "unofficial driver record" printout from the DMV confirming the licence is current as of today's date (they offer it at dmv.ca.gov under "other services" or something to that effect; it was $2). The Shannon office sent me a letter of exemption from the six month rule; only took a week or so.

CalRobert

Sources:
well I can't post URL's, but go to rsa.ie -> Learner Drivers -> Applying for Test -> 6 Month Rule
Note:

A holder of a current full driving licence from another country (jurisdiction) for more than six months is exempt from this requirement, provided you forward a current original driving licence and a letter of entitlement from the relevant licensing authority in that country to the:

jimgoose

The reason U.S. licenses aren't recognised here has more to do with the fact that there is no Federal driver licensing authority over there, i.e. there are 50 distinct issuing authorities over there and thus an administrative quagmire.

CalRobert

Pardon me, I think it was Ballina, not Shannon

CalRobert

jimgoose wrote: »

The reason U.S. licenses aren't recognised here has more to do with the fact that there is no Federal driver licensing authority over there, i.e. there are 50 distinct issuing authorities over there and thus an administrative quagmire.

Fair point; some states are also still of the mindset that if you can drive around the block the day you turn 16 you should get a full license, and others give you a stricter, more graduated approach.

CalRobert

Then again, if you're at least 18 years old California (one of the stricter states) requires no driver's training and no practice period. They even call this out on their website:

"At this point—and once you pass your written test—the DMV will issue you a driving permit (if applicable). Use this permit to practice for your driving test. You must practice with a licensed driver who holds the same class of license and is at least 18 years old.

There is no minimum time you must hold the permit. If you think you’re ready, you can schedule a driving test as early as the next day."

I think it's good that people have to get a good deal of behind the wheel training, personally.

TeaBagMania

Thanks all, the information is much appreciated. With Roberts’s assistance I was able to find to locate the page on the RSA website.

Was planning on using my US drivers license under the 12 month rule until I received my full Irish license. Is it possible to present your US license and letter of entitlement in person?

CalRobert

Not sure, though the website seems to indicate that you need to mail it. If you happen to be in Ballina perhaps you can stop by?

If it's any indication, they don't even say to bring the foreign licence to your test, just the letter of exemption.