Canadian driving in Ireland

SeanoChuinn

Hello folks,

My wife is a Canadian citizen with an Albertan driving license and we are trying to get her insured on my insurance but it is proving very difficult. There seems to be lots of random and unproven information floating around including from the NDLS (hearing different stories in there from different people) about the process she has to go through in order to be in a position to get a license to get insured.

So we have a few questions:

• We know there are already agreements with 3 Canadian provinces to recognise Canadian licenses but NOT Alberta. Is there any idea of when this might happen?
• Is there any way she can get a provisional license with out having to jump through all the hoops of driving lessons, theory tests etc.? I know its all BS to the Irish authorities, but she has been driving 15 years and has all of her insurance details form the last five years with 0 no claims bonuses etc. I'm guessing this previous experience is irrelevant to the NDLS?
• Have any Canadians or North Americans been through this process and could give some insight?
• I have also read that she can only drive automatic for an insurance company to consider her for insurance...is this complete nonsense??

I understand the cost will be substantial to get her insured under my name as a learner, but at this point that is irrelevant as we seem to be banging our heads on brick walls to get some clarification on what we need to do. In the mean time she is not insured, can't drive and now needs to travel a significant distance to work.

All help greatly appreciated!!! Thanks.

CSSE09

Going by what's on the ndls site https://www.ndls.ie/holders-of-foreign-licences.html#holders-of-driving-licences-from-other-countries it seems she'll have to go through the theory test, EDT and then do a driving test. If it's a stay of less then 12 months she would be allowed drive as long as she was insured, no idea how difficult that would be to organise though. If she's here permanently though might want to make a start on the theory, have to wait 6 months after getting the learners permit before being allowed sit the test.

cantdecide

If your wife was tested in Manitoba or Ontario (we only exchange with these two provinces), she will be able to exchange her licence if she can provide a Canadian letter of entitlement although these licences will be restricted to auto transmissions only so she may still be better off starting over fresh here.

SeanoChuinn wrote: »

We know there are already agreements with 3 Canadian provinces to recognise Canadian licenses but NOT Alberta. Is there any idea of when this might happen?

Don't bank on it. The RSA will keep this to themselves until the last moment and it may never happen at all if the licence categories don't translate cleanly. It wouldn't surprise me if it never happened, tbh.

SeanoChuinn wrote: »

Is there any way she can get a provisional license with out having to jump through all the hoops of driving lessons, theory tests etc.? I know its all BS to the Irish authorities, but she has been driving 15 years and has all of her insurance details form the last five years with 0 no claims bonuses etc. I'm guessing this previous experience is irrelevant to the NDLS?

The only concession is that she won't have to wait 6 months to take a driving test. Everything else is as if she has never driven before including the theory test. I wouldn't be too cynical about it either- I'd buy you a pint if she passed the theory test without studying up.

SeanoChuinn wrote: »

Have any Canadians or North Americans been through this process and could give some insight?

We only exchange with Ontario and Manitoba. We don't exchange with anywhere in the US and probably never will so I'm afraid unless she has Canadian friends here who can share, she might be going it alone.

SeanoChuinn wrote: »

I have also read that she can only drive automatic for an insurance company to consider her for insurance...is this complete nonsense??

As above even if she did exchange, she would need to take a test to drive a manual car and that's the full rigmarole including the theory test just to remove the auto restriction. It has nothing to do with insurance.

SeanoChuinn wrote: »

I understand the cost will be substantial to get her insured under my name as a learner, but at this point that is irrelevant as we seem to be banging our heads on brick walls to get some clarification on what we need to do. In the mean time she is not insured, can't drive and now needs to travel a significant distance to work. All help greatly appreciated!!! Thanks.

She can drive on her foreign licence for up to a year as a guest. Maybe she has been here this long already. As for insurance, even if you have to add her to your policy, it won't necessarily cost the Earth. I had my ex insured on my car as a new learner for €500. Like all insurance situations, you simply have to pick up the phone and start calling. You may even end having to move companies to find favourable terms. The industry thrives on unpredictability so you'll just have to do the leg work.

Hope that helps.

Nichard Dixon

As it states, there is no need to wait 6 months for foreign licence holders. She can do the lessons in a few days and do the test. Just get on with it and the period with higher insurance will be short.

Alanstrainor

Would it be possible for her to apply for a license in one of the territories that can transfer directly to an Irish license?

cantdecide

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Would it be possible for her to apply for a license in one of the territories that can transfer directly to an Irish license?

Basically, all that matters is where she was tested and this information would be on the letter of entitlement. If she was tested in Manitoba or Ontario she would have an exchangeable licence regardless of which state her current Canadian licence was issued. However, if she has an Ontario licence but was tested in Quebec, her letter of entitlement would state this and the licence would not be exchangeable.