EDT or no?

Hollybeanz

Hey y'all,

So I've just got home from a few years in Canada and I'm trying to get my life together again having abandoned all for my time away..

I had a provisional drivers licence which was issued in July of 2011 and expired in July of 2013.
I was in the NDLS centre and he told me that because it was less than five years expired I should just apply for my full test and the new ridiculous learner permit rules wouldn't apply to me.
When I went to apply for my test there, it came up that any permits issued after April 2011 would be subject to the essential driver training..
I'd be so mad.. I've been driving for years and I do not need twelve darn essential lessons and a pile of videos.. I'm already having to accept that my years of no claims bonuses are gone and now I'm thinking I'll be completely set back like I've never been behind the wheel before..
Is this the case? Any advice would be very much appreciated.. thanks guys!

(Also, my American husband is here with me.. does he have to go though the same bull? Tell me he can just transfer his enhanced US licence over!)

dennyk

Can't speak for your situation, with an expired Irish provisional and all, but I'm afraid your husband will have to go through the whole process, at least; Ireland does not allow exchanges of any US licenses. (They do exchanges with a couple of Canadian provinces, though, I believe; which province is your Canadian license from?) He can at least skip the mandatory six month waiting period between getting his permit and taking the full license test by sending his original US license and a letter of entitlement/motor vehicle record from his state's DMV to the RSA, but there's no skipping the EDT lessons.

I moved here from the US last November and I'm going through the EDT process now, so I feel y'all's pain. It's not all that bad, though; a good instructor will understand that you have driving experience and will go through the syllabus with you quickly and then use the lesson time to correct your "bad" (or at least test-incompatible) habits and let you practice for the test, rather than drilling you on the very basics like a total beginner. Still a bit of overkill for an experienced driver (and a few hundred bucks down the drain to boot), but it is what it is.

One bit of good news, though: your no-claims bonus may not be gone! Some Irish insurers will accept US and Canadian insurance claim histories. You'll have to do the legwork to get the necessary documentation from y'all's Canadian and US insurance companies, though, and make sure your policies over there are fully canceled beforehand (as they only allow your no claims discount to be used on one policy at a time). I have a policy here with Liberty and they accepted my US State Farm insurance history for the purposes of the No Claims bonus, though it took quite a bit of back-and-forth with them and with State Farm to get all the proper documentation sorted.

MascotDec85

You don't. Your husband does

Pugzilla

What's an enhanced licence?

MascotDec85

Pugzilla wrote: »

What's an enhanced licence?

State-issued enhanced drivers licenses (EDLs) provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship, are issued in a secure process, and include technology that makes travel easier. They provide travelers with a low-cost, convenient alternative for entering the United States from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean through a land or sea port of entry, in addition to serving as a permit to drive

Red Fred

If your provisional licence that was issued in July 2011 was your first one then you are liable to complete the edt course. Edt applies to anybody who had their first provisional licence issued on or after 4th April, 2011.

MascotDec85

Red Fred wrote: »

If your provisional licence that was issued in July 2011 was your first one then you are liable to complete the edt course. Edt applies to anybody who had their first provisional licence issued on or after 4th April, 2011.

You're right. I misread the original dates! What a dope 🀔

cantdecide

dennyk wrote: »

They do exchanges with a couple of Canadian provinces

Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador, assuming that this was where the entitlements were originally earned. The flipside is that if you earned your entitlements in any of these provinces and moved to another province, then you would have an exchangeable licence. Remember that you would be restricted to auto transmissions and would need to apply for a learner permit and pass a test here to remove the restriction.

PS, the learner process isn't "ridiculous", IMO, it's quite liberal by international standards and a European full licence is a lot more useful internationally than a North American licence so is worth the hoop jumping, IMO.

caldew

Have you actually passed a driving test anywhere or is it just your own opinion that you can drive?