The few, the brave - those of us taking driving lessons right now!

Licenses are governed by each individual state, not by the central Federal Government. So, if the UK wanted reciprocal agreements they would have to make them with each individual state. I don't see this as a problem on the State end but on the UK end with 50x the amount of work and expense going into it.

A person moving from state to state still must test in their new state in order to get that states license. It just might be the written test or the behind the wheel test or both. Like I said before it depends on the state.

Just going of what garry has posted - he does have a reputation for knowing the inside track on issues that affect immigrants from the US.

The UK has licence exchange agreements with dozens of countries, I checked a few US DMV/BMVs at random and found no information about exchanging foreign licences.  Also the US doesn't have the greatest reputation for international co-operation.  We'll never know for sure but if I had to guess who was holding out I wouldn't pick the UK.  As Paul said it should be the sort of bureaucracy our govt. loves!

Does anyone know the details of the US to Canada license exchange?  If the US is balking about exchange, I would have thought it would have been a problem closer to home...

A person moving from state to state still must test in their new state in order to get that states license.

Mostly just the written, not the driving.

The UK won't exchange licences without a reciprocal agreement

Which, as I have noted before, shows that the British government stance has almost nothing to do with supposed road safety and everything to do with politics. 

Would it hurt them to at least provide a few concessions instead of treating experienced American drivers like complete novices?   

It seems that at present the list for "direct swap" licenses comprises Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe, plus Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Gibraltar.

EU countries are all included because of EU regulations rather than direct reciprocal negotiations.  In fact EU license holders are not even obliged to swap a license at all and can continue to use their foreign license beyond the 12-month limit which applies to others.

Well I'm off to take my Theory & Hazard Perception Test early this afternoon.  Yikes!

Watch this space. 

Well I'm off to take my Theory & Hazard Perception Test early this afternoon.  Yikes!

Watch this space. 

ooooooh, good luck!!!!!!! 

Good luck Mrs R, just remember, always choose the safest option if you aren't sure of the answer!

Good luck Mrs R, you'll rock!

Good luck!

Good luck! I'm sure you will ace it!

Go for it, Mrs R!!!!!

Yay I passed!  I got 47 out of 50 on the multiple guess part, and 57 (or something like that) out of 75 on the hazard perception part.

I don't mind about the hazard perception part, but I really wish they'd tell you exactly what you missed on the multiple guess part so I could make sure that I know it going forward.  There were a few questions that really threw me - like I read the Highway Code cover to cover, and I had some software with practice tests, and those questions (the ones that threw me) - I don't remember encountering anything about them in any of my study materials.  Don't ask me to remember the questions now - I've blanked them from my mind!    Studying for that was so freakin' boring - it was hard to make myself do it. 

I want to be a safe driver & all, but it is hard not to feel that sometimes, here, the whole learning-to-drive thing is a bit of a racket/cottage industry - to make money for the DVLA and create the career opportunities for driving instructors...it all seems designed to trip you up at every opportunity, make it as difficult as possible to get your licence, etc - thereby raising more dosh for the DVLA & for driving instructors. 

Oh well - now on to the practical! 

Yay! 

Yay, Mrs. Robinson! 

I also had those feelings about it being a bit of a racket  but eventually I just let it go.  The driving lessons did end up making me feel more confident on roundabouts and reversing on country lanes, so it wasn't all a waste of money.