how long can I drive on my US license in the UK?

OKay so I know the standard answer is 1 year.  But does that mean when you arrive in the UK or when you are considered a resident?  I can't find a definitive answer on this here.

I arrived on an EEA Family Permit so had no entry stamp upon first arrival anyway (1st stamp entering the UK was a few months later once I had left and come back again since the original entry was through Ireland, and with an EEA FP there never is a stamp placed on the visa anyway) and now I'm waiting for my EEA2 to be processed which will THEN be my residence card.  Guess I'm not sure if I was even considered a resident with just the EEA Family Permit so if anyone has a clue???

Then in addition, once you hand in your US license, you can only get a provisional license?  I thought if you did it within their 1 year time frame you could jump right into scheduling for the written and driving test no? and if you didn't then you'd need to get a provisional... is there a way to get your US license back? Clearly I want to keep my US driving abilities open...

Lastly anyone know if you have a Canadian driving license (Canadian's/Aussies/Kiwis can just exchange their license without having to take these tests) but a US passport could you just exchange the license?  Annoying that every other English speaking country except for the US is exempt from having to take their driving test all over again in the UK.

Can't help with your main question, the 1 year start, but I can with the others.

You don't hand in your US licence (as you're not exchanging it,) so there's no issue with getting it back.  As far as the UK is concerned you are applying for a licence from scratch so you follow the same process as a new driver; provisional licence (learners permit) and all the tests.

If you have a Canadian licence then you can just swap it for a UK one, citizenship doesn't matter.  I believe they will take the Canuck licence in this case as it's a swap but if you move back to Canada you could then hand in your UK licence and swap back to a Canadian one.

You don't need to hand in your US license. You apply for the provisional and then take your tests. There is no requirement to do that within a year but clearly doing so means you don't have a gap where you are not able to drive.

I think anyone with a Canadian license can exchange regardless of where your passport is from. It's not about the country of which you are a citizen; it's about proving you have mastered the skills. The US has different requirements for each state; it's not just about being an English-speaking country.

x posted

True Geeta, but for any us citizen from any state to get a license in Canada they just need to swap it in like the UK does for Canada/Aussies/Kiwis (and provinces have different rules province to province as well)... think it has more to do with sovereignty then being able to read their license anyway

I don't think it's to do with language or sovereignty but reciprocal agreements (or lack there of.)

The UK will allow licence swaps for countries that allow UK licence holders to swap over there.  The US is not one of these countries so no swapsies.

This topic comes up every few months here and people always want to know who's to blame.  I don't really know the answer but seeing as the UK has agreements with dozens of countries and on the other hand some US states will swap with Canada and that's it I know which way the balance of probability goes...

If you hand in a Canadian driving licence for a British one, you will be restricted to automatics only on the UK licence unless the province / territory in which you gained your Canadian licence expressly states that you can drive manuals and that you were tested in a stick shift. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/DrivingInGbOnAForeignLicence/DG_4022562

BEWARE, as not all provinces territories will allow a swap from a British licence to a Canadian one. The agreements are by province / territory.
Nunavut, information not available http://www.edt.gov.nu.ca/apps/authoring/dspPage.aspx?page=motor
Northwest Territories, information not available http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/newDLandGIC.aspx
Yukon, information not available http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/motorvehicles/mvdrlic.html#whenandhow
New Brunswick, information not available http://www.gnb.ca/0276/vehicle/english/faq-e.asp
Nova Scotia, no http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/paal/rmv/paal269.asp
Prince Edward Island, no See http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/tpw_dh_chap1.pdf
Newfoundland and Labrador, information not available http://www.gs.gov.nl.ca/drivers/DriversandVehicles/driverlicensing/identificationdocumentation.html
Quebec, GB, yes not clear if issues in Northern Ireland http://www.saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/driver_licence/exchange/residents_other.php
Ontario, GB, yes not clear if issues in Northern Ireland: http://www.drivetest.ca/en/license/ExchangeOutProv.aspx
Manitoba: dependent on assessment http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_licensing/ForeignDL.html
Saskatchewan, yes http://www.sgi.sk.ca/sgi_pub/drivers_licences/new_residents.htm
Alberta, yes http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/1671.cfm#JM_12Countries
BC, no http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/moving-bc/licence-othercountry

We have been told in the past that the US has been the one that is not willing to swap licenses with the UK.

very true, US doesn't let any foreigners just swap.  Pending on state, foreigners need to take either just the written test or both written and driving. 

very true, US doesn't let any foreigners just swap.  Pending on state, foreigners need to take either just the written test or both written and driving. 

I think by and large Canadians can swap their provincial / territorial driving licenses for US state ones and vice versa. 

So what provinces in CANADA include driving with stick-manual shift on the license?

So what provinces in CANADA include driving with stick-manual shift on the license?

If you want to see how Canadian licences are encoded (and if stick shift is an encoding option), I'm sure you can check out the links I provided! 

I think by and large Canadians can swap their provincial / territorial driving licenses for US state ones and vice versa. 

I don't think this is true in terms of the US, especially as it varies by state as to whether or not you have to take a test. Some states (NJ for example) you have to retake the written test even if you just move from another state.

I don't think this is true in terms of the US, especially as it varies by state as to whether or not you have to take a test. Some states (NJ for example) you have to retake the written test even if you just move from another state.

Sure. (Shrug) What's the evidence to the contrary?  

But I think it's quite likely that in the links I provided that if US licences are OK for a swap in a particular Canadian province / territory. it is likely that agreement has been reached with American states for the same in reverse. I think the rules in Canada also have the possibility to vary as you indicate with NJ - but I think it is generally OK to swap between provinces and territories without such a hassle.

ETA: Actually, NJ does allow a swap between all states and the District of Columbia. http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Vehicle/moving_to_nj/license01.htm

I think the possibility of variance between state, territory and / province only exists because of the structure of how motor vehicle regulation is in the US and Canada, but in theory too much variance is impractical.

For NJ, it says after you get the permit, a vision test and knowledge test and possibly a road test if required.
 
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Licenses/LicensesNon-Citizens.htm

When I moved to NJ after driving for years, I had to take the written test.  I had no points or anything on my license, so I can say that, yes, NJ will make you take at least the written test.  It was VERY annoying though understandable as each state has it's own driving rules.

When I moved to NJ after driving for years, I had to take the written test.  I had no points or anything on my license, so I can say that, yes, NJ will make you take at least the written test.  It was VERY annoying though understandable as each state has it's own driving rules.

I also had to retake the written test when I moved to NJ, and did not have to when I moved to DC or GA. So it does clearly vary by state.