Irish and Canadian authorities sign reciprocal driving license agreement

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Frank Bullitt

If your visa has less than 6 months left on it, there might be an issue with this.

cregser

JT26 wrote: »

Wish Alberta and Ireland would hurry on too.

Damn straight! The delay has been infuriating. I asked Service Alberta back in October and they said it would be "a matter of months". What could be the hold up?

Gintonious wrote: »

If your visa has less than 6 months left on it, there might be an issue with this.

How so?

el diablo

cregser wrote: »

Damn straight! The delay has been infuriating. I asked Service Alberta back in October and they said it would be "a matter of months". What could be the hold up?

Bureaucracy.

How so?

They won't give you a Canadian driving licence.

Frank Bullitt

cregser wrote: »

Damn straight! The delay has been infuriating. I asked Service Alberta back in October and they said it would be "a matter of months". What could be the hold up?

How so?

Apparently they won't grant you one if it has less than 6 months left on it.

Durag

I lost my license while travelling through SE Asia last month and i am off to Calgary in a few days, just at home to get my stuff but i will have to apply for a new license now which is a pain.

What do i need to have with me regarding driving in Alberta? I am aware i will have to do the driving test there as there is no agreement with AB and Ireland yet, but what what documents will i need? Obviously a license and then is it just a driving history? Can this be got an any guarda station?

Arcto

el diablo wrote: »

Where?

Up near Prince George BC

el diablo

Durag wrote: »

I lost my license while travelling through SE Asia last month and i am off to Calgary in a few days, just at home to get my stuff but i will have to apply for a new license now which is a pain.

What do i need to have with me regarding driving in Alberta? I am aware i will have to do the driving test there as there is no agreement with AB and Ireland yet, but what what documents will i need? Obviously a license and then is it just a driving history? Can this be got an any guarda station?

Get your driving history from NDLS. It will cost €15.

JenL

Durag wrote: »

I lost my license while travelling through SE Asia last month and i am off to Calgary in a few days, just at home to get my stuff but i will have to apply for a new license now which is a pain.

What do i need to have with me regarding driving in Alberta? I am aware i will have to do the driving test there as there is no agreement with AB and Ireland yet, but what what documents will i need? Obviously a license and then is it just a driving history? Can this be got an any guarda station?

There is no agreement between Ireland and Alberta for a straight swap but if you have a full licence for at least 2 years you can sit the theory test and instead of being on a learners permit for a year they send off your Irish licence to be verified and you can then book the driving test. Takes about 2 weeks.
If you buy/rent a car when you first get here you will need your Irish driving licence and international licence on you at all times you are driving.
Also bring a copy of your driving history (from ndls) - my insurance company recognised my Irish driving history and gave a discount for it.

AmyPL

Got my BC license (well, placeholder until the actual one arrives in the post) this evening at the Metrotown ICBC. couldn't have been easier. They asked for my passport and visa as well as the original copy of my NDLS driver history, I'd already surrendered my license. They waived the rules of the road questions and eyesight test because I did my knowledge test a few weeks back. Paid $31, took a photo and that was it. Now it's time to plan a road trip!

Arcto

It has gone live on the ICBC page now:

http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/moving-bc/Pages/Moving-from-another-country.aspx

Happy times

el diablo

Not happy times if you live in Alberta. Don't rub it in.

Been waiting over three weeks for them to process my application (to do my driving test). :rolleyes:

cregser

It's not live on the NDLS page so I'm not sure how reciprocal the agreement actually is. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick will also swap an Irish license for a provincial one but you can't swap it back!

A friend asked Service Alberta recently what the craic is there but they're apparently sticking to the line that it'll take a matter of months... which is what they told me about 8 months ago...

el diablo

cregser wrote: »

It's not live on the NDLS page so I'm not sure how reciprocal the agreement actually is. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick will also swap an Irish license for a provincial one but you can't swap it back!

A friend asked Service Alberta recently what the craic is there but they're apparently sticking to the line that it'll take a matter of months... which is what they told me about 8 months ago...

It's the RSA that deals with it, not the NDLS. I contacted RSA last week and I was told it would be later on in the year (but they've been saying the same for over two years).

Green Diesel

Picked up my BC license last week. I actually went in to apply for the test and they told me that the rule had changed, straight swap. Happy times.

MrTom1

was it done there and then or did you have to wait for your licence to be return back to eire?

AmyPL

They give you a temporary paper licence then and there and send a laminated one out in the post (takes about 2 weeks to arrive).

Green Diesel

Yeah waiting for the plastic, have the paper interim version until it arrives

Brilliant! Something to look forward to when I get back in November!

el diablo

Anyone who's waiting for an reciprocal driving licence agreement between Alberta and Rep. of Ireland...... you've got a VERY long wait ahead of you.

Some additional information is available to clarify the situation with the Republic of Ireland.



Generally there are three stages to developing a Reciprocal Licensing Agreement.



First is the agreement in principle that the driver licensing systems are compatible and that both sides are comfortable accepting each other’s licences without testing. Alberta Transportation was first contacted by the Republic of Ireland’s embassy in late 2013. Since that time, Alberta sent and received back from Ireland our standard driver licensing, testing, and training questionnaire. While there have been personnel changes at the embassy, we are still responding to information requests from Ireland about Alberta’s road testing standards and driver examiner training processes.



Second, once both jurisdictions are satisfied that all driver licensing processes are approximately equivalent, they can begin developing the text of the agreement itself. While Alberta does use a standard template to begin this process, this will also be subject to negotiation. Each country with which Alberta has an agreement has different preferences on issues such as which types of licenses to include for exchange, how to deal with newly licensed drivers, and how to handle surrendered licences. When the text is finalized, the third stage is to submit the documents to both jurisdiction’s officials for signature.



The fact that Alberta is still in the first stage with the Republic of Ireland has slowed down this process. Hopefully, Alberta will hear back from Ireland that they are satisfied with Alberta’s driver licensing system in the near future and the remainder of the process can be completed as soon as possible.

Apparently the Irish Department of Transport/RSA are concentrating on an agreement for Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador next.:rolleyes:

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

el diablo

JT26 wrote: »

Great:rolleyes:

Yes, they seem to be pretty incompetent at our Dept. of Transport. Alberta have been waiting almost two years for them to approve the first part of the reciprocal agreement.

Here's an email address for Irish Dept. of Transport if anyone would like to contact them.


PressOffice@dttas.ie

cregser

This has gone nowhere fast...

Captain Snow

Any word on Ireland v Alberta Change over yet.

el diablo

Captain Snow wrote: »

Any word on Ireland v Alberta Change over yet.

It'll never happen. Just do the driving test.

newwan

So what's the dealio on this lads? Moving to Ottawa in June. Is it better to renew my Irish one now for 10 yrs and then exchange it for an Ontario one or just do the Ontario test and try get both licenses?

What do ye think?

el diablo

newwan wrote: »

So what's the dealio on this lads? Moving to Ottawa in June. Is it better to renew my Irish one now for 10 yrs and then exchange it for an Ontario one or just do the Ontario test and try get both licenses?

What do ye think?

Not sure if you have to hand in your Irish license when you apply for an Ontario license....

circular flexing

el diablo wrote: »

Not sure if you have to hand in your Irish license when you apply for an Ontario license....

You do. The law in Ontario also states

A driver may not apply for, secure or retain in his or her possession more than one driver’s licence

http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2026

newwan

Grand so will I apply for a brand new one here before I leave so I have 10 years on it? Or will my Irish one be no good if and when they Ontario dudes hand it back to me?

circular flexing

newwan wrote: »

Grand so will I apply for a brand new one here before I leave so I have 10 years on it? Or will my Irish one be no good if and when they Ontario dudes hand it back to me?

No need to get a new one but you will need to get your driving history off NDLS.

They won't keep your license either, as far as I know it will be shredded.