I left Ireland in 1986 in search of employment. I first went to Jersey in the Channel Islands and spent 2 years there. I passed my driving test in Jersey, as they didn’t accept/exchange with an Irish Driver’s license at that time. I then moved to the Isle of Man, where I stayed for 16 years, and in 2004, I moved to Florida. I returned to Ireland in August 2024.

When I returned to Ireland, I bought a cheap runaround car as I needed a car/to drive for personal and professional reasons. I was unaware that I could not exchange my US license for an Irish one, which deeply shocked me. I now have to go through the whole process to get an Irish Drivers license as if I were a 16-year-old again – take the essential 6 Driving lessons, take the theory test, and then the actual test. This is a huge cost burden to me, and I now cannot drive my car as I need to have a full license holder with me at all times as I am officially a ‘learner driver.’ I have driven for 46 years and have a clean US license.

On top of this, I have been quoted €4,600 for Car Insurance because I do not have Irish ‘no claims discount’.

I am desperate at this stage and really question if I made the right decision to move home to Ireland. Ireland has reciprocal arrangements for license exchange with many countries around the world; Some European countries have reciprocal arrangements with some US states. It should be noted that Ireland, as an EU member state, follows the EU’s guidelines on driver licensing. EU countries have streamlined processes for license exchange because the systems are standardized across EU nations. Why can Ireland not follow suit, especially in light of the large-scale and forced exodus of Irish people to the US and the apparent strong economic and tourist links with Ireland and the US?