Phil, a Californian, moved from the US to Ireland with his Irish wife in 2015. He, however, ran into a huge roadblock when he tried to exchange his US license for an Irish one and was told it was impossible.

Without the ability to exchange his license, he was only able to get very expensive car insurance for the first year using his California license and was informed that in order to reduce the high premium, he would need to get his Irish license as soon as possible.

He was surprised when he researched what he needed to do to accomplish this. At that time he was told he would need 12 driving lessons with a qualified driving instructor he would need to take a theory test and then a driving test. The total cost to accomplish this was approximately 1500 euro. (The current number of required driving lessons has been reduced to 6.) He would also need to display an N sign for 2 years after getting the license.

For someone who had been driving for almost 60 years and had a clean driving record, this was difficult to accept. He was treated the same as a 16-year-old who wanted to get a driver’s license.

With no other option available Phil dug in and took his lessons and was finally able to get his Irish driver’s license. As a result his car insurance premiums came down significantly.

Phil’s story is just one of many. He feels it is really important in this day and age that the Driver’s License Reciprocity Committee continues its work to enable an exchange of licenses between the US and Ireland. There are so many immigrants who could benefit and would be able to move forward without unnecessary roadblocks.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the lack of driver’s license reciprocity, please share your story or get involved with our campaign.