tcc1979

OK. so next hurdle to deal with!

I have just received my EAD card and social security number.
I have also been offered a good job to start soon and it comes with a company vehicle and they needed a copy of my licence which is from the UK as i could not start the procedure without the social security number.

First appointment with DMV here in CT is 1st feb and that is only for a learners permit. Then i have to arrange an 8 hour drug and alcohol class and the driving test at a later date.

My new job are not sure if they can insure me on their vehicles with a UK licence and there is no way of making this go faster.

Annoyingly the CT DMV site says i can simply exchange a driving licence if i am from Germany or France but not the UK.
I have US car insurance on my UK licence for our personal car.

Has any one had this problem before?

Rete

You are going for a Driver's License from the State of CT. Most states within the US will not exchange your UK license for their state license and you have to undergo the written and driving tests before getting a license.

Since it is a State license, you are not reduced to only using the local DMV but can utilize any of the DMV's within the State of Connecticut. Check around and see if you can get an earlier appointment in another area of Connecticut.

Perhaps your new employer will allow you to use your personal vehicle until you have your Connecticut State driver's license and perhaps also reimburse you for the cost of insurance, wear and tear and gas for the time you need to use it.

There are always options.

PS Think how annoying it is for a Canadian who has the same issue you are having and they drive on the correct side of the road up there ;-)

BritInParis

Those arrangements are reciprocal on a state by state basis. No state has a reciprocal deal with the UK as the UK does not permit any US drivers license to be exchange for GB or NI driving licence.

The UK does however have a reciprocal arrangement with Canada so you can exchange your GB licence for, say, an Ontario driver's license. There doesn't appear to be any proof of residence requirement so if you don't mind driving up to Toronto, spending a night in an Airbnb and exchanging your GB licence by taking an eye test in the morning before driving back you could then swap your Ontario license for a Connecticut license.

tcc1979

I looked into the Canada option but problem is i cant leave the US due to not being issued the travel authorisation. Great idea though!
Have managed to get into the DMV next tuesday for the learners permit due to a cancelled appointment.
After 21 years i will be studying the highway code again.

tcc1979

I have thrown the idea of using personal vehicle back to my employer so will await the outcome. Luckily i have managed to get a last minute appointment for tuesday next week with the DMV for the learners permit.

bruceba

I am pretty sure you have to be an Ontario resident to get an Ontario license.

cautiousjon

Also, the OP should be aware that a learner's permit does not allow you to drive unaccompanied. If the OP will be accompanied, can you ask that person to drive instead?

BritInParis

Happy to be corrected, that would make sense, but proof of residence is not listed as one of the required documents.

rpjs

I think some states waive the requirement to be accompanied for learner's permit holders that also hold a full license from a foreign country. OP should research if CT is one.

mbhep27

Hey guys, does anyone yet know if the "exchange your UK license for a Canadian license, then a US license" trick actually work? That could really save me a lot of time and effort...

md95065

That's probably because Canadians would just expect that residence was a requirement without needing to be explicitly told ...

morpeth

Does that work in reverse, switch a US license for Canadian one , then get a US license ?

BritInParis

And hence creating the loophole.

I think that might not work as well. There was a loophole for holders of Indian driving licences to swap for a Hong Kong driving licence to enable them to obtain a GB driving licence without having to sit a UK driving test but that was ended in 2013.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...agreement-hong

The requirement now is to show where you have passed your test rather than which countries' driving licence you currently hold. Even if you could you would be restricted to automatics.

https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-...-or-motorcycle

scrubbedexpat099

Colorado test was 10 minutes.

WEBlue

The husband and I had to do all this a few years back. We didn't need a Learner's Permit, as we have driven in several countries for decades. But we did need the 8 hours of classroom instruction, which we took in the evenings in the next town over. (A class full of American teenagers--fun!!!) It's a big pain, but no way around it.....

Yes, if you check around, there may be a another CT DMV office with an earlier LP appointment opening. Just make sure that office is authorized to handle Learners' Permits. We took our on-road test in a DMV at the other end of the state, just because they had an opening that was more convenient for us.