vikingsail

Some constructive advice. Drop the why why why....line of thought. As others have said conform jump through the hoops, get a learner permit, use the driving school car, and take the test, pass problem solved. Rarely, if ever, will you succeed in challenging government bureacracy, here are anywhere.

tht

Foreign drivers can’t get a US lisence and don’t need one, most visitors can use their lisence from home. Once you became a resident you need a local lisence. If you are from another state and I believe Canada you can just exchange your lisence after an eye test. I did that moving from NY to CT, was very simple.

The process is the same for you as any one else who is not from another state or Canada. Would it be nice if they had a reciprocal agreement with other countries? Yes, but that does not exist to my knowledge, there might be a way to do a double hop via Canada, but probably more work than sitting your lisence. I also don’t think it is a bad idea for people who learned somewhere else to learn the local rules and signs and be tested on it.

durham_lad

When I moved to Texas from the UK I turned up for the driving test after passing the written test but was told I couldn’t take it in a rental car. The State Trooper even pointed to the wording in the rental agreement (“no road tests”) and said that they had talked to the rental companies to confirm that also included a driving test. I borrowed a car from a colleague and took it a couple of days later. It did seem strange that I could drive around on my UK license in the rental car, except when a State Trooper was sitting next to me giving me instructions and making sure I was driving correctly as part of a driving test.

A couple of years later when I moved to Louisiana I had to take the written test to exchange my Texas license for a Louisiana one, which seemed reasonable because the State laws do differ a little.

jjmb

Contact a local driving school. There are places where you can do all the requirements in a day. My son moved back to Scotland briefly and in that time, his license lapsed more than the required time to just renew it when he returned. He had to redo the test even though he had a valid TX license for 10 yrs before that. He did everything in a day, the written part and the test. He used Pflugerville Driving School. Cost $125. https://www.pfdriving.com/

Orta87

Great looks like this is going to be another minefield.

A license from another state, Canada, France, Germany and the Republic of Korea can be directly exchanged for a Virginia DL but not my UK.

Ok not an issue I'm foreign we drive on the opposite side back home. I get that. Taking a test isn't an issue. I've done nearly 50k miles in the US and Canada over the years.

What IS an issue is this having a car for the test. I have my appointment for my knowledge test booked (not until beginning of October!! Earliest appointment).
So if I can't use a rental. I have to use a driving school. To use a driving school I need a learner's permit? How do you get this?

A lot of things in the US seem odd with no clear pathway, I think it's because there's 50 different set of rules but it is certainly alien to a recent UK expat where everything is very clearly spelled out

MidAtlantic

You are/will be in a foreign country so some things are done differently.

To use a driving school I need a learner's permit? How do you get this? Are you serious? It is right up front on the Virginia DMV page: https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#applying.asp

durham_lad

getting learner permits for our kids meant going to our nearest DMV with the various documents in hand to prove residency and age. They received it same day.

SultanOfSwing

You can borrow a car. Do you know anyone, or have a friend who has full coverage insurance, including other drivers, who would lend you a car? It just has to be a car that's fully insured for you to drive and generally here full coverage insures the car, and not the driver.

I did my test (Illinois, so not the same state but it should be comparable) in my wife's car, no need for a learner's permit. If you can borrow a car, you should (but do please check) be able to walk in and take your written and road test the same day as long as you are a) early enough and b) prepared for a wait.

Don't sweat it though, the driving test here is a piece of piss.

jjmb

If you are over 25, you don't need a learner's permit.
If you're over 25 years old, you don't need a certificate from an adult drivers ed course. Just make an appointment for a Texas learners permit over 25 at the DPS. There, you will take your written licensing exam, and vision and hearing tests, before getting behind the wheel for your road test.

Do you have a valid UK license? I did a search and came across this: Rental cars may be allowed for the road test in some cases, but it's wise to double-check before putting down money for a rental. Rental car companies allow only those with a valid license to drive their cars, so this option won't work if you hold a learner's permit only.Oct 15, 2019
Worth looking into.

If you can't get a friend to drive you to the DPS office and borrow the car for the test (the friend would have to be in the car while you take the test), call the driving school and they will provide the car and do the test on the same day. You could just go to the mega DPS office in Pflugerville and wait to do the written test. Look online to see what the current wait time is. If Pflugerville is too far away, there are other smaller offices in Austin. Call a driving school and find out.

tht

That list (other than driving on the same side of the road) looks like some of it could be to make life easier for US military and their families stationed abroad.