I feel like I'm 16 years old all over again. Apparently WA state does not accept a Canadian drivers license.. So, I have to take the knowledge and road test here.. haha. NOt a big deal.. I passed the knowledge test easy, and have my road test on the 28th of this month, but gosh it's just so weird.. Weird to allow us as visitors to drive in the state or country yet not allow us to surrender ours and get a state DL.. weird.. So did you guys have to do the same thing? Or is it just this state.. I seriously thought when we were in VA that they accepted it, just had to chang eit over and surrender... Anyone?

Non-Americans have to redo all of the driving tests - written, eye and driving- to get a Driver's License in Georgia too. I had to do them all and turn over my Ontario Driver's License in order to get my Georgia license as well - it is illegal to have more than one DL in your possession at one time.

I am also moving to Washington state and not looking forward to having to do my written and road test either. 28 years of bad habits!!!!! My husband says I will have to watch out for those "califorian stops" lol

had to have the written and road test here in Cali too.. and I was supposed to surrender my Canadian DL too.. but the lady asked for it and wrote something down off of it and handed it back to me and I said are yo sure I am supposed to get this back and she said yup...

First off, it depends what state you are moving in. Some will just do the transfer with no other requirements, some will require only a written test (like in Illinois) and some will make you do it all. It's really a state specific thing.

And I thought it was only illegal to have DL from 2 different states, not from 2 different countries?

You were right in VA it is just to give them your Canadian one and get a VA one. Although they are very strict on the documentation they will accept in order to do the exchange. I am sure you will do fine on your driving portion since you did on your written.

Nothing "UNITED" in the United States of America. All differ. in VA just a simple 1 for 1 exchange, and I kept all my motorcycle endorsement as well, was to easy. Nothing like seeing Armed security in a DMV,lol free world baby!!

Nope I just handed my drivers licence in at the mall DMV, took a quick eye test, came back 10 mins later and ta-da my new 8 year licence. No written or driving tests. Of course this was 10 years back, so things might have changed. I didn't have to show my passport or anything and it was in the middle of the mall in a booth (which they no longer do)...

I had to go through the written and driving exam here in Louisiana. I just went a few days ago.

It was a hellish ordeal, but I got it and it is done.

They did not ask for my Canadian License, so I still have it.

In Florida I just needed to do an eye test and I was outta there. Still have my Ontario license as well.

They way the folks at the DMV act sometimes, I'm not surprised that they're not behind bulletproof glass. Texas DPS gave me the choice, so I kept my Ontario DL. Maine is the same.

Hi! I just went through the process of getting my WA driver's license. I think it is commonly believed in Washington that us Canadians don't know how to drive. I was talking to a woman sitting beside me in the DMV and when I told her that I had to take a road test, she said, "well, you guys need to learn how to drive properly." Then she had the nerve to try to continue a conversation with me. I was so mad. They are quite lenient on the road test. I think they are much more stringent in BC. Best of luck on your road test!

yeah my road test was all of 5 minutes.. basically just took me around the block...

HAHA that's funny, because I think the same thing of WA state drivers.. Even before I moved here from Vancouver. Every time I saw a WA plate, I automatically thought "oh boy, here we go another really bad driver"

My road test is on Wednesday.. I heard it's only a 10 minute test.. I hear ya on the years of "bad driving" I thought to myself.. do I even know how to drive according to the drivers book? I mean I don't know about you guys but I don't even drive with 2 hands on the steering wheel. unless it's windy or something like that..
YES! we used to live in VA and they said I could just surrender my license and get a VA license... is that because they're a commonwealth state? anyhow, it's somewhat ridiculous considering how our rules are pretty much the same yet someone from say the Philippines can go to FLA and just take the written and be done with itand have their license.. haha
omg, what if I failed that would be hilarious!

a few little things I can think of that they look for:

Seatbelt on as soon as you get in the car

Looking behind you before backing out

Shoulder checking when changing lanes

2 second rule- not following too close

stay below speed limit- especially in a residential area

coming to a complete stop at a stop sign and stopping before the line

don't take corners too fast

at red lights, keep a good distance between you and the car in front of you

She gave me the sheet that she was filling out while I was doing the driving test, I only glanced at it quickly before they took it back.
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only a written test in illinois?! woohoo! i had read about it and thought so, but thanks for confirming it.

(realize this is coming from someone who almost RAN SOMEONE OVER during her first driving test... and clearly failed... though, i swear, that guy ran in front of my car! )

Did ya ask the examiner how many points ya got for hitting him? lol Thats 10 points, would have been 20 points had he been wearing a leafs Jersey!!

I had to do all 3 tests in NH and you can only do the test in the state capital which is an hour and a half away. The eye test was a breeze, as was the written test but the driving test sucked I got a wicked mean examiner. She told me to drive up to the stop sign and turn left, as soon as I got the car in motion she snarled " Oh! you have a crack in the windshield sorry you fail you can retest in 2 weeks"
The crack was small and not anywhere near my line of sight plus the car had just passed inspection with that same crack.
2 weeks later I redid the road test, they were really busy that day so I had a State Trooper as the the road test examiner. He was more interested in hearing about Vancouver and my Visa process than he was about the driving test.

What the.....? I would have screamed blue murder!

Maybe she was PMS'ing? That is unfortunate she did something like that.

So what I gather the meaning of the story is: Women are evil!! lol

Exactly! And we can't drive, either, so I have no idea what they were thinking hiring one of us as an examiner. Stupid Americans.

In OKlahoma, I only had to do the eye exam, fill out a sheet of paper, and wait while they verified my Canadian DL with the Nova Scotia DL people. I did have to give up my Canadian DL, because it was in my maiden name, and they frown on having two valid pieces of ID with different names.

You are one smart gal!!!

I would never say anything like that some women are very nice (my wife would beat me if I said they were all evil )
and she is probably a better driver than me too.

Your out of the Union Waterpuppy!! lol Everyone knows I'm just kidding!! I do all the house work,most of the meals, and I'm a male Nursing student,lol surrounded by females,lol Sucks going to work with female nurses,lol And I love my wife dearly!!

maryland was straight exchange..

LMAO!
I will let all of you know if I pass.. hah, and IF I don't pass.. I just hope if I don't, it's not because "there's a crack in the windshield" haha that's so wrong. I spoke to one of the driving instructors at a school over here in WA and she said "they don't care if your check engine light is on, it's none of their business" .. HAHAHA can you believe that?! I don't believe her at all but it's hilarious that she's a driving instructor for hundreds of kids/adults learning HOW to drive.

It was horrible when the examiner failed Waterpupy because of the windshield crack. I wasn't there (couldn't take off work so my dad went with him), but apparently the examiner failed numerous people that day. Waterpupy told me that he was waiting for his test and kept seeing people come in from doing the driving test and no one was passing.

And I am a better driver than him !!!! HAHAHAHA

That is actually a curse for me, because it means I end up doing more of the driving, especially when we are in a city. He is a product of living in Vancouver and using the lovely public transportation system which meant he rarely drove. Although, I do pull the pregnancy card now and he drives more frequently

Vancouver has a great transit system, the buses are actually on time unlike SOME places here in the US. and the transit skytrain goes to majority points to where you need to get to =)
OMG doesn't he miss it there?! I do, but I'm only 2 hours away. After I get this license I won't have anything else left to do until '09. woohoo! oh and I'm a good driver, but my husband does most the driving. I'm probably annoying at times cuz I sometimes become the "back seat driver" haha

I remember being in one of our corporate vans with a couple of my co-workers, Jason and Tony, coming back from a meeting in the city. I was sitting up front with Tony, who was driving. There was a huge truck which was barrelling towards us from the opposite direction and we were FAR too close to his side of the two-lane highway. So close, in fact, that the truck driver blared his horn at us. Tony said "I wonder why that truck driver blared his horn at us?" I said "Probably because you were too close to the centre line." Tony said "Oh yeah? Well, you're too close to the front seat!"

OMG, Jason and I HOWLED.

ROTFLMAO!! I don't know how I could've missed this post!! " Nothing like seeing Armed security in a DMV,lol free world baby!!"

Anyone know what it's like in NC? I read through this but didn't see where anyone from there had posted.

Oh yeah, he misses it a lot. Especially when he first moved here. We live in a rural small town, public transportation is practically nonexistent. He was trapped at home until he got his license.

I felt like that when we lived in VA. omg. haha extreme culture shock or lack of.. Anyhow tomorrow's my road test.. haha. I'm not even a bad driver. I don't know whens the last time I parallel parked. You know how they have you go in between those cones.. I practiced and banged the curb! I couldn't stop laughing don't know why. But I actually went over to where it's EXACTLY set up and parked fine.. tomorrow is going to be so entertaining, and interesting..

I still keep thinking about how if I fail, it will actually be quite horrible.. And they keep asking for my Vancouver license but I surrendered that to get a free BCID in Vancouver. oh and that lady at the DMV was very BITCHY!

I GOT 100% I PASSED!!!

It can't be hard in Texas. My wife's son (lived in Texas forever) got his driver's license without even taking a road exam. All he did was pass the written.

what about if i have a old calif. DL ? (like i did it 10 years ago)
is it possible to reactivate it or need to do all over again too ?

Bren had to take the WA exam --- and he is the USC. Makes you wonder, eh?

what?! So he was already licensed, and they made him take it all over again?

Oh yeah baby. He was licensed in OR and UT; then moved to Canada and exchanged for an AB license. Came back here and voila: take the test or else. Needless to say, the redhead was not pleased

That's sucks, I don't blame the redhead for being displeased. I don't understand why he didn't just surrender the license that was expiring sooner instead of both.

Anyone know about getting one in KY?

I'm guessing it won't be too big of a deal, but you never know...

I can jsut imagine what the FH will say if he finds he has to re-take the whole thing. It certainly won't be PG. lol

OMG!! That sucks! So I guess that means If we decided to move back to BC that I would have to take mine over again, because I surrendered my BC DL to get a free BCID after I learned it was useless here.. haha both my husband and I would have to take it again. And BC is so strict now, with their million question knowledge tests, and 2 road tests to pass..