loulou57 wrote:
I would think that a Quebec license would only be in French for the same reasons all signs etc in Quebec are only allowed in French.
Question.....is your official drivers license from your own country not valid in most other countries. I can use my Canadian license when I go back to England.
Answer. Not necessarily. Different country pairs have different reciprocity laws, and other countries may have limited or no recognition of outside licenses.
Canada to the UK is easy because of the Commonwealth. U.S. is not part of the Commonwealth, basis for accepting a license is something else. And it is not even the U.S., because here it is each state.
I've had to get local licenses in the PRC and Barbados. In the first case, I had to take a driving test, and bring a translator. My U.S. license meant I did not need to complete a course at a driving school, just demonstrate skills. I suspect someone else in the office may have completed the written test for me, no way I could read it, just as I could not read the road signs. License was for emergency use (and vanity) since I employed a local driver.
In Barbados it was a matter of paying the fee and filling out the forms. Making sure a tax gets paid.
Another example, there is general reciprocity of licensing within the EU, more or less as member counties harmonize their license classes and licensing standards. But not all EU countries are equal in recognizing licenses from countries outside the EU. What works for a visitor to Ireland may not work in Romania.
How the rules apply may also depend on immigration status. Tourists get a lot of leeway in some countries, residents need local licenses. In others, tourists are simply not permitted to drive, which helps keep local drivers employed.
IDL is simply a certification, readable in several languages, that you have a valid driving permit in your home country. No obligation for any country to accept that as a license to drive.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
