ULPT: How to convert a US to EU drivers license without being a resident?
Posted by ti84tetris@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 5 comments
hi everyone! My friend hypothetically if a dual US-EU citizen living in Spain. She holds a US drivers license and international driving permit but can't convert it to a Spanish license because the US and Spain don't have an agreement for exchanging drivers licenses. She has a job offer that requires holding a valid EU drivers license. She investigated converting her US license to a Portuguese, French or German license, since those countries do have exchange agreements with the US, but they require actually living there (having an address, being registered with the government, having a job...etc).
Is there an EU country that allows US citizens to convert their drivers license to an EU license without having to prove residency, somewhere where she can get the license during a holiday with a mere "declaration" of residency? Or maybe an EU country that allows you to take a driving test without having to live there, something that could be done during a holiday?
Another option hypothetically could be having someone bribe an official in Morocco or another developing country that Spain has a license reciprocity agreeemnt with so she can get the license from that country without having to go there then converting it to the spanish license. What do you guys think?
HerpesIsItchy@reddit
If your friend doesn't actually have to drive for their job, I would strongly suggest getting a fake driver's license made.
ti84tetris@reddit (OP)
She does have to drive, the company provides a car
the_vikm@reddit
Is she allowed to drive with the US license?
Garbadaargh@reddit
Easy switch when I was a student in Sweden (WA State driver's license, US passport, non-Swedish EU passport)—no theoretical or practical test required.
sparkchaser@reddit
Germany has varying degrees of reciprocity depending on what state you're from. For example, Virginia has full reciprocity with Germany (you exchange one license for the other) but other states have limited reciprocity (you may be exempt from the written test or the road test) or no reciprocity (you have to do driving school then take the written and road test). Now, that being said if you get a German license using the varying degrees of reciprocity, there's going to be a notation on your German license that states that you got your German license by exchanging another license for it and that may impact the ease one may have in exchanging a German license for another EU license.
I'm pretty sure that any EU license is going to require residency.