Dirvers License Changes, What Really Is The Law?

[jeff1234]

I was told by ACA (as well as Buenos Aires Ciudad) that when you have permanent residence your foreign driver's license is not valid here and you have to do the course and both exams to get an Argentine license. If you have your foreign license legalized at your embassy you won't get the principiante license

I got the same. Had to take both.

 

[Pensador]

How hard is the Arg test? I have heard some stories like you just take a drive and pay the bill.

 

[julian63]

Arg puts the fun into dysfunctional as in a dysfunctional legal system.

 

[steveinbsas]

How hard is the Arg test? I have heard some stories like you just take a drive and pay the bill.

As indicated by Nobody Special's story, it varies, not only from province to province, but within the same testing facility!. He was first told he wouldn't have to take the written and driving tests if he provided a valid foreign license that was legalized (Apostille?) in Argentina. He provided the legalized foreign license and he was still required to take both tests.

As I previously indicated, in 2010 I showed my Illinois license without an Apostille (the one that was rejected in CF) in Punta Alta and I only had to take the eye and psychological tests and pay the fee. The psych test only entailed copying a few line drawings on a piece of paper. I was astonished when I asked the "official" if anyone ever failed the psych test and her answer was, "Yes."

The Argentine written test is much like tests in the USA, so you have to know the meaning of road signs and the rules of the road.

You can find a"practice test" of the BA city written exam on line. I made an English translation of it and can send it to you in a PDF if you send me your email in a PM.

I also have a PDF of the same version of the test that I translated. I can send that also and if you print them out you can study them side by side (if your Spanish isn't that great) and memorize he correct answers (which shown are in bold text). I crammed for a couple days before going to thee driver's license facility but wasn't asked to take the test.

 

[Monique]

How hard is the Arg test? I have heard some stories like you just take a drive and pay the bill.

For the written test there is a set of 200 multiple-choice questions which can be found on line. You will be given a random 30 questions of this set so if you learn these questions, you'll be done in 5 minutes. Prior to doing the test you have to attend a course on road safety education. In addition there is a psychophysical test (visual, auditory, psychological and clinical examination). The practical exam is ridiculous. I did it on the ACA grounds opposite the planetarium. You have to drive 20 meters in reverse, parallel park and slalom through 5 cones. It was literally 10 minutes.

 

[jbhenson]

After being told I would have to take both test. I was told if the license wasn't legalized, I would get a beginners tag, So its in my best interest to get it legalized. Oh well, Semper Gumby!

 

[Irelander]

I got permanent residence and drove with my EU (issued in Spain) licence. No problems whenever I was stopped by the cops. Then I realised was out of date and I'd been driving about for 3 months with an expired licence. Went to my 'Comuna' office here in Capital Federal and they told me that because it'd expired, I'd have to re-sit the test. They sent me off to the autodromo in Villa Riachuelo, where they took a photocopy of my EU licence for their 'archivo' and sent me for eye and 'psychological' tests. I was expecting to be given a date for the test, but they said they had a 'convenio' with Spain and sent me to the hatch to pay the fee. I paid up and got an Argentine licence, which I've since renewed. No test, no problems. Maybe I was lucky.

 

[steveinbsas]

I got permanent residence and drove with my EU (issued in Spain) licence (which) I realised was out of date and I'd been driving about for 3 months with an expired licence.

Maybe I was lucky.

Yes, I'd say you were lucky not to have caused an accident (or even been involved in one) while driving with an expired ;license.

If you had been at fault your insurance company might (and probably would) have declined to pay the damages to either party.

Even if the accident was the other driver's fault, his/her insurance company might have used your not having a valid license as an excuse not to pay for damages to you or your vehicle.

And in one or possibly both cases your permanent residency might have been at risk if the police had charged you with a crime.

It's something for all of us who drive to keep in mind.

And it's an example that Dr. Rubilar has used in previous posts about the possibilities of losing permanent residency.

PS: If you had been stopped at a police traffic checkpoint your vehicle would have been impounded on the spot and you would have (at the least) received a multa (ticket) for not having a valid license.

I'm not sure how much all that would have cost, but I'm sure it would not have been cheap.

If you had been involved in an accident (especially one with injuries) you probably would have been arrested and taken straight to jail and your permanent residency would have been in jeopardy.

Depending on the seriousness of the injuries (of others) who knows how long you would have had to spend in jail awaiting trial. Dr. Rublikar previously posted that, as a foreigner, you would not have been released before the trial,

If, at the trial, you were convicted of a serious crime, you would have to complete half the sentence in jail before you could ask to be deported.

In this case it looks like you really had the "Luck of the Irish" going for you.

 

[ben]

Yes, I'd say you were lucky not to have caused an accident (or even been involved in one) while driving with an expired ;license.

If you had been at fault your insurance company might (and probably would) have denied to pay the damages to either party.

Even if the accident was the other driver's fault, his/her insurance company might have used your not having a valid license as an excuse not to pay for damages to you or your vehicle.

And in one or possibly both cases your permanent residency might have been at risk as a result. if the police had charged you with a crime.

It's something for all of us who drive to keep in mind.

Not to mention that if the police stopped you in one of their impromptu checkpoints they set up around town, you'd be in serious trouble.

I got stopped a couple of times, and presented my Canadian license.

The expiration date is written YYYY/MM/DD and the day happened to be 16. Understanding that 16 did not mean 2016, and so this did not mean the license is already expired, appeared to be beyond the police officer's capabilities.

He walked over to me, pointing to the date, and asked "what is this?!". Um, year X, month X, day 16. Stared frowning at the license for another minute, and handed it back to me.

The intelligence of local officers is not to be overestimated.

 

[steveinbsas]

Not to mention that if the police stopped you in one of their impromptu checkpoints they set up around town, you'd be in serious trouble.

I got stopped a couple of times, and presented my Canadian license.

The expiration date is written YYYY/MM/DD and the day happened to be 16. Understanding that 16 did not mean 2016, and so this did not mean the license is already expired, appeared to be beyond the police officer's capabilities.

He walked over to me, pointing to the date, and asked "what is this?!". Um, year X, month X, day 16. Stared frowning at the license for another minute, and handed it back to me.

The intelligence of local officers is not to be overestimated.

While ben was replying to my previous post I added this:

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]And it's an example that Dr. Rubilar has used in previous posts about the possibilities of losing permanent residency.[/background]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]PS: If you had been stopped at a police traffic checkpoint your vehicle would have been impounded on the spot and you would have (at the least) received a multa (ticket) for not having a valid license. [/background]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]I'm not sure how much all that would have cost, but I'm sure it would not have been cheap.[/background]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]If you had been involved in an accident (especially one with injuries) you probably would have been arrested and taken straight to jail and your permanent residency would have been in jeopardy. [/background]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]Depending on the seriousness of the injuries (of others) who knows how long you would have had to spend in jail awaiting trial. Dr. Rublikar previously posted that, as a foreigner, you would not have been released before the trial, [/background]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]If, at the trial, you were convicted of a serious crime, you would have to spend half the sentence in jail before you could ask to be deported.[/background]

In this case it looks like you really had the "Luck of the Irish" going for you.