Back in August, Hannah and I went to the license bureau with all of the necessary paperwork to do a "license exchange". A license exchange basically means you are able to get an Ecuadorian license based on having a valid U.S. license. Our friends from Minnesota did exactly this and they told us everything we would need in order to do it. They had no problems and got their Ecuadorian licenses the same day.
These were the requirements: our Indiana license, certification from Indiana that our license was valid and our Indiana driving record (translated and notarized), blood-type card from the Ecuadorian Red Cross, and certification of passing certain tests done at a driving school (vision, reflexes, coordination).
We got all of these things and went to the license bureau. There is a bank inside the building and we went there to pay the fees for the license. When we were able to talk to someone, we presented all of our paperwork and told her we wanted to do the license exchange. She looked through everything and we weren't missing anything. However, there was a problem when she saw that our driver's licenses were from the state of Indiana. She looked in their system the states that have been approved for the license exchange, and wouldn't you know it, Indiana was not approved. Our friends, that I mentioned before, are from Minnesota, and their state had been approved. She said that we couldn't do the license exchange and that she would make a request to have Indiana approved. She said it would be about 20 days.
I knew it would be longer than 20 days, but I never imagined that by today (April 11, 2016) it still would not have been approved. Almost every week since we left the license bureau I called to ask about the approval status of Indiana. I wasn't able to talk to someone every time, but when I was able to, I was told that it was still in process. On one of my calls in February, I was told that the process to approve Indiana had never even been started and that it was just now going to be submitted for approval, which could take up to 3 months. Unbelievable!
During all of this waiting, we went ahead and purchased International Driver's Permits so we could drive here legally. All of these months we have been hopeful that Indiana would be approved so that we could do the license exchange. We did not want to have to go to the driver's school because we already know how to drive, plus we didn't want to have to pay the money for it (about $200 per person).
After hearing that the approval for Indiana could take another 3 months, I decided to look into the driving school. My International Driver's permit was close to being 6 months old - and even though it is supposedly good for 1 year, I had my doubts after being stopped by traffic police on the way to our retreat in January. The officer told me I could drive with that permit for 6 months. I didn't really want to take any chances, even though another officer may say it is good for 1 year.
In March I went to a driving school to ask about their course. As I was talking with the lady, she told me there was a new option for getting an Ecuadorian driver's license. I could take the full course or I could skip the course and take only the driving test and the vision/reflex/coordination test. She said if I didn't pass the 2 tests on the first attempt, I would be required to take the full course.
I opted for the the 2 tests instead of the full course; I went back the next day (March 23) to take them. I passed them both and received my copy of the certification; they said they would submit/upload the results into the main system within 72 hours. And once those results were in the system I could go to the license bureau and take the written test and get my license.
A terrible thing happened when I left the driving school office. I crashed our car into a pole!
When I parked the car, I definitely noticed this pole directly behind one of the parking spaces. There were no other open spaces so I had to park there. Ironically, after having just passed the driving test, I backed the car into the pole. Fortunately the instructor was not around, and fortunately no one came out to see what happened. I can't believe I didn't see the pole when I backed out, but I certainly did feel it! I looked for cars and pedestrians - when I saw neither I went in reverse and BAM! hit the pole. I couldn't believe it - my first accident EVER and it happened like this. The car is currently at the body shop getting fixed.
On the website for the license bureau, there is a link to obtain a turn/number in order to get your license. I entered my information to get a turn, and the date I was given was April 11, approximately 2 weeks later. I didn't want to wait that long, and I didn't think I should have to wait that long, so I went to the license bureau on Tuesday, March 29. I went to the information desk and showed my paperwork and told them I wanted to get my driver's license - he said I had to have a turn! Which meant waiting until April 11. I stepped outside for a couple minutes, then decided to just go straight to the clerks that handle the paperwork for the new licenses. Surprisingly, I was able to walk right to one of the desks and start speaking with a lady. She didn't ask me for my turn/number; she told me to have a seat and started looking through my paperwork. I thought I was going to be able to take the written test and get my license. Everything was good, except my results from the 2 tests had not been submitted yet! It had been almost a week and they still weren't in the system. I drove from the license bureau to the school and asked about my results. I was told they were still working on the results from March 22 - my results were from March 23!
I waited 2 days and went back on Thursday. Again, I was able to go immediately to one of the clerks and show my paperwork...but he said I had to have a turn! He looked in the system and my test results were there, but I couldn't take the test because my turn wasn't until April 11.
So now, today, April 11, I had my turn and was able to get my license.
For Hannah, we are still waiting. She would be able to do the 2 tests like I did, instead of taking the full course. However, she doesn't know how to drive a stick shift, and the driving tests are only done with stick shift vehicles. We are still hopeful that Indiana will be approved so that she can do the license exchange. She is definitely legal for a couple more months on her International Permit, possibly until December if the permit is in fact good for a full year.
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