When we arrived in Zambia, a well-meaning friend took us to the RTSA office to get driving licenses. There were lots of unmarked doors and tons of people standing around. When we got in where some people were taking their written tests, we were finally told that we had to have our work permits before we applied.
So I waited a long time before actually going and getting one.
Which meant any time I encountered police road blocks, it was a crap shoot as to what the officer would do. Driving on a US license is allowed... for a couple of months. Then it's considered "unlicensed driving" which incurs a fine of K450 (currently about $40). So I figured I needed to get my Zambian driving license.
So I went back to RTSA and found a manager who told me what I needed: I could start from scratch (which would take months and driving lessons and so forth), or I could convert my US driving license. I chose to convert...
To convert, I had to get proof that my US driving license was valid. That meant a trip to the US embassy. I stopped by after my visit to RTSA, and they told me I needed to make an appointment, and I had to do it online. So I went online and made an appointment. They only have a couple of slots available, so I chose one when I could do it, which wasn't for several days.
The next day I went to get my doctor's certificate. They have a certain form that a doctor needs to fill out, but not just any doctor. It has to be a doctor from a government clinic. So I went to a clinic... only to find out later that it was the wrong one (and in any case, the doctor wasn't there). So I went to another one. It was crowded and muddy. I'm not sure if I got through simply because I was white, or because the driving "check up" is so simple, but whatever the case, I sat and waited for a while and kind of pushed my way through (like everywhere else, there are not signs telling you where you should be - but I found another person doing the same thing, so I just went with him). I waited for a cashier to come, and then I paid my K50 (a little under $5) and went and waited somewhere else for the doctor to come. The doctor came and signed off on our forms (never even looking at either of us - I don't mean he didn't give us a check-up, I mean he never even glanced up at us). Then we went to another room to get the official stamp (I would not have known to do this or where to do this if the other guy wasn't there).
OK, now I had the doctor form. That process took half a day.
Next was the embassy. That was a smooth process and very easy, but it cost $50 (US) for them to certify that my license was valid. I guess they need to make money somehow, after all the US government spends.
Now I was ready to go back to RTSA. I went back to the manager I'd spoken to before... but he wasn't there. So I interrupted an employee who was very busy eating a snack, talking to a co-worker, and flipping through a pile of forms. She asked for my paperwork, which I gave her. She seemed a little put-off that a customer was asking her for help (typical civil servant from anywhere, In my personal experience). But she took my papers and stuck them in a pile. And I sat there. Then I was photographed and told to go to another room and paid someone some money (I don't even remember how much now) and talk to another manager.I went in, and he asked if I was ready to take my driving test. But it was getting late, and I didn't have time. So I told him I needed to get home to my wife and kids, and he laughed and said he knew I was going to say that. I asked if I could come back the next day, and he said that would be fine.
First thing the next day I went back and took my car into the arena which was filled with cars and with a set of bleachers filled with people waiting to take the driving test. A guard pointed me to a parking spot and asked if I had the "L" stickers for a "learner" car. I didn't. He told me he would give me temporary ones for K30. I went to the shack in front, and gave them all my paperwork and sat around for a while, until someone came and told me he would be taking me for the test.
Mind you, I had been studying the manual and memorizing the rules of the road and had even developed a mnemonic device to remember them. But he didn't ask about any of that. He directed me to drive around the block (in moderate traffic) and back into the arena, where he said I was done. I waited in the shack while I got my paperwork signed and all the official stamps. Then the guard came back and told me I needed to give him K40. I gave him 30 and called him a thief. Then I went back and waited for the manager to sign. Then I was given my temporary license (on paper) and told to go to the main RTSA office in three months to get my permanent one.
Now, you might think this is a long and crazy process. But I was pleased at how fast I was able to do it...
