Are you already living here? I would encourage you to do whatever it takes to get a license from a state that does have reciprocity. We moved from Georgia, and had heard it was hard, but only knew US hard. We couldn't even comprehend the ridiculousness of the French process. I just passed the practical portion and an finished (can't even tell you how happy this makes me) but even with 20+ years driving experience, driving a manual very well (it's all I drive), and being a person of reasonable intelligence, this was an extremely hard and frustrating process. It took over 6 months even with me passing both tests the first time ( and that is extremely rare- my husband did not) and cost who knows how much. It's so stupid I can't even begin to tell you. They have ONE way of doing things here, and that is the ONLY way you are allowed to do it. Period. So, cheapest thing to do is find a friend or relative in a state with reciprocity and get your license in that state and then exchange it here.