International Drivers License Information on www.idlicense.com

The answer depends on:

1. If you are visiting, a resident or a student,
2. Where your licence was issued and
3. How long you have been here.

Foreigners living in this country fall into one of three groups;

• Resident,

If you are the holder of an ordinary driving licence (car) and provided your licence remains valid, you can drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a provisional GB licence must have been obtained and a driving test(s) passed before the 12-month period elapses. If you obtain a provisional licence during this period, you are not subject to provisional licence conditions. If you don’t pass a test within 12 months. If you are the holder of a vocational licence (minibus, bus, lorry entitlement) and a new resident, you must not drive large vehicles until you have passed the relevant UK driving test. Driving test candidates are required to pass a motor car test first before applying for provisional entitlement for larger vehicles.

• Visitor,

Provided your full licence or driving permit remains valid, you may drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and with up to eight passenger seats, for up to 12 months from the date of coming to the UK. However, you may only drive large vehicles which have been registered outside Great Britain and which you have driven into the country.

• Student.

• If you are a student holding a community licence you may drive cars and motorcycles in the UK for as long as your licence remains valid, or until age 70. If you do not hold a licence you must have been studying here for at least six months prior to taking a driving test or applying for a full licence.

  If you are a student holding a non-European Community licence or an international driving permit you may drive here for up to 12 months. If you hold a driving licence from a designated country you may apply to exchange this for a British one up to five years after becoming a resident here. If you do not hold a licence, or your licence was not issued in a designated country, you will need to apply for a provisional licence and then pass a driving test. You will be able to take a test and obtain a full licence once you have been in GB for six months.

• Where was your licence was issued?

  If your licence was issued to you from a member state of the European Community (commonly called a ‘community licence’) then happy days, you can drive a car over here providing you are at least 17 years of age, your licence is valid and you have been here for less than 3 years after becoming a resident (or until you are 70 whichever comes first). In order to continue driving after this you must get a British driving licence. Alternatively, you can exchange your licence for a British licence. N.B Higher visual standards apply for vocational drivers in the UK than for other member states.

  Exchanging your foreign driving licence:

  If you are the holder of a foreign driving licence and want or need to change to a Great Britain driving licence there are certain conditions that need to be considered when applying.

  • You must be normally resident in the UK and have a permanent address here.
  • If you are a community driving licence holder applying for a British test you must have been normally resident in GB for 185 days in the 12 months prior to your application for a full driving licence.
  • Licences from the designated countries must be current at the time the application for exchange is received at DVLA.
  • You must surrender your foreign licence which will be returned to the issuing authority.
  • International driving permits are not exchangeable.
  • Test pass certificates are not exchangeable except for those issued in Northern Ireland or Gibraltar when the test was passed within two years of the date of the licence application.
  • Japanese licences must be accompanied by an official translation, available for a fee from the Consulate General of Japan at 101-104 Piccadilly, London W1V 9FN or 2 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7HW.
  • Republic of Korea licences must be accompanied by an official translation from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea at 60 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ.
  • Motorcycle licences from the Republic of Korea and Faroe Islands are not exchangeable.

  South Africa and Canada: As there are two types of South African driving licences; the book of life, requires a letter of authority from the South African licensing authority or the photocard licence.

  If you are the holder of a Canadian licence you will receive automatic transmission only when exchanging for a UK licence. This can only be upgraded to manual when you complete the relevant test and present your certificate.

Most companies within the UK will not give a non UK resident the ability to get car insurance during their stay, whether it be for a few weeks, months, or even years. In order for a person to get car insurance, as UK non residents will either have to rent a car the whole time that they are in the country, or go without their own car.

Another way to be able to get car insurance coverage in the UK is to get an international driver’s license or order international translation of driving licence. Remember that many countries around the world will not recognize an American driver’s license, but an international one is easy to secure and will let you drive in a number of different countries.

And even though you have an international driver’s license, you still may have difficulty getting car insurance. If you are looking to buy a car in the UK, you will need insurance when you buy it. But if you are bringing a car in from another country, you may not have to change your current coverage.

If you do find car insurance, UK non resident fees will probably be much higher than those who have already been driving for a number years within the UK. This goes for people who have a license from a different country, students who have not been driven very long, and other international drivers. The UK road laws are strict about those who have not driven for very long in the UK mainly because most countries in Europe drive on the opposite side of the road, and insurance companies do not want to have to deal with claims due to negligence of this situation.

If you have a Driving Licence issued in another country or International drivers license you can drive in the UK; however, all drivers must comply with British minimum age requirements for the type of vehicle.  These are 17 years for cars and motorcycles, 18 years for medium sized vehicles and 21 years for large lorries and buses.If you have a valid European Community licence, you are authorised to drive in the UK and may apply to exchange your licence for a British one at any time.

Generally, all licence holders in the EC and European Economic Area plus Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are entitled to drive for at least 12 months, provided the full licence remains valid. If you want to continue driving in the UK after those 12 months you must apply to exchange your licence for a GB one before this 12 month period ends.

To exchange your licence for a full GB Driving Licence, you should complete an application form D1 and return it to DVLA, Swansea SA99 1BT with your licence and the correct fee (see D1 for details).

Driving on other non-UK driver's licences
If you hold a drivers licence from a country other than those listed above, you can drive any category of small vehicle shown on your own country´s licence for up to 12 months from the time you become resident, providing the full licence remains valid.

If you want to continue driving in the UK after those 12 months you must apply for a provisional GB driver's licence and pass a Driving Test before this 12 month period ends. If you receive your Provisional driving Licence before the 12 months, you´re not however required to follow the conditions applicable to UK residents; for example, displaying 'L´ plates, being supervised by a qualified driver, or being precluded from motorways. However, if you do not pass a test within the 12 month concessionary period you will not be allowed to drive as a full Driving Licence holder and Provisional Licence conditions will apply. 

If you do not apply for a Provisional Licence within the first 12 months, you must stop driving and obtain a British Provisional Licence with a view to passing a Driving Test. Provisional Licence conditions will then apply

Driving anywhere is a life or death situation when my partner Sarah is driving, she isn’t very confident at times and who knows what would happen if I ever let her drive abroad!

This got me thinking about tips for driving abroad, and what I could do to make it easier for people who for one reason or another are not very confident when they drive abroad.
Driving abroad - before you go

• Familiarise yourself with the driving laws of the country you are visiting – including local speed limits and which side of the road they drive on!
• see our travel advice by country for more information on driving.
• check with your insurance company that you’re fully covered to drive abroad including breakdown recovery and any medical expenses resulting from an accident
• check whether you need a Green Card for the country you’re visiting – this provides minimum insurance
• check whether you need an International Driving Permit or International driving license 
• service your vehicle before leaving the UK
• check you can comply with the vehicle requirements of the countries you’ll visit.

              

Don’t go without taking:

• a spare set of car keys 
• fire extinguisher, first aid kit, tool kit, spare bulbs
• a warning triangle
• your registration document, driving licence and passport- check if you’ll need an International Driving Permit
• your UK motor insurance certificate, Green Card (if issued)
• breakdown policy and contact numbers
• travel insurance documents
• emergency helpline numbers

Wherever your country of origin, when hiring a car you will need to present either your driving licence or an international driving permit along with your passport. The lower age limit for hiring a car in the UK is 21 and younger drivers may have to pay a supplement to cover the higher insurance costs incurred by their age group. Payment will need to be made at pickup time in full using a credit card which must be in the name of the main driver. Take time to inspect your vehicle at this time and report any scratches or bumps that are not declared already on the paperwork, otherwise you will find yourself liable for their repair when you return the vehicle.

Staying longer

If you plan to stay in the UK for a longer period, a driving licence from an EU country will enable you to drive legally for the time the licence is valid. Most other visitors from outside the EU are allowed a year’s grace period - the DVLA can supply a list of designated countries included in the list. However, some other countries of origin are entitled to only 6 months legal driving in the UK with a foreign licence or international permit after which a test must be taken and a full UK licence acquired. It is important to adhere to these legal requirements as failing to do so will undoubtedly invalidate your insurance policy.

You can use your Foreign licence or International driving permit to drive a car in the UK for up to 12 months from the date of your first entry in the UK, after that you will need to apply for a provisional licence and pass the UK driving test. Leaving the country and returning a few months later, does not add another 12 months to the period you are allowed to drive in the UK with a foreign licence.