GB Driving Licence

[Dave]

From time to time people have asked on the various boards what they need to do about their British driving licence when they move overseas.

The answer given on the DirectGov website as of March 2009 is this:

If you move to another country, you should check with the driving licence authorities there for information about driving and exchange of licences. You don't need to notify DVLA of a change of address when moving to live abroad.

You can read more about the ins and outs on DirectGov's driver licensing pages.

PS - This applies to GB licences. We'll do a bit of digging for the information on NI licences and post it when we find it.

[pumabob]

This applies to GB licences. We'll do a bit of digging for the information on NI licences and post it when we find it.

NI licences are treated the exact same, although we have had the 10 year 'euro' style ones longer than mainland GB.

(In fact there are no GB / NI licences...renewals are now all UK)

Hope this helps.

[Dave]

Thanks, Pumabob

(I hadn't realised that there was a unified driving licence throughout the UK now - shows how in touch I am. )

[pumabob]

Should also point out that anyone still driving on the old (green) GB licence would be better off swapping it for a new one before leaving the UK.
When eventually due, the newer one will be much easier to renew.

[pboae]

Hello, and thank you for this useful information.

I have another question about driving licences. We will be moving abroad later this year, probably for at least a year or two, and I understand that I don't have to tell the DVLA that we have moved, or give them our new (foreign) address. But what happens when we come back to the UK for visits?

Can we still drive on our UK licences, e.g. a hire car, or drive a relative's car? As our UK licences will have our old UK address on them. We have a c/o UK address, and I suppose we could update them with that before we leave, but as we won't actually be living at that address here, I am not sure that is the right thing to do.

We won't be driving while we are abroad, so we won't have foreign licences.

Thank you for any help

[pumabob]

pboae,
My driving licence has my old address on it and I have had no problems hiring cars in UK and Malta. So long as it is valid, the D/L number is what they are most interested in, especially when prepaid by credit card.

[pboae]

Thanks pumabob, I suppose the car hire people wouldn't know either way. But is it legal? If you have an accident would the insurance be valid?

[dave dee]

I am a British national and resident of another European country and although i have a U/K address in my name, i have been told by my ex U/K motor insurance company that the only way i can drive legally and be covered in the U/K is through a hire car company. If you find different please let me know.

[dave dee]

Problem solved.

[pboae]

Sorry I forgot about this thread.

I haven't been able to find anything useful, DVLA said I couldn't drive any car in the UK on a UK licence, if it didn't have my permanent address on it. They said I could only hire a car if I used a licence issued from another country. But the person I spoke didn't sound very confident.