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Driving
in
Great
Britain
(GB)
on
a
licence
issued
in
a
European
Community/European
Economic
Area
(EC/EEA)
country
All
drivers
must
comply
with
British
minimum
age
requirements.
These
are
17
years
for
cars
and
motorcycles,
18
years
for
medium
sized
vehicles
and
21
years
for
large
lorries
and
buses.
European
Community
and
European
Economic
Area
Licences
issued
in
the
European
Community
and
European
Economic
Area
make
up
two
groups
that
are
treated
equally.
The
full
list
is:
Austria,
Belgium,
Czech
Republic,
Republic
of
Cyprus,
Denmark,
Estonia,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
Greece,
Hungary,
Iceland,
Ireland,
Italy,
Latvia,
Liechtenstein,
Lithuania,
Luxembourg,
Malta,
Netherlands,
Norway,
Poland,
Portugal,
Slovenia,
Slovakia,
Spain,
Sweden,
United
Kingdom.
Visitors
If
you
hold
a
valid
community
licence
and
are
visiting
Great
Britain
(GB),
you
can
drive
any
vehicle
if
your
licence
is
valid.
The
appropriate
full
entitlement
for
the
vehicle
you
wish
to
drive
must
be
shown
on
your
licence.
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Residents
If
you have a valid community licence, this
will authorise you to drive in GB for the
period set out below. Alternatively, you
can exchange your licence for a British
one at any time and continue driving in
GB if your licence is valid.
Car,
moped, motorcycle driving licence holders
(ordinary driving licence):
- until
aged 70 or for three years after becoming
resident, whichever is the longer
period
Lorry,
minibus, bus driving licence holders (vocational
driving licence):
- until
aged 45 or for five years after becoming
resident, whichever is the longer
period
- if
you are aged over 45 (but under 65)
until your 66th birthday or for five
years after becoming resident, whichever
is the shorter period
- if
you are aged 65 or over for 12 months
after becoming resident
In
order to continue driving after these periods,
you must get a British driving licence.
Register
of community licence holders
Holders
of community licences with vocational entitlement
who live in GB must register their details
with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
(DVLA). For further information you can
contact them on 0870 240 0009.
Notifying
health conditions
You
must tell DVLA about conditions which existed before you came
to GB and which you may have already notified to the authorities,
as well as any conditions you have recently become aware of.
In most cases, the rules will be the same as those in other
EC/EEA countries although there may be some differences eg
epileptics who have had attacks in the last 10 years are not
permitted to hold a vocational licence in GB.
Taking
a driving test
If
you want to take a British driving test you must be normally
resident in GB. However, if you have moved to GB having recently
been permanently resident in another state of the EC/EEA,
you must have been normally resident in GB for 185 days in
the 12 months prior to your application for a driving test
and a full licence.
To
take a GB driving test you will need to either:
- apply
for a GB counterpart licence (D58/2) by completing a
D9 (available from embassies or DVLA) and enclose your
community driving licence, which will be returned to
you. The provisional licence document is issued free
of charge. However, the appropriate fee must be paid
and your community licence surrendered in exchange for
a GB one when claiming the full entitlement
- exchange
your community licence for the British equivalent and
request the appropriate provisional entitlement
Vehicles
which community licence holders may also drive in GB
Community
licence holders with category B entitlement can also drive
certain vehicles in GB, which are exempt from the normal large
vehicle driver licensing requirements. These include non-commercial
minibuses driven on a voluntary basis, permit minibuses and
large vehicles such as agricultural motor vehicles and road
construction vehicles. Further details about these vehicles
and the conditions that apply to them can be found in the
fact sheet "Special Licensing Arrangements For Drivers of
Large Vehicles" available from DVLA.
Community
licences issued in exchange for licences from elsewhere
A
community licence issued on the strength of a licence from
a designated country will be valid for driving in GB for 12
months only and is acceptable for exchange purposes.
A
community licence issued on the strength of a licence from
a non-designated country will be valid for driving in GB for
12 months only but is not valid for exchange purposes.
A
licence from any country outside the EC/EEA, which was originally
issued on the basis of a community licence, will be valid
for driving in GB for 12 months only and is acceptable for
exchange purposes. Evidence of the original EC/EEA entitlement
must be provided.
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