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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
(GB)
driving
licence
there
are
certain
conditions
that
need
to
be
considered
when
applying.
Applying
for
the
exchange
of
your
foreign
driving
licence
If
you
want
or
need
to
change
your
driving
licence
for
a
GB
driving
licence,
you
must
complete
the
application
form
D1
that
is
available
from
the
Driver
and
Vehicle
Licensing
Agency
(DVLA)
form
ordering
service
and
Post
OfficeŽ
branches.
You
will
need
to
enclose
original
documentation
confirming
your
identity,
and
a
passport
style
colour
photograph.
Send
your
completed
application
and
the
appropriate
fee
to
DVLA,
Swansea,
SA99
1BT.
If
the
licence
being
exchanged
is
vocational,
and
the
original
was
issued
in
Jersey
or
the
Isle
of
Man,
you
must
also
provide
a
D4
medical
report
form
that
must
be
completed
by
a
doctor,
ensuring
that
all
the
relevant
questions
are
completed.
If
your
vocational
licence
was
issued
in
an
European
Community
(EC)
or
European
Economic
Area
(EEC)
country
you
need
only
submit
a
medical
report
form
if,
on
exchange,
you
are
45
years
of
age
or
over.
This
applies
even
if
your
vocational
licence
is
still
current.
Application
forms
D2
and
medical
form
D4
are
available
from
the
DVLA
form
ordering
service.
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Rules
for exchange
The
following conditions must be met before a licence
can be granted in exchange for a GB one:
- you
must be normally resident in GB and have a permanent
address here
- if
you are a community driving licence holder applying
for a British test at the same time as exchanging
your licence and you have moved to GB having
recently been permanently resident in another
state of the EC or EEA, 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. Licences issued in Northern
Ireland must have been issued after 1 January
1976. Licences from the Isle of Man or the Channel
Islands are acceptable for exchange if valid
within the last 10 years. Those issued in any
EC or EEA country may be valid for exchange
even if they have expired
- 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. However,
a Northern Ireland test passed prior to 1 April
1991 is acceptable provided an application is
made and the test claimed within 10 years of
the date of test
- 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 are not exchangeable
from the Republic of Korea
South Africa
As
there are two types of South African driving licences, the
following will apply:
- the
book of life, which is a driving licence and identity
document. The licence part of the book will be stamped
to say the applicant has exchanged their licence and
the book returned to the person. For the book of life
to be acceptable for licence exchange the applicant
will need a letter of authority from the South African
licensing authority
- the
photocard licence will be returned to the South African
licensing authority
Canadian
licences
If
you are the holder of a Canadian licence you will receive
automatic transmission only when exchanging for a British
licence. This can only be upgraded to manual upon presentation
of confirmation, from the relevant licensing authority, of
a manual test being passed or a manual test is passed in this
country.
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