EU/ex UK residents applying for new UK driving licence ?

[Graham376]

It's like being between the devil and the deep blue sea . . . .
See if this answers your question Driving licence exchange and recognition in the EU

What pi**ed me off, was handing in my UK license in February last year, being given a temporary one only valid in Portugal and nothing else heard until December, when I received a letter requesting I hand in my replacement UK one to start the process again. Covid is of course the excuse for the delay and I've no confidence much will have changed yet, there must be a hell of a backlog. Even if/when I receive license there will be an argument as they don't automatically include some UK groups such as trailers so, that would restrict me in UK as well

P.S. Forgot to mention the temporary one expired in August.

 

[sailaboutvic]

This is true, I've possibly got about 10 active years left at best, I've sold up and rent now because I want the freedom of doing anything upping sticks and moving without hassle of possessions.
Its becoming more and more difficult to do that, all this discussion on here doesn't change the fact wherever you go you have to abide by some restrictive legislation one way or another.

And its getting much harder , we seriously thinking of doing some thing differently .
Maybe going back to bringon race horses.
But some where warm .

 

[ean_p]

I wrote to DVLA asking if, as a UK (and Portuguese) resident, I can drive in the UK on a Portuguese license. Their reply, which doesn't directly answer my question -

We can only issue licences to customers who are resident in GB, whether or not they were born in Britain or have British citizenship.
Customers living abroad should contact the driving licence authority for advice on driving there and exchanging.
The Interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts and the Agency advises customers to seek legal advice if necessary.
When determining your status as a resident or a visitor, you may like to bear in mind that legal precedents have determined that ‘temporarily visiting’ indicates presence in this country for casual purposes as opposed to the regular habits of life.
Because neither visitor nor resident is defined in driver licensing legislation you should seek your own legal advice if you need further help determining your status.
The ultimate decision is down to the individual concerned and they must be prepared to justify their status if challenged.

RESIDENCY LEGISLATION
In order to apply for a GB driving licence you must be resident in GB.
This requirement is implemented by virtue of Section 89 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended. A copy of the Road Traffic Act 1988 may be viewed on the website of the Office of Public Sector Information: www.legislation.gov.uk
As long as you have the appropriate leave to remain in GB for 185 days or more, you can apply straight away for a driving licence.
Please be advised you would have cover to drive in the UK either as a visitor or resident on a valid Portuguese licence.

I think the gist of their reply goes back to my belief that residence is at the heart of the matter and what actually constitutes residence. The reference to right to remain for 185 days or more is the starting point and not a temporal requirement. That is to say you can't be resident if you not allowed to remain for at least 185 days. But that's not the same as saying you must remain for at least 185days. As a UK citizen then you'll always be able to fulfill that requirement no matter if you're in the country or not.

 

[grumpygit]

What pi**ed me off, was handing in my UK license in February last year, being given a temporary one only valid in Portugal and nothing else heard until December, when I received a letter requesting I hand in my replacement UK one to start the process again. Covid is of course the excuse for the delay and I've no confidence much will have changed yet, there must be a hell of a backlog. Even if/when I receive license there will be an argument as they don't automatically include some UK groups such as trailers so, that would restrict me in UK as well

P.S. Forgot to mention the temporary one expired in August.

Yes it's all a bit of a mess really trying to hit the right point in law to keep legal. We have a Greek car (which I put in my wife's name) and scooter here but also a car in the UK that is kept taxed, tested and insured.
We don't have to hand ours in until the new Greek one arrives which can take as long as six months to get processed. It is the same here to, you don't get all your groups on the licence automatically, you have to pay for each one so it can work out expensive. A friend would have lived to retain his 7.5t licence was going to cost €480

 

[DownWest]

Going back a bit, when one handed in one's UK licence in exchange for the Portuguese one, they said that I could exchange it back any time. In the case, I needed to drive back to UK a couple of months later and doubted the flimsy would work outside Portugal, so went in to temp exchange it. They said 'Hang on a minute' then shuffled the file and gave me my nice new Portuguese one. It usually took about 6 months back then and people asked who I knew to speed it up...
If they now send them to DLVC, obviously the swop back option no longer applies.
Much later, Re-applying for a UK one, they demanded I send them the (expired) Portuguese one before issuing the UK one.

 

[SiMossy]

Brits resident here have said that the two authorities do communicate

Hi!

I wondered if you had any luck? My situation is as follows

- Have an EU license (live in NL)
- Which i exchanged from a UK one before Brexit
- Moving back to UK soon but want to keep my NL license and regain my UK one
- I have read conflicting info whether this is possible

Hoping you can shed some light, thank you so much in advance!
Simon

 

[Graham376]

- Moving back to UK soon but want to keep my NL license and regain my UK one
- I have read conflicting info whether this is possible
Hoping you can shed some light, thank you so much in advance!
Simon

Not allowed to have two licenses. Portuguese were notified by DVLA that I had obtained a duplicate UK one and required me to hand it in.

 

[greeny]

I got a new UK one issued with no problem. (For reasons best left off here).Within weeks I got an email and text telling me to hand UK license in at Faro IMT. If I didn't they would assume I no longer need my Portuguese one and would cancel it.

 

[Sailfree]

I think the Portuguese require you to hand in your ,"foreign" licence as an easy way to prove your competence to drive and avoid taking a Portuguese driving test. They do check the categories allowed and obviously that licence is valid and you have not been banned.

We are resident in Portugal but due to ill relatives (which one resides in our UK house) plus family commitments, we spend more time than we would like in the UK. To our regret some years we have spent more than 6 months in the UK than we would like.

If keeping strictly to the rules if we only held 1 licence we would be exchanging them like yo yo's immediately we found ourself exceeding more than 6 months in any one country.

We have 2 UK cars for use in the UK and 2 Portuguese cars for use in Portugal. My driving competence is the same whether I am holding a UK or Portuguese licence. Hence I object to having my Insurance premiums loaded due to using a foreign licence.

In this age of box ticking the logic of needing to insure a car in one country while apparently resident in another is not appreciated.


I am aware that many have applied for a renewed UK licence but only after the exchange Portuguese licence procedure has been completed. After then many have got an automatic renewal for both licences in both countries.

 

[DownWest]

I think the Portuguese require you to hand in your ,"foreign" licence as an easy way to prove your competence to drive and avoid taking a Portuguese driving test. They do check the categories allowed and obviously that licence is valid and you have not been banned.

We are resident in Portugal but due to ill relatives (which one resides in our UK house) plus family commitments, we spend more time than we would like in the UK. To our regret some years we have spent more than 6 months in the UK than we would like.

If keeping strictly to the rules if we only held 1 licence we would be exchanging them like yo yo's immediately we found ourself exceeding more than 6 months in any one country.

We have 2 UK cars for use in the UK and 2 Portuguese cars for use

 

[Koeketiene]

I think the Portuguese require you to hand in your ,"foreign" licence as an easy way to prove your competence to drive and avoid taking a Portuguese driving test. They do check the categories allowed and obviously that licence is valid and you have not been banned.

Likewise in France.

 

[Sailfree]

I guess it's understandable from the authorities point of view as if you were banned in one country you could continue to drive using a licence from another country.

What is not understandable is the insurance industries need to load my premiums if with the same experience, accident record they increase my premiums due to exchanging my licence.

Worse is that in not declaring an exchange of licence I would assume the insurance company would jump on that in the event of an accident and invalidate your insurance when in effect their risk is unaffected.

 

[Bouba]

I guess it's understandable from the authorities point of view as if you were banned in one country you could continue to drive using a licence from another country.

What is not understandable is the insurance industries need to load my premiums if with the same experience, accident record they increase my premiums due to exchanging my licence.

You are demonstrating a propensity to flee abroad

 

[Graham376]

I guess it's understandable from the authorities point of view as if you were banned in one country you could continue to drive using a licence from another country.

I still have a South African heavy goods driving license from 1970, with no expiry date. Although it has most likely expired, along with my ID card, it did cross my mind to try exchanging that rather than UK license

 

[Sailfree]

You are demonstrating a propensity to flee abroad

What are you talking about?

It's simply that we have properties in both UK and Portugal and cars in both countries. We spend varying amount of time in each country.

The problem is the unreasonable loading of insurance premiums due to declaring a simple exchange of licence nothing to do with "fleeing".

 

[greeny]

When my wife was exchanging UK for Portuguese she had a mini in UK that was insured with a uk company on her British license. Reasonable premium even though they knew she was non resident and lived abroad most of the year. She exchanged British for Portuguese and then told the insurance company she'd changed. They honoured the policy until renewal. Then they hammered her with a quote almost double her previous year. They said it was partly due to her being non resident but mostly due to being a new license holder. Although she'd held a UK one for 35 years plus, she didn't have that anymore and the Portuguese was a new issue so "the system" saw her as a new driver with no experience. No amount of polite discussion or arguing with them would make them change their mind. Bottom line was that they just didn't want a "foreign driver" I think.
Needless to say, she got new quotes and went with a different company. Even so, she still gets hit in the pocket for living abroad by them. It's also difficult to get quotes as many won't take non residents anymore since B day it seems.
Here in Portugal, car insurance premiums are similar to uk in my experience, even though cars are much more expensive here. It also includes breakdown cover. The car is also insured for any driver normally so no extras for adding family drivers when they come to visit.
They seem to have no problem with insuring UK licensed drivers who have a vehicle here in Portugal.
Seems to me that someone is taking the p(mick)s here and I'm pretty sure who it is.

 

[Alicatt]

I put my Belgian wife on to the insurance for my UK registered Range Rover, she has a Belgian licence from the late 1970s and it brought my premium down slightly having a female driver named on the insurance.
Now I have a Belgian exchange licence and still the same Range Rover, while I paid around £300 fully comp in the UK I am now paying over €450 for third party only in Belgium, they won't even quote for full comp on the age of the vehicle.

 

[Sailfree]

I put my Belgian wife on to the insurance for my UK registered Range Rover, she has a Belgian licence from the late 1970s and it brought my premium down slightly having a female driver named on the insurance.
Now I have a Belgian exchange licence and still the same Range Rover, while I paid around £300 fully comp in the UK I am now paying over €450 for third party only in Belgium, they won't even quote for full comp on the age of the vehicle.

What's the name of your UK insurance company that dies not load the premiums for a exchange foreign licence please

 

[Alicatt]

What's the name of your UK insurance company that dies not load the premiums for a exchange foreign licence please

Never said an exchange licence, my wife has a Belgian/EU licence, she is Belgian and was on my UK insurance as a named driver. The insurance company was Liverpool Victoria with Zurich as the underwriter.

I now have an exchange licence in Belgium.

 

[st599]

It's also difficult to get quotes as many won't take non residents anymore since B day it seems.

Is it won't or can't - don't they need a local subsidiary now?