Perth

May I jump in on this thread? My OH, who is a USC, will turn 70 next year and from what I gather he cannot apply for a licence, nor will he be able to be insured as a driver. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

Pistolpete2

Poking around in the government gateways ref driving licences I don't see anything that prevents one from obtaining a (first) UK drivers licence at any age. The only thing standing in the way of drivers carrying on until they reach 110 is their ability to pass the eyesight and (you aren’t prevented from driving for any reason) medical expectations.

However, you are unlikely to be able to rent a car at the age of 70, for some rental companies, others at 75, if only because they can't get the insurance to cover you.

It has been established that age is not a barrier to driving proficiency and older drivers have an overall as a group better accident record than younger ones.

not2old

I trust folks can help with the following?

For someone that lives overseas that has a lifetime paper license, who, then in their 70's (past the paper license expiry date) returns to the UK (on the basis they're medically fit) - can they get a renewed license?

Hotscot

As was pointed out to me here are the conditions when over 70.

your British licence has expired – or it’s going to expire within 90 days
you’re a resident of Great Britain (there’s a different service in Northern Ireland)
you meet the minimum eyesight requirement
you aren’t prevented from driving for any reason

Once you reach 70, you must renew every 3 years.

(I just now learned that the paper part is being eliminated soon and the sole licence will be the photocard.)

not2old

Hotscot @post #19.... thanks

Perth

Thanks Pete. Any idea whether he could be covered if we decided we needed to buy a car? I've heard not after 70.

Pistolpete2

Here's a starter but NFU Mutual seemed to be more accommodating ref foreign-earned no claims bonuses, as were Aviva:

Car Insurance designed for the over 50s | Age UK

also:

https://www.saga.co.uk/insurance/

busybee2

yep we have been out for nearly 20!

Hotscot

And when you went back it was easy to renew?

formula

Not just when you reach age 70.


Health conditions and driving

You may need to tell DVLA if you have a driving licence and one of these health conditions.

https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

formula

There isn't. From this article is seems many do take their UK driving tests in later years. Yes, I know it's the Mail which is second only in the rubbish stakes to The Guardian.

November 2013.

"50,000 new drivers lose their licence as young male motorists are penalised by tough new points regime

• Newly qualified drivers are now banned if they rack up just six points
• 80% of new drivers being forced off the road are men, figures reveal
• Most are under 25 but some of those banned are over 60 or even 70"

"Some 1,608 motorists in their 40s were banned within two years of passing their test, 294 in their 50s and 38 in their 60s. Even the over 70s aren’t exempt, with three drivers losing their licences within two years of passing."
50,000 new drivers lose their licence as young male motorists are penalised by tough new points regime | Daily Mail Online



Actually, they aren't "banned". It's worse than that. Their licence is revoked which means they start again as a learner.

busybee2

havent done it yet... will let you know in the summer but yeh i dont see any probs.

holly_1948

Sure. Provided you have a record of your Driver Number as was printed on your licence then it is easy to renew after any amount of time away.

robin1234

I began the address update process today, so here's my report so far.

I left the UK in 1991, so I have just the old green paper driving licence, since the photo cards came in after I'd left the country. It has the address on it where we lived from 1983 till we left in 1991.

We bought a flat in Norfolk in January this year, I was in England February and March just buying furniture, getting the utilities set up etc. I was just visiting then, I'm resident in the USA. In two weeks time, I'm returning to England long term and will consider myself a resident when I arrive. So, I thought I'd update my record with the DVLA and hopefully get a photocard licence in the mail waiting for me when I arrived.

Just filled in a few simple fields such as name, new address, old address, NI number, and two different numbers from the old driving licence ... the alphanumeric driver number, and a twelve digit control number from the bottom of the old licence. I'm guessing a person who had lost their old licence, but had their driver number written down somewhere, would not have a record of this second number.

The application also included an application for an account for the government online gateway, forget what it's called, I assume it's the same system you can interact with other government agencies....

Then I gave them my new British passport number, and checked the box that I wanted them to use my passport photo and signature. However, the final resolution was that they'd write to me with a form to return in the mail, as there was further verification needed. So that'll have to wait till I get back to England. I don't know what further documentation or proof it is that they need.

holly_1948

People have been through this before. The problem is that when they introduced the scheme to use passport photos it was, for a time, limited to British passports that were not issued overseas.
I suspect you will end up having to go to a main post office to have your photo taken. Which is no big deal, you can drive on your foreign licence while it all works its way through the system. The only wrinkle is that some, but not all, insurance companies may blink. Perhaps you don't need insurance immediately if you are using a car you don't own.