sparkie down under

I've just been told that for your UK driving licence to be valid you have to have it registered to a uk address. Telling the DVLA that you have moved abroad will mean that your licence is terminated.

Which means in return that when you go home for a visit and produce your UK licence to the hire company, you are actually driving illegally on a illegal licence.

Also should you ever move back home you'd have to convert your NZ licence into a uk one, and if you have grandfather rights, (like me), you will have lost them all.

Is this right?

so if someone were - hum, not too bothered with officialdom, say, and had their UK licence registered to, ho, say a friends address, besides the legalities, there ought not be a problem with that - eh?

luvwelly

Why can't you just drive on your NZ licence when you return to UK for visits? You don't even have to take the theory test anymore to swop it over.
I had to surrender my UK licence for an EU one in my last location, so here I was swopping EU one for NZ one..it was nice to have it back in English lol.

I'm assuming that when I return permanently to UK, they will just look my records up and reisuue UK licence without test.

alanmacc

I dont see why this would be an issue, as the UK licence is issued for 50 years, well depending on your age when you get it, there would be no assumption to think that it would become invalid if you lived overseas

Jerseygirl

The new photo ID licences are valid for 10 yrs. I thought the old pink licences were valid until age 70.

NakiMan

Surely "besides the legalities" is exactly the point. If you're required to produce a UK licence and its invalid cos you dont live at the registered address, then you're in trouble. You could be done for driving without a valid license.

Also if you hire a car using an invalid license, that would, at the very least, invalidate any insurance cover the hire company provide.

NakiMan

Oh yes there is :

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...nce/DG_4022088

particularly the bits that says:

"You must tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) immediately of any changes to your name, address or both."

and

"Remember, if you permanently move to another country, you can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. You’ll need to contact the driving licence authority in your country of residence."

sparkie down under

Yes new photo id's are 10 years only.

Reason for asking was if you hire a car in the UK on a foreign licence the likelihood is you'll get a more expensive rate than on a UK licence. Book on line and you'll never know. Book at the airport and you'll never know. It's one of those "in the know things" that having mates in the industry tell you. It's not always but it can happen. That's because the insurance thinks you are a bigger risk, not understand the roads etc.

Even if you insure a mates car for a month. Say you are resident in another country and it's kerching time. So having a UK licence is handy - no.

But you have a accident on your expired UK licence, valid or not, and the shit you are in gets deeper and deeper.

Failure to tell DVLA that you have left the country is a fine of upto 10,000. Now that would put a dent in the holiday budget, eh.

Also if you surrender your licence like the good person we all are then if you have had grandfather rights on your old licence you can forget it when you turn back up and say - "I was away and now I'm back". Because then you are treated like you have just passed you test. 6 points in 2 years = lose licence; lower blood/alcohol levels for 2 years: can't drive a campervan over a certain weight. etc

so there is an advantage for keeping your old licence, if you can.

NakiMan

I think I'm right in saying that the pink "photo ID" card is not your driving license. Legally it is only "evidence" of your driving license, and is issued for 10 years at a time.

The green "counterpart" document is your actual license and is valid up to your 70th birthday, just like the old green paper license, if anyone else here is old enough to remember them. !

This explains why, if ever you are asked to produce your license, you will need to produce both.

luvwelly

I had no choice in the EU country but to surrender mine after a certain length of time and duly did and that is what DVLC expects...however when I exchanged EU one for NZ, they let me keep the EU one and did not take it off me. I still own the house which was on my UK Licence so if anyone had a right to keep it I did but I had to surrender it.

You probably are out of practice with UK roads if you've been driving around NZ for a while so much quieter here .

No idea what the Grandfather stuff is but I had a paper licence not a photocard one. I say stay legal..it's not worth it.

NZBee

The roads are more manic in Auckland....people drive like idiots! It was safer driving on the motorways in the UK!

(I am sounding like a stuck record re NZ driving.....must stop whingeing!)

Kiwiprincess

I was wondering what the 'grandfather' meant as well.

Sparkie -explain yourself this instant.

cleverchap

The POL (Photo on licence) cards are only valid for 10 years as the image expires after this time.
Your licnce expires at age 70.

If the POL card is out of date you can be charged with driving with an expired licence.

If I were you I would get an exchange NZ licence as NZ and the UK have reciprical agreements so all will be fine.

Grandfather rights are things like driving light vehicles with trailers without having to take an additional and extended driving test.

cleverchap

One possible way around keeping hold of grandfather rights is to keep a copy of your licence. If the new one comes back with cats missing then you have proof you had them beofe.

Had a LOT of this when people first stated getting POL cards and motorcycle test passes were missing

sparkie down under

Grandfather rights is just what clever chap said. If you took your test, way way, way back, (just after the man in front with a flag wasn't needed), you were given a licence for well just about everything. Mini bus, 7 tonner and trailer, small aircraft (joking). Where as now you have to take a test for everything. Want to tow a trailer, test! Own a camper van over a certain weight, test! Get the picture. So these rights are called grandfather rights and can't be taken off you unless you have surrendered your licence. (and incidently that includes having lost it through being banned - I believe)

There you go Princess now you know.

luvwelly

Actually I do now recall in the other EU country they pointed out to me that I couldn't drive as much on the replacement EU licence as the UK one..and I had to confirm I was happy with that but essentially had no chocie anyway.