Cynic

Hi all,

My 10p's worth; I've recently been investigating what I have to do when we return to the Netherlands next year. Some facts; UK law requires the holder of any UK driving licence to notify the DVLA of any change of address; if you don't you can be fined £1,000 (link). The moment you notify them that the address is not in the UK, your UK licence is null and void as far as the UK is concerned and they advise you " You cannot register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence. ". This is pretty much what I did when we first moved to Holland many years ago; I went to the Gemeente, was told no problem, to carry on driving on my old licence until I got a new one from them, which I did a week or so later) - no problem.

It's got a bit cloudy since then with the EU making statements that seem to contradict national law on this matter; all I can say is that EU statements are not admissable as evidence in a national court of law where you will be judged on that nations law.

With regard to Brexit - I'm told that UK nationals currently living and working in the Netherlands will have 6 months to get a Dutch licence; they don't need an International Driving Permit.

Hope this helps.

Red_Wine_Fairy

and again, that's where 'cloudy' comes in. There hasn't been a judgement in a Dutch law court as far as I know, to clarify this issue Why would there be? I think sometimes the police like 'cloudy' as it saves them a lot of paperwork to seek a dubious result. It's far easier for them to go after cars with Belgian or German plates for tax avoidance - plenty of those about and national law is very clear on that one : If this point had been decided in a court, this discussion would be a moot point and it would be on every 'moving to the Netherlands' webpage out there.

Plus national law does not always trump EU law, quite the opposite. This is why non-Dutch EU nationals can simply bring their non-EU spouse/partner here with no requirements for inburgering, MVV, etc, but the partners of Dutch nationals (only) must follow this more expensive route. In theory, every EU citizen here must treated no less favourably than a country's own citizens, but in this particular instance, we are treated more favourably because of EU law. I think the Dutch will, when it comes to 'us' and Brexit not-withstanding, generally abide by EU law as they tend to view us more as EU citizens, and frankly, they care very little about what we do so long as we are not acting criminally and we don't inconvenience them (often labelled as Dutch tolerance). I think the same generally goes for driving licences - if you have a valid 10 year one from another EU country, they don't care - they care far more about you paying your road tax and also your insurance, an insurance which doesn't even ask detailed questions about which EU country your licence is from as far as I can remember.

Cynic

That's why I was careful to use the word "EU statements" because the EU law is quite clear, in that you (paraphrasing) can use your existing EU licence in another EU country until it expires or if the specific country wants to do something else. It's the addition that British law has added around it that requires UK licence holders to notify DVLA when they change their address (and for the Dutch not to want that; probably because their DigiD system keeps that information up to date).

A family friend is a police officer with the National Unit, I asked him if it matters whether a Brit renews his licence in the Netherlands, his response,"only if it matters to me", in other words only if it becomes an item in another investigation.

It only really becomes a problem when a Brit wants to do something that somehow involves British law, i.e. rent a car in the UK with a valid driving licence.