busybee2

well i presume so, the question was put to the dvla about uk licences and driving onthem in the uk, dvla said that if you are not resident you must use your foreign licence, as the uk licence is not valid etc.

kittycat1

So if you don't have a foreign license your not allowed to drive in the UK even though you have a UK license? Surely that can't be right?

busybee2

yeh i know stupid isnt it.

Meow

The issue is to do with residency & insurance, not the actual licence. If you are not a UK resident you need to get special permission from insurance companies, at higher cost.

lionheart

Having said that, some car rental companies will still accept a UK licence even if you are non-resident, although the insurance may not necessarily be valid. If you still own/occupy a UK property, you can probably get away with it as they normally just ask for a UK address. The better rental companies, however, request proof of residency as well (eg. utility or phone bills). Better to use your UAE licence if you have one.

Meow

If you are non-resident but claim that you are that is insurance fraud. The motor insurance will be invalid and it is a criminal offence. Just not worth it to save a few pounds...

busybee2

yeh but the problem is that they dont ask u if u are resident or not, just for your licence so unless they specific it then how would u know?

Meow

Oh, I don; tknow. You could use a brain, or some common sense or that amazing thing called Google...

Just because someone doesn't ask you a question, doesn't mean you aren't liable. You generally have to fill in paperwork with an address too. Being an idiot is not the best defence.

kittycat1

but when I rented a car in September I had told them I was living abroad- had a long conversation with the guy in the rental company about it and he didn't mention it at all! That was with Enterprise who are a big enough company that you would think they would know about this. anyway I've sent off my license renewal so will hopefully have a new license in 3 weeks so can change it over so won't have to worry in the future!

busybee2

yeh i know that but when you do it over the computer it doesnt specific which driving licence etc. they just assume at the airport etc, but it works both ways.

csdf

Don't want to complicate things even further, but it was my understanding that you cannot renew your UK driving licence photocard if you are not UK resident. Of course, if you use a UK address they're never going to know any different, but seeing as we're saying that ignorance is no defence...

kittycat1

thanks csdf- I did notice that but worth risking!