mentalist

UK car rental companies are evidently required by law to accept driving licences from the resident country of the hirer. It possibly relates to the imposition of traffic fines, black points and the like, although I'm only guessing.

Spikus

Would not get too worried about this..... went for a short trip to UK in March.... provided Hertz a UK passport, UAE residence address and Canadian drivers license..... no problem.

Meow

UAE Licence is accepted in the UK and you cannot renew or replace a UK licence if you are non-resident. You can get an IDP with your UAE licence.

(If people read my columns they'd know this )

Mischief Queen

Much better to rent on your UAE license back home anyway as if you get caught speeding you don't get points on your UK licence ;-)

Eeyore

I swapped my old-style UK licence for a photocard one a couple of years ago, using the online system and having the licence sent to my parents' address. I did worry that I was taking a risk, but there was no problem at all. Clearly the RTA here doesn't (or didn't) notify the DVLA when it issues a UAE licence against a UK one. The DVLA also clearly didn't check my residency status, but maybe that was just pure luck.

This was *before* I'd discovered that my UK licence is invalid until I'm a permanent UK resident again. If I'd known that at the time I wouldn't have bothered. Before then we'd used our UK licences to rent in the UK, since then we've always used our UAE ones, and the car hire places have never even blinked at them.

Autonomy

Thanks G - will not be bothering to renew now I know all the above. Hope all is well with you...

typical

It's a real pain in the behind when you move from country B to country C, and country C doesn't let you swap country B's licence.

typical

This is still such a pain. I'm now technically not resident anywhere. Was hard enough to get travel insurance, but apparently I can't hire a car at all now

Sandboy

and they can't be arsed to pursue you on your UAE one

at least Cumbria didn't to me