Hi all,
Planning to leave NB, Canada and return to the UK. When I arrived I had to give in my UK licence to get a Canadian one. Anybody tried to get their UK licence back?

I had sent an email to DVLA, they told me I have to 6 months to exchange my licence. Its the same process when you get to the UK, I would have to hand over my Canadian licence for the UK one.

I had sent an email to DVLA, they told me I have to 6 months to exchange my licence. Its the same process when you get to the UK, I would have to hand over my Canadian licence for the UK one.

Thanks, but that's not what I want, that will not give me my full licence back, just a new one which will only cover driving an automatic (shift rules!)
I want my original green licence that I handed in.

Yes, you have to go to the Post Office and get an application form or you can also apply online but you have to be living in the UK. I am going through the process now.

That implies that the DVLA has it (ie it was sent to them from Canada) is this correct?

No - but it has the information re that fact you passed a test and had a full licence in the UK prior to moving to Canada. You will not get you original green licence back - that is gone. Instead you will be issued a photo licence that will be valid for 10 years, and replaceable every 10 years from there on in. The only people who still have the old green (or pink) paper licences are people who are still at the address reflected on that licence and have never lost or given them up for any reason. All new or replacement licences are now the small plastic photo based ones.

Thanks for the info, that actually will be easier, trying to get things done/getting info over here is usually a lot of hassel.

Hi there i have just got my UK licence I filled in the form sent it to the Dvla people along with the fee of fifty pounds (it clearly said on the form that my NZ licence would be returned to the issuing authority which in my case was New Zealand) I recieved the plastic credit card sized driving licence and also its paper counterpart in around 10 days (I did need someone (not related) to sign the back of a passport sized photo to prove i was who i said i was....
One really important thing to remember though is to make sure you keep up to date with any change of addresses as in case of an infringement as just happened to my friend over here, she had moved house and forgotten to notify change of address and the fine went to her old address so not only did she recieve an eventual fine she also had to attend court i thinnk the whole experience cost her something close to 300 pounds! Whoops!

Hi we have our UK driving licences from when we left 16 years ago,when we return later this year will we just have to get them updated with the photo or will we have to resit our test?

I think you can just get a new photo licence using a form D1. Some post offices offer a checking service. You pay a little extra but that way at least you are sure you are sending everything you need to.

I did keep a photocopy of the paper part of my licence when I left 3.5 years ago just for peace of mind.

It seems as if they will exchange my Canadian licence for a full English licence free of charge as I took my test here.

I just need to find somewhere to get an up to date photo and I am going to send mine in.

Thank you,yes I thought that maybe the case.Wouldn't like to sit my test again