cityboys1911

Going back to England, my drivers license expired in the UK what do I need to do if I decide to go back to the UK to get a UK drivers license

BritInParis

Do you still have your UK driving licence?

cityboys1911

Yes

robin1234

Simply apply for a new DL with your new address in the U.K. You’ll need the number on the old DL, which could be the old green paper one, or an old photo card. They’ll also need a passport photo and some other confirmations such as your passport number. The process is quite straightforward and fully explained on the various government websites.

BritInParis

Pick up Form D1 from the Post Office or apply online. The DVLA will be able to pull your passport photo so you don’t need to take any new ones.

https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence

durham_lad

On returning in 2016 I simply applied to renew my licence. I did have to include a photo with the application, not sure why as my passport was recent.

cityboys1911

I have a few questions with regards to going back to England, we have been in Florida for 16 years but it time we came back to England.
so my English drivers license ran out 5 years ago am I able to my license back.
we have Dual citizenships do we loose the US one.
we still have a bank account in the U.K. and one in the US, would you keep the US one so my Social Security goes in the US one or just have it deposited in my U.K. one.
are we able to get a Doctor and if so what do we do.
We are probably going to rent, can you recommend an Agent, can you rent to own.
we will only be taking personal belongings back which is maybe 5 or 6 boxes can you recommend someone that’s pretty reasonable.
Finally anyone who as gone back recently did you incur any Major problems and did you find it difficult to adjust, I may have more questions later,also we are both retired

cityboys1911

Thank you

cityboys1911

Questions,we intend to go back to the UK after 16 years in Florida.
So if we have dual citizenship do we loose our US citizenships.
are we able to get health/Doctor.We get Social Security would it be better to have it transferred your UK bank or the US bank, for currency reasons.
we are probably going to rent, but can you rent to buy and could anybody advice on a good agent.
we are only bringing probably 5/6 boxes no furniture can anyone suggest shipping companies.
Drivers license I think I got the answers i needed.
my final question is to anybody who has gone home recently, what if any was the pitfalls, or can you give us any suggestions for getting prepared, also we are both retired
thank you

spouse of scouse

I can answer a couple of those.
No, you won't lose your US citizenship.
As British citizens you can access all NHS services immediately upon your permanent return to the UK.

Lion in Winter

The US currently has a series of agreements with the UK that would allow your SS money to be deposited directly into a UK bank account.

https://www.ssa.gov/deposit/foreign.htm

Which is more beneficial to you financially I have no idea. I would suggest getting some tax/financial advice from a pro to make sure you know exactly what to do. Also, you can call the Social Security people on the phone and explain your situation and they will tell you what to do re bank accounts, etc.

durham_lad

I recently attended a webinar given by Jack Leuchtman of the Federal Benefits Unit in the US Embassy in London. He confirmed that the best way to apply for SS while living in the UK is through the FBU website. He also said what I already had heard is that having your SS paid directly into your UK bank is the best exchange rate you will get anywhere and comes with no additional fees. When applying for SS the folks at the FBU best understand voluntary NI contributions as applied to the UK OAP and WEP as applied to SS, and when you have an interview for your SS to have all your OAP paperwork ready at hand.

I turned 65 recently and he recommends getting Medicare A which is free and covers hospital treatment as we do travel to the USA most years to visit our daughter (we do also take out travel insurance). I decided to give the FBU a try out and sent them my request and details through the link he provided. I have heard back from them and have a telephone interview scheduled in a couple of weeks. (They will call me).

https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen...email_enquiry/

durham_lad

We returned to the UK in 2016 as retirees after 29 years in the USA. We are both dual UK/US citizens.

Advice I would give is to do some financial preparation ahead of time.
1) Not all banks will support an overseas address. Ours did not so we switched banks well ahead of time and had my US private pensions changed to go there etc.
2) Similar advice to your 401k providers. My wife and I each rolled our 401ks into IRAs in a brokerage that does support overseas customers.
3) If you have mutual funds in taxable accounts (outside of IRAs, 401ks etc) then if you switch them to HMRC Reporting Funds then they will receive the favorable lower tax treatment given to capital gains and qualified dividends.
4) Retain a US bank and credit card, and a US phone number. (US Phone numbers can be obtained through Skype, Google etc). For example our brokerage occasionally requires 2nd level verification when logging on and that is the number we use as it doesn't support international numbers to send verification codes to.
5) In the UK folks are taxed as individuals only, so if your income is lopsided as ours is, then look at how you may minimize taxes. For example we took my name off our after-tax brokerage account so that our interest payments, qualified dividends and capital tax gains are completely free of UK tax as my wife's personal tax free allowance of £12,500 plus the cap gains tax free allowance of £12,300 and qualified dividend tax free allowance of £2,000 more than covers it.

cityboys1911

hey

cityboys1911

Thank you for the info