Driving License renewal
 

There seems to be quite a few threads on driving license issues. I just wanted to point out another wrinkle.

The photocard expires after 10 years. Renewal can only be done if you are resident (more than half the year) in the UK. There is a big warning on the license renewal form against any false statement - criminal offense to claim you are resident when you're not.

So - you are now not able to use your UK license until you become resident again. What if you're just visiting UK? You can rent on a foreign license, but now the snag is (with many rental agencies), only if your license has been valid for more than a year.

If you don't spot this and do some prior planning to get a foreign license well in advance of a visit to the UK, then you can end up being unable to drive.

Any idea of a workaround? I'm in China, which complicates things slightly (i.e. Herrtz requests a notarized translation of my Chinese license too).

This DVLA rule on 10 year photocard expiry/renewal is warped. It is just like it is intended as an ID card. It is daft that I have to get a foreign license just to drive in UK in any case.

Rant over.
thanks

David