If you are a United Kingdom citizen traveling abroad or maybe a person visiting the UK wanting to drive, you will need an International Driver’s License. An IDL allows you to legally drive in numerous places all over the world. An IDL is usually called an International Driving Permit (IDP) but some differences are not so important to know. The United Nations recognizes it as an official document that allows you to drive in 170+ countries.
European Union Driver’s License
Regardless of the UK exiting the European Union (EU) in 2020, EU driver’s license holders can continue to operate vehicles there without a UK international license for driving so long as they have an appropriate license. If you’re planning on not leaving the UK after your EU license date expires, nonetheless, you have to apply for a UK driver’s license.
Conversely, every nation in the EU has its own rules about UK driver’s license holders traveling in their respective countries. Thus, make sure to check out their rules and regulations are before traveling so you won’t end up without a license.
International Driver’s License
If you have a valid driving license issued by your country of origin along with an IDP, you can get to any place in the UK. Nevertheless, in case you intend on staying for more than a year in the UK, you have to apply for a provisional driver’s license.
UK Provisional Driver’s License
A UK provisional driver’s license is a permit that allows you to drive in the UK with a resident who’s got a fresh record and that has been traveling in the nation for a minimum of 3 years. You receive the provisional license, which is the first step in the procedure of requesting a UK driver’s license.
Remember that you have to apply for a provisional license before the expiry of your IDP (12 months); it doesn’t matter if you used a driving license issued by your country of origin during that time.
Could You Drive in the UK with Your License?
If you have a valid driver’s license from your country of origin, you’ll probably have the ability to operate vehicles in the UK for as much as a year. Nevertheless, a similar rule applies to global driver’s licenses – after a year, you will have to start the procedure for getting a UK license.
Unless you are from among the designated countries whose residents can just swap their original license with one from the UK, when you come from among the international locations including Canada, Andorra, Barbados, Australia, the Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands, Monaco, the Falkland Islands, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Zimbabwe, South Africa, you can easily swap your driver’s license without needing to go through the process of applying for a UK license.
Residents of any other nation need to carry all the UK’s driving license testing to own a valid license in the nation. Residents of Switzerland, nonetheless, get it much easier than anyone. If you have got a legitimate Swiss driver’s license, you can use it for applying for a UK license any time five years after residing in the nation.