UK driving licence

Original_Sin

Right, ive just got pulled by the traffic guards there, upon producing my uk licence i was then told that i cant use said licence over here,

He even went as far to say he was considering taking it off me,

So, my question is, am i able to keep and use my UK licence over here, its a full licence, ive held it for 13 years now and it has my Irish address on it.

Is this something new that has just happened or was the traffic guard trying to catch me out with something?

L1011

How do you have your Irish address on it and how did you renew the photocard if you've been here for 13 years?

Otherwise you're fully entitled to use it.

CiniO

Original_Sin wrote: »

Right, ive just got pulled by the traffic guards there

Where?
In Ireland or UK?

Midnight_EG

CiniO wrote: »

Where?
In Ireland or UK?

It's quite obvious in the OP that it's Ireland he's talking about... considering he went as far as to mention his IRISH address is on the license...

pow wow

When I renewed my UK one it said you couldn't have an overseas address on it - perhaps that's a recent thing. As far as I know once you're 'normally' resident in Ireland you have to switch it over, and I assume having an Irish address on a driving licence from another country proves that you are in fact resident here...

TonyD79

Unless his address is in Northern Ireland in other words in the UK he cant have an address in the Republic on it. Im sure if he checked the DVLA / Irish version he will get clarification. As for traffic police I once saw one on Road wars tell an Irish man that he should have exchanged his Irish License to a UK one within 1 year of entry when in fact you can drive with it until you are 75!:rolleyes:

johnb25

Original_Sin wrote: »

Right, ive just got pulled by the traffic guards there, upon producing my uk licence i was then told that i cant use said licence over here,

He even went as far to say he was considering taking it off me,

So, my question is, am i able to keep and use my UK licence over here, its a full licence, ive held it for 13 years now and it has my Irish address on it.

Is this something new that has just happened or was the traffic guard trying to catch me out with something?

"If you have a driving licence issued by an EU/EEA member state you can drive in Ireland as long as your existing licence is valid. If you wish to exchange your driving licence for an equivalent Irish driving licence, you must do so within 10 years of your driving licence expiring."
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/motoring-1/driver-licensing/exchanging_foreign_driving_permit

I don't know how you got an Irish address onto a UK licence; when/where did you last renew it?

CiniO

Midnight_EG wrote: »

It's quite obvious in the OP that it's Ireland he's talking about... considering he went as far as to mention his IRISH address is on the license...

Yes. Probably it is.
He just wrote:

Right, ive just got pulled by the traffic guards there

So I thought "there" was UK, as "here" would be Ireland.
Probably incorrect understanding.

pow wow

CiniO wrote: »

Yes. Probably it is.
He just wrote:

So I thought "there" was UK, as "here" would be Ireland.
Probably incorrect understanding.

I thought the OP meant 'there' as in a little while ago.

keithclancy

Its no longer valid:

http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/driving/validity/resident_en.htm

Example:

Problem:

Jürgen is 35 and got his German driving licence when he was 20. He has recently moved to Spain. In Germany, licences have an unlimited validity period but in Spain, licences for people under 45 are valid for 10 years only. So Jürgen's 15 year-old licence will not be valid in Spain.

Solution:

Jürgen will be allowed to drive in Spain for 6 months after registering there as a resident. Before the end of that period, he will need to exchange his German licence for a Spanish one (valid for 10 years, as for Spanish nationals).

Your license cannot be used beyond the maximum validity of a license in the EU Country you are resident in. The grace period is 6 months.

I.E. If you moved to France and became resident, exchanged your Irish license, it would be valid for life.

L1011

That article is about as clear as mud. The first sample suggests that his licence is invalid immediately on arrival to Spain (barring the 6 months allowance) due to its age; but doesn't suggest that a foreign licence would remain invalid if you were able to renew it 'back home' after the validity period in the country you were in.

We also have no concept of "registering a resident" between Ireland and the UK other than for personal taxation. Most other EU countries do, but our relationship with the UK in relation to, well, everything really means we don't.

UK paper licences last (in the UK) until you're 70 IIRC; but the accompanying photocard that all more recently qualified drivers have expires after ten years.


I'd suspect more than anything that you just had a Guard that didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Far too many of them exist.

ardmacha

The EU should clarify this type of issue. Licences should be standardised to some extent, ooints and disqualifications should be applied union wide and licences should be required to have the current address of the holder.

keithclancy

MYOB wrote: »

That article is about as clear as mud. The first sample suggests that his licence is invalid immediately on arrival to Spain (barring the 6 months allowance) due to its age; but doesn't suggest that a foreign licence would remain invalid if you were able to renew it 'back home' after the validity period in the country you were in.

UK paper licences last (in the UK) until you're 70 IIRC; but the accompanying photocard that all more recently qualified drivers have expires after ten years.


I'd suspect more than anything that you just had a Guard that didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Far too many of them exist.

Its less clear in the Ireland in the UK because there is no formal registration system.

I had the same question about my Irish license in the Netherlands as the Irish Embassy said I had to exchange after 6 months and within 1 year. The RDW said that it was valid upto 10 years after the date of issue.

You're resident after 185 days, after this point your liable for alot of things. Your EHIC card is no longer valid, your liable for income tax if you were normally paid outside the state. Your supposed to register your car and your no longer able to open a bank account in your previous place of residence.

Alot of people get around this by:
A. Saying their on Holidays (Alot of Europeans get away with this for years in Ireland and elsewhere)
B. Commuting on a weekly basis out of the country

marzic

Rules
Holders of licences issued by an EU/EEA member state

If you have a driving licence issued by an EU/EEA member state you can drive in Ireland as long as your existing licence is valid. If you wish to exchange your driving licence for an equivalent Irish driving licence, you must do so within 10 years of your driving licence expiring.

This is from the citizens information website (citizens advice). if your licence is from EU/EEA country you can use it as long as its valid. I've a uk one, but it has my sisters address on it, i thought it couldnt have ROI address on it. just have to update the pic every 10 yrs by post. i've not been asked for it, but I wont be changing it if pulled.

CiniO

keithclancy wrote: »

You're resident after 185 days, after this point your liable for alot of things. Your EHIC card is no longer valid, your liable for income tax if you were normally paid outside the state. Your supposed to register your car and your no longer able to open a bank account in your previous place of residence.

I know that's a bit offtopic from subject of that forum, but are you serious you can't open a bank account in country that you are not resident?
How come? What if you want to keep your money in certain bank in certain country (which you don't live in)? It doesn't make sense to me.
I personally have bank accounts in 2 EU countries and have no problem with it.

lukester

I have a UK license and was given the same spiel by a traffic patrol guard, i.e. that he'd take it off me, etc. I didn't have the license on me so had to produce it at the local station. I had previously researched the status on the license as I knew it was valid until expiry, but was worried the law had changed. I confirmed it hadn't at the local Garda station on production of the license- they were very friendly, and pretty much said why would you pay for another license if your current one is still valid.

Not every guard is aware of the law in this area.

keithclancy

CiniO wrote: »

I know that's a bit offtopic from subject of that forum, but are you serious you can't open a bank account in country that you are not resident?
How come? What if you want to keep your money in certain bank in certain country (which you don't live in)? It doesn't make sense to me.
I personally have bank accounts in 2 EU countries and have no problem with it.

I have a German, Dutch, UK and Irish Bank account.
However I wouldn't be able to open another account back in Ireland now because I wouldnt fulfill the requirement of being able to prove residency, bills in my name etc.

When you just arrive as a 'non resident' you have to provide a character reference and a financial history from your old bank.

http://www.boi.ie/html/gws/help/faqs/accounts/index.html#doclink2

How do I open a Non-Resident Account?

Under the Money Laundering Legislation, all financial institutions are now obliged to obtain identification for all new account applicants. You will need the following documents to open a bank account

* A current valid passport or driving licence and
* A recent household bill such as a telephone, electricity or gas bill.

As a Non-Resident you will also be required to provide a character reference and financial history from your own bank.

You can also have the classification of Primary Residence and Secondary Residence.

Example:
Living in the UK, Working in Germany.
Less than 185 days in Germany your not liable for taxes there and can work through your UK umbrella company.
UK is your Primary Residence and Germany is your Seconday.

If you go over 185 days you have to pay tax in Germany and setup an Umbrella company, or you can go down the Swiss Umbrella company route.

Sorry for the OT

But the bottom line anyway is that your License doesn't exempt you from any local laws. If the maximum validity is 10 years then your license is only valid for 10 years from the date of issue. IF and WHEN you become resident.

Its more than likely though that the Gardai wouldnt really be arsed looking into when you came to Ireland, how long you've been resident for and when you are supposed to swap your license.

This is the bit that freaked me out

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=40464

Irish full driving licences are valid for use in the Netherlands for one year. After that, you will need to either exchange your Irish licence for a Dutch one, or register your Irish licence with the RDW - the Dutch Road Traffic service. In both cases, you should contact your local municipality for further information. You will only be able to exchange or register your Irish licence if it is still valid, if it is a full driving licence (ie not a provisional license), and if you make your application within one year of your arrival in the Netherlands. For further information, please contact the RDW: www.rdw.nl/eng/index.html Tel: 0900.0739 (within the Netherlands - EUR0.10/minute) or +31.598.393.330 (from outside the Netherlands)

Mr.David

Just renewing my UK tax disc this morning and had a quick look:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/DG_10023103


Moving to another country
If you move to another country, you should check with the driving licence authorities there for information about driving and exchange of licences. You don't need to notify DVLA of a change of address when moving to live abroad.

So why have others claimed you do need to notify of change of address and then cannot?

Seems like theres no issue to me....I'll be moving home next year and plan changing to a UK licence just before I leave here