I'm sure this has been covered in detail so if any kind person can point me to another thread I'd be grateful!

For a US licensed driver who has been driving for nearly 30 years, I find the licensing process here difficult.  Due to work and a young family I've put it off for far too long, mainly due to the sticking point of having to send my passport to the DVLA. I travel for overseas for work twice a month, so this is not an option. 

I checked with the embassy and they do not offer the short term second passport for this purpose (only for visas).  As I understand it, I would have to:
-Send the passport (up to 6 weeks turn around)
-Take the theory test
-Take lessons (difficult with work and young family but anyway)
-Take the practical test

Has anyone found any work around, faster way?  Seems onerous for Americans to drive here when in most European countries you just show your US Drivers License. 

Grateful for feedback!

 

Good timing as I'm planning a return to the UK in 2026 after 30+ years in US 

I'm wondering if the "4 years of tax-free foreign income and capital gains" might help avoid UK taxes on a 401k to mega-backdoor Roth conversion after return to UK? Not sure how that would be classified

I think some folks may very well benefit from the new proposals should they come into effect next April, assuming no changes to the proposals following a General Election later this year.

https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics...ch-2024-budget

Under the current proposals of both the Conservative and Labour parties, ANYONE, including UK-originating expats, would be able to return to the UK after 10 years of non-UK tax residence, from April 6, 2025, and benefit from 4 years of tax-free foreign income and capital gains (FIG). The reforms will eliminate domicile as it applies to tax and replace it with a residence-based system. Additionally, UK inheritance tax will no longer be coupled to domicile, but residence instead. So anyone coming to or returning to the UK after 10 years of non-UK tax residence will not be subject to IHT until after 10 years of tax residence, but there will a 10 year tail for IHT if you leave the UK after that. This is especially good news for those who have permanently left the UK, since after 10 years of non-UK tax residence, there will be certainty of no liability for IHT. The differences in policy between the two parties announced so far only apply to current resident non-doms. So it is almost certain the archaic concept of domicile is gone for good from the tax system, and a much simpler and fairer residence-based system will be replacing it.