When does license expire?

Hi, my wife is from california and currently living in the uk with me. She got her spouse visa on march 15th 2017,she then changed her name in november and was issued a new residency permit,so when does her license to drive here actually expire?weve revisited the states mutliple times between the 2 permits too


Thanks!

She can drive for 12 months from the date she first entered the UK on her spousal visa.

If she entered on March 15th 2017, then she can only legally drive on her US licence until 15h March 2018... which means she has 4 days left.

If she doesn’t have a full U.K. licence yet, then from March 15th she will be treated like a learner driver in the UK and will need a provisional licence in order to drive. She must also adhere to learner driver rules (no motorway driving, L plates always displayed, always accompanied by someone over 21 who has held a full U.K. licence for 3 years etc.).

To note though:
It’s not that her licence expires, it simply becomes illegal for her to drive on it in the U.K. after March 15th. If she does drive after this date without adhering to learner rules and she is stopped by the police she can be charged with driving without a valid licence and driving without insurance.


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Hi,first entered is a tricky one,she came here on a marriage visa september 16,got married here on november 11th 2016,spousal visa with permission to work and leave to remain didnt come through until march 15th 2017,she didnt enter the uk with that permit until july when we come back from a visit to america.

Shes passed her theory and is doing lessons,but the earliest test she could book was may... her job is only accessible by car .

Okay, so was the first visa a Marriage Visitor Visa or a Fiance visa?

Did she apply for her Spousal visa from the US or did she switch to FLR(M) from inside the UK?

Basically, the 12 months starts from the date she officially took up residence in the UK on a settlement visa (either a fiance visa or a spousal visa).

If the first visa that you got married on was just a visitor visa, then that time doesn't count... and you start the 12 months from the date she first entered the UK on the spousal visa (June 2017)

However, if she arrived in the UK on a fiance visa in September 2016 and switched to FLR(M) in the UK, then she took up residency in September 2016 and her 12 months ended in September 2017... which means she's been driving illegally for the last 6 months and she needs to stop NOW.

Ok, thats alot more helpful information than what we could find on the gov website.

Thankyou

If she needs to drive for work, she may want to take a week off and do an intensive driving course.  She'll have her license in a week.  Will be several hundred pounds but at least she can drive!