Driving for a year in the UK?

I'm going to be back in England for a year, but this time I'm going to be driving. Do I need to get an international driver's license? Or is just my US license ok? What exactly do I need to do to dive legally in the UK for 12 months? Thanks!!!

You don't need an international permit.    A U.S. license is fine, so long as it will remain valid for the whole time you are here.

Other than that, the legal requirements are exactly the same as for anyone else driving here:  Valid insurance, pay the fee and display your "road tax disc" in the windshield, and have a current MoT (Ministry of Transport) inspection certificate for the car if it's over 3 years old.

Your US license is valid here for one year, so you should be fine.  However, if you end up staying for longer than the one year, you will need to take the UK diving tests.

Your US license is valid here for one year, so you should be fine. However, if you end up staying for longer than the one year, you will need to take the UK diving tests.

Ick...I've heard horror storied about the UK driving test.

I didn't get my visa, even though I got accepted into the internship program, so it looks like I don't have to worry about driving in the UK for right now. I'm back to uni for another semester, and I'm going to apply again in January (the internship program still wants me, whenever I can get over there). Thanks for all the great advice!

I didn't get a visa,  :\\\'( but I haven't given up yet! I'm planning on finishing out my two year-degree, and then going for the internship in July. The program I'm going over with is still insisting that I need and international driver's license    Does anyone know where I could get one from? Is there any point at all in getting one?? I googled it, and it came up with a ton of websites…but almost all of the ones I looked at were kind of bogus looking.

sorry about your visa not coming through    keep trying! 

AAA is good about helping you out with that kind of info... they are just about everywhere in the US.

http://www.csaa.com/global/articledetail/0,,1008010000%257c1545,00.html

here is an article answering questions on this topic.

Thanks!

I'm ok about the visa. It's probably better this way. If I don't get my degree done now, I'll probably never finish it!! (as I will be too busy living in other countries/traveling  )

I'm a AAA member...I didn't realize they did international licenses.

If you buy a car here you need to get a UK license within one year. But if you are going to rent a car from time to time I dont think you need to worry about changing it over. 

Thanks!

I'm ok about the visa. It's probably better this way. If I don't get my degree done now, I'll probably never finish it!! (as I will be too busy living in other countries/traveling  )

I'm a AAA member...I didn't realize they did international licenses.

hee hee, isn't that true about life! Fortunately,  I didn't start travelling overseas until after I had 3 college degrees and enrolled in grad school... believe me those were the longest two years of my life! There was a whole world to explore!

AAA is great. Get to know them. They do all kinds of things... and the free maps are perfect.

Believe me, I already know AAA well. I got my first flight to England from them (I found my last two cheaper through sta travel) and they've had to come rescue me when my car broke down twice last month. They were going to charge me for maps of Europe this summer, but I got free ones when I did a road trip to FL last summer.

I'm finishing out my 2-year degree now, then going to England for an internship for a year or two, then back here to finish out my four year degree, then hopefully grad school in England. At least that's the plan now, knowing me it will probably change twenty times! 

...and there is certainly nothing wrong with plans changing as long as you continue to follow your passions! Better to be poor and happy than rich and unhappy.