Driving license transfer???????

while i dont' think the international drivers permit is a bad thing to have... it isn't necessary in the UK. 

I'd agree there.  For driving in the U.K. on a U.S. license or vice versa, it's a waste of time and money.

*BUT* since I was American, the EU rules did not apply.  And therefore my German DL was null and void and I was driving illegally.  And OH!  Was I annoyed about that?  Was I upset about it?  You bet your sweet ass I was.  So it got very messy with solicitors.  This result is that today you can change an EU DL for a UK DL even if you are not an EU national.

Would you know if this applies also to a Swiss DL? I'm American and exchanged my US license for a Swiss one several years ago. We're now looking to move to the UK, and I'm hoping to just exchange my Swiss license for a UK one without a test *crossing fingers*

A quick check of Direct.gov.uk shows that residents of Switzerland who hold full,currently-valid Swiss driving licenses can indeed exchange their licenses for UK ones - see here for more information.

Lucky you!

Thanks Meg

I'd checked there before I posted, but couldn't quite believe that I'd not have to take the test! 

Meg & Shelley, I'm sorry to do this to you, but:

A community licence issued on the strength of a licence from a designated country will be valid for driving in GB for 12 months only and is acceptable for exchange purposes.

A community licence issued on the strength of a licence from a non-designated country will be valid for driving in GB for 12 months only but is not valid for exchange purposes.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/DriverLicensing/DrivingInGbOnAForeignLicence/ForeignLicencesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4022556&chk=KSyaCx

So as your driver's licence was issued based on your US licence (non-designated country), you CAN'T exchange it directly.

We did this a little while ago, I remember posting the exact same thing... the reason I know so much about this is that DH has an EU licence based on a US licence... and it would've been great to just be able to swap it.

Oops.  Was reading quickly and didn't realize Shelley had exchanged her American license for a Swiss one, rather than taking the Swiss test, and assumed garry's precedent applied. Thanks for the correction!

Shelley, sorry about the confusion - unless you've taken a Swiss driving test (or want to before you move to the UK - it may well be easier!), and gained a license that way, you'll still have to take the full UK test before the 12-month grace period is up. 

Oops.  Was reading quickly and didn't realize Shelley had exchanged her American license for a Swiss one, rather than taking the Swiss test, and assumed garry's precedent applied. Thanks for the correction!

Correct.  My case involved a non-EU national seeking to exchange a valid EU permit for a UK permit.  It was contravened on nationality grounds and had to be appealed.  And the ruling was that if you have a valid EU permit, then your nationality does not matter when you exchange it for a UK permit.  Happily, that's all cleared up now and shouldn't be worried about   

And the ruling was that if you have a valid EU permit, then your nationality does not matter when you exchange it for a UK permit.

I'm a bit confused...does this mean that Shelley, a non-EU national with a valid EU permit (as she's driving in Switzerland on a Swiss license, not an American one) will be able to swap her license for a UK one rather than taking the test?  Regardless of the fact that she exchanged her American license for a Swiss one rather than earning a Swiss license the hard way?  Because it would seem to me that the ruling that came about as a result of your situation doesn't discriminate on the basis of how an EU license was obtained - but I may well be missing a salient point here.

As I read it, she has a community license issued on the strength of a non-EU country license, and this means she does not have documented training in how the rules work, what all the various signs mean, and so on. 

In my case, I obtained a German permit the hard way.  And I mean the really *HARD* way, because in those days you had to know the theory about how brakes worked and other technical details.  And practical lessons driving in small villages, cities, and on the Autobahn. 

All of it in German language too.  Including the theory test.  But at the end of it all, I got a diploma and a beautiful German DL (which I miss terribly). 

What made my case different was that I had been through the whole EU driving education rigmarole in a way that was no different from any German; and when the UK tried to apply nationality regardless of my diploma, I got upset and appealed.

So I would expect that when they see Shelly's DL, they will say, "OK, that's fine.  We know all about this.  So where's your EU driving school diploma?" 

And then she will say, "Um, I don't have one, I exchanged my US DL for it." 

And then they will say, "Well that's just hard cheese, isn't it?"

And to be frank, it makes sense because otherwise people could be driving around and not know what the signs mean and what the rules are.  And to be fair, you get a year's grace period in the first instance...

And to be frank, it makes sense because otherwise people could be driving around and not know what the signs mean and what the rules are.  And to be fair, you get a year's grace period in the first instance...

While I respect you got a German DL the "hard way", I disagree with you here (not about the law, you obviously know your stuff there   )

I don't think it makes sense, as I have been driving in Switzerland for over four years. The Swiss authorities felt my education, length of time driving, etc. were valid to exchange my US license for a Swiss one. The exam here is quite difficult as well. Don't see a one year "grace period" as fair, to be honest, and it doesn't make sense to me.

And what about all those people driving around for a year, clueless about signs, etc.?

Gotcha.  Thanks for the clarification.

My current plan is to send off for my provisional license, take the theory and hazard perception tests, and then book and take a practical test for an automatic-only license, since we've got an automatic car.  That way I'll be legally able to drive in the UK after my 12 months are up, and I'll be able to practice driving a manual transmission and can take the test on a manual gearbox in my own sweet time. 

I don't think it makes sense, as I have been driving in Switzerland for over four years. The Swiss authorities felt my education, length of time driving, etc. were valid to exchange my US license for a Swiss one. The exam here is quite difficult as well. Don't see a one year "grace period" as fair, to be honest, and it doesn't make sense to me.

And what about all those people driving around for a year, clueless about signs, etc.?

Yeah, I have to agree with you, here.  I'd gladly take the UK theory test - I spent some time with DF's theory book before I first attempted driving in the UK, as I wanted to make sure I had some idea of what the signs meant! - but I find the fact that the DVLA requires people who have been driving accident-free for ten or twenty years or more to take a practical test as well to be more than a bit annoying.

I agree, Meg. I'd have no problem at all with taking a theory test - that only makes logical sense - but the driving exam is what I've got an issue with. Before I ever got behind the wheel here in Switzerland, I bought the theory book and studied it. I even carried it in the car with me for the first six months I drove here.

Ah well, we'll tackle this when it comes up - especially since I don't plan on moving over for probably another year from now.

As I read it, she has a community license issued on the strength of a non-EU country license,

Surely it isn't a "community" license though?   Switzerland is not part of the EU.

Surely it isn't a "community" license though?   Switzerland is not part of the EU.

Good point.  I do keep forgetting that we're talking about a designated country here, not an EU one.

In which case....shouldn't this statement (located under the "Gibraltar and Designated Countries" section on this page) apply?

If you are resident in GB and provided your full licence remains valid, you can drive small vehicles for 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a GB licence must be obtained before this period elapses, by exchanging your licence for a GB one. If you do not do this you must stop driving although you may apply to exchange your licence at any time within five years of becoming resident.

(Which is, if I remember correctly, what I was looking at last night when I made my original post on this matter.)

I have to say that despite being frustrated at not being able to exchange my American (New Mexico) driver's license for a Swedish one, I really DO understand the reasoning, since when I took my license in New Mexico, you didn't even have to be literate to take the written test (somebody would read you the questions), the questions were about 20 true-false questions, incredibly simple, and the driving test was a simple, once around the block, no problems with traffic, type of driving test, which pretty much a chimpanzee could have passed, provided it could have reached the pedals.  Might be a few of the reasons why New Mexico has some of the highest accident rates in the nation per capita, don't know, but I sure wouldn't say that my NM license was necessarily the sign of a competent driver.  Of course before that, I had one from Washington, D.C., Oregon and Virginia, and those were a bit harder to get.

I got my license in Tennessee and just had to pull out of the lot, do 4 right hand turns, and pull back into the parking space. Nothing like the Massachusetts test where you have to parallel park, do a 3-point turn, back up in a straight line...I was able to just trade in my TN license for a MA one and felt lucky. My parents were from MA and my dad made me learn how to do all those things. Has come in handy and I am able to do them all, but still my TN test was a piece of cake.

I want to go for the standard UK license, not the automatic only. I think that where so many of the cars are standards over there, I would feel better in the long run having the ability to drive a standard car. I'm just nervous about learning how to do it. Hopefully being left-handed will actually turn out to be an advantage for once in my life.