Guidance for UK driving licence holders living in the EU
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Driving licence exchange and rules for driving in EU countries.
From: Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Agency Contents UK and EU driving licences Austria Belgium Bulgaria
Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France
Germany Greece Hungary Iceland...Request free trial
Driving licence exchange and rules for driving in EU countries. From: Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Contents
UK and EU driving licences If you live in the EU, you will not be able to renew your driving licence in the UK. Consider exchanging your UK driving licence for an EU licence as soon as possible in line with specific advice for your country of residence. If your UK licence is lost, stolen or expired, you may not be able to exchange it for an EU licence. You may have to apply for an EU licence and retake your driving test. Please check with the licensing authority in your country of residence if your licence is lost, stolen or expired. Check the driving advice for the country you live in. Austria If you intend to drive in Austria you must exchange your UK licence for an Austrian licence within 6 months of becoming resident in Austria. You can exchange your valid UK licence without taking a test. After 6 months you can no longer use your UK licence to drive in Austria, but can still exchange it for an Austrian one, for as long as it is valid. This also applies to driving licences from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Belgium You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test. Bulgaria You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test. Croatia You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Cyprus You can exchange your licence without taking a test. You must exchange your UK licence within 6 months of becoming a resident in Cyprus. If you became resident in Cyprus before 31 December 2020, you must exchange your licence by 7 July 2021. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test. Czech Republic Most drivers can exchange their licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence issued by the Isle of Man, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Driving in the Czech Republic. Denmark If your UK or Gibraltar licence was issued before 1 January 2021, you can exchange your licence without having to take a test. You need to do this within 180 days of taking up residency in Denmark, or by 30 June 2021, whichever is later. If your UK or Gibraltar licence was issued on or after 1 January 2021, you can only exchange a Category B licence without having to take a test. You must do this within 180 days of taking up residency in Denmark. If your licence was issued in Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, you can only exchange a Category B licence without having to take a test. You must do this within 180 days of taking up residency in Denmark. Estonia Most drivers can exchange their licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence issued by the Isle of Man, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Finland You can exchange your licence without having to take a test for licence categories A1, A2, A or B. Consider doing this as soon as possible. France This guidance also applies to driving licences from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. If your UK driving licence was issued before 1 January 2021 Your licence is recognised in France for as long as it is valid. Paper licences are usually valid until you are 70. For plastic photocard licences, the expiry date is on the front. If your UK licence has expired, or has less than 6 months’ validity remaining, you must exchange it for a French licence. You do not need to take a driving test. You can only exchange your licence if it is due to expire within 6 months. If you do not have a valid reason to request an exchange, your application will not be processed. If your UK driving licence was issued on or after 1 January 2021 Your licence will be recognised for 1 year from the date of issue of your residency permit (carte de séjour). If you intend to stay in France for longer than 1 year, you must exchange your UK licence for a French licence during this initial 1-year period. You do not need to take a driving test. Germany You must exchange your UK driving licence for a German one within 6 months of moving there. You will not need to take a driving test to exchange your licence. Your local Bürgeramt can tell you where to exchange your licence. Living in Germany before 1 January 2021 If you were living in Germany before 1 January 2021, you must exchange your driving licence for a German one to continue to drive in Germany. You will not need to take a driving test to exchange your licence. Greece You can exchange your licence without having to take a test from 1 February 2021. A medical – physical and eye – examination will be required. Hungary Most drivers can exchange their licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence issued by the Isle of Man, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Iceland You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Ireland UK and Northern Ireland licence holders’ resident in the Republic of Ireland must exchange their driving licence for an Irish licence. UK and Northern Ireland licences aren’t legal for driving in Ireland. However, they can be exchanged without the need to take a driving or theory test. Italy You will need to take a test to exchange your licence. If you have been resident in Italy for more than 12 months then you can continue to use your valid UK licence until 31 December 2021. If you are resident in Italy after 1 January 2021 your valid UK licence will be recognised for 12 months from the date you became resident. Latvia You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Liechtenstein Most drivers can exchange their licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence issued by the Isle of Man, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Lithuania You can exchange your licence without having to take a test if you obtained the licence before 1 January 2021. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Luxembourg You can convert your licence without having to take a test. You must convert your licence within 1 year of becoming a resident in Luxembourg. If you became resident in Luxembourg before 31 December 2020, you must convert your licence by 31 December 2021. Malta You can continue to use your licence until 1 July 2021. From 1 July 2021, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Consider exchanging your licence as soon as possible. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man you may need to take a test. The Netherlands You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. However, in some cases, you may need to provide a certificate of health that could involve a medical examination. If you became resident in The Netherlands before 31 January 2020, you must exchange your UK licence by 1 May 2021. If you exchange by this date, you do not need to provide a health certificate. Your UK licence will no longer be valid to drive on Dutch roads after 1 May 2021. If you became resident in The Netherlands between 31 January 2020 and 13 June 2020, your UK licence is no longer valid to drive on Dutch roads. You must not drive until you have exchanged it for a Dutch licence. If you became resident in The Netherlands between 13 June 2020 and 15 February 2021, you must exchange your UK licence by 1 October 2021. Your UK licence must have been valid on 14 December 2020 to benefit from this extended validity. If you became resident in The Netherlands after 15 February 2021, you must exchange your licence within 185 days of becoming a resident. Norway You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Poland You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. Portugal You can continue to use your valid UK licence in Portugal until 31 December 2021. If you are resident in Portugal, you should exchange your UK driving licence by 31 December 2021. Romania Most drivers can exchange their licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence issued by the Isle of Man, you will need to take a test to exchange your licence. Slovakia You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. If you have been resident for over 185 days starting from 1 January 2021, you must exchange your UK licence for a Slovak one within 60 days of completing the 185 days and before 2 September 2021. Slovenia You can exchange your licence without having to take a test until 31 December 2021, or within one year of becoming resident, whichever is longer. Spain (including Balearic and Canary Isles) You can continue to use your licence until 31 October 2021. You may need to take a test if you want to exchange your licence. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test to drive in Spain. Sweden You can continue to use your licence until 1 July 2021. After this, you will be able to exchange your UK licence without taking a test. Switzerland You can exchange your licence without having to take a test. Consider doing this as soon as possible. If you hold a licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need to take a test. Rules for driving in EU countries You must check the rules for driving and living in different EU countries and follow any local laws. |