# UK Driver's license



## CuriousNow (Jan 10, 2013)

The rule for getting a UK driver's license says that I have to wait 6 months as a UK resident before being able to get a provisional license. 

I am an EU national, there is no stamp on my passport as to the exact date I arrived in the UK so what date do they use for the 6 months countdown? 

1.Before the 6 months, I assume that I can only take the test after the 6 months is up?

2.Can I take lessons before the 6 months is up?

2.I am not used to the left hand drive, so I am thinking of going to a small town outside where i live and take some lessons there and also to pass the test there. What do you think?


----------



## Lil_M (May 16, 2012)

CuriousNow said:


> 2.I am not used to the left hand drive, so I am thinking of going to a small town outside where i live and take some lessons there and also to pass the test there. What do you think?


Good question. Are there certain areas of the UK where it's reportedly "easier" to pass the driving test? I know growing up in the States some kids would go out of town to test after friends told them tests were easier at different locations.


----------



## CuriousNow (Jan 10, 2013)

Lil_M said:


> Good question. Are there certain areas of the UK where it's reportedly "easier" to pass the driving test? I know growing up in the States some kids would go out of town to test after friends told them tests were easier at different locations.


I don't think the tests will be any different at different tests centers, but I just don't want to deal with too much traffic in London and driving on the left side at that.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

CuriousNow said:


> I don't think the tests will be any different at different tests centers, but I just don't want to deal with too much traffic in London and driving on the left side at that.


Yes, you can take your test anywhere in UK, provided you are ordinarily resident in UK. Just book your test. Get your driving lessons in the same town, where the instructor is familiar with test routes.

You just declare the date of UK entry when you apply for your provisional licence. No evidence needs to be submitted.

Don't you have a Swedish driving licence? You can drive on it indefinitely in UK, and if you prefer, you can exchange for a UK one (may help to lower insurance cost).


----------



## lovestravel (Apr 9, 2012)

I bought 5 hours of driving lessons on Living Social for about 30 I think. My husband drives all the time so I don't think he will need any help. I however, hardly ever drive. The roundabouts frighten me.


----------



## rcp27 (Jan 10, 2013)

CuriousNow said:


> The rule for getting a UK driver's license says that I have to wait 6 months as a UK resident before being able to get a provisional license.
> 
> I am an EU national, there is no stamp on my passport as to the exact date I arrived in the UK so what date do they use for the 6 months countdown?
> 
> ...


Looking at form INF38 "Driving in Great Britain (GB) as Visitor or a New Resident", the 6 month requirement (actually it's 185 days in the last 12 months, so be careful if you have travelled outside GB in the qualifying 6 months) applies to taking the road test and getting a full licence, not the provisional licence. From what I can tell:

1. Yes, you need to wait 6 months before you can take a driving test

2. You can apply for a provisional licence now, and once you have that (it takes something like a week to process the application and send you the provisional licence), you can start taking lessons.

3. You haven't said whether you have a Swedish (or other) licence already. If you have a Swedish licence, you can just get in a car and start driving today, and you can continue to drive with that licence until you are 70 years old (assuming you are younger than 70). If you have a Swedish licence but are concerned about driving on the other side of the road, I suggest you find a local instructor and arrange a few lessons where they can teach you how to drive in Britain (I learned to drive in Cambridge, and my instructor told me he had quite a lot of people who had recently come from other countries who did that).

If you have never driven before, I suggest you get your provisional licence now, and once you have it, find a local instructor or driving school and arrange to have lessons. When I learned to drive, it took me 6 months from my first lesson to taking my driving test, so I don't think the 6 month limit will actually be a problem for you. My instructor knew far better than I did where the quiet roads that were easy to learn on were, and made me apply for a test at one test centre in particular because he knew the test routes they all used, and believed that that particular centre was easier. I'm sure a good instructor in your are will do the same.

I learned to drive with BSM (British School of Motoring), which has offices in most parts of Britain and had a very good experience with them.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

You are wrong:

_You can only get a *GB driving licence *if you are normally resident in the United Kingdom.
To be normally resident *you must usually **live in the United Kingdom for 185 days in each calendar year*._
http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/forms/~/media/pdf/leaflets/INF1D.ashx

So as a new arrival, you can't apply for your first licence until after 6 months (roughly speaking). This is to stop banned drivers from other countries getting a quick provisional licence and passing tests in UK to get back on the road before their disqualification ends.
As soon as you get your provisional licence, you can take your tests.


----------



## rcp27 (Jan 10, 2013)

Joppa said:


> You are wrong:


The statement in form D100 indicates that the residence requirement applies to the exchange of a non-GB licence for a GB licence (for which form D1 is used for, in addition to the application for a provisional licence). Looking to the statutory instrument that creates this residence requirement, Statutory Instrument 1999 No. 2864, the residence requirement is applied to the exchange of a non-GB licence for a GB one in paragraph 10 (2), and is applied to the eligibility to take the driving test in paragraph 38 (1). Paragraph 11, which defines the eligibility for a provisional licence does not contain any residence requirement.

In essence, the delay of 6 months is applied to those trying to exchange a non-GB licence for a GB one, and the ability for a new arrival to circumvent this by rapidly getting a new full GB licence is imposed by way of a 6 month delay on taking a driving test. Because a provisional licence is so restrictive in its usefulness for purposes other than learning, it is not restricted in this way.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

You are still wrong. On the application form, you have to state date of arriving in UK, and if it's less than 6 months, your application is rejected.


----------



## rcp27 (Jan 10, 2013)

Joppa said:


> You are still wrong. On the application form, you have to state date of arriving in UK, and if it's less than 6 months, your application is rejected.


How annoying for the OP, I hope I have not misled anyone with my optimistic reading of the documents.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Forms either online or paper don't or cannot fully reflect the rules, so often are a compromise to make it customer-friendly. Since they don't want to encourage foul play, they don't accept applications from new arrivals until 6 months is up, though this is something impossible to police as EU citizens don't get their passport stamped.


----------



## CuriousNow (Jan 10, 2013)

Now I am really confused by the conflicting info!!


1.So I have to wait for six months from which date (EU nationals don't have a stamp on their passports to show date of entry into the UK) ?

2. I know I cannot take the test BEFORE six months as a resident is up. Can I register for a provisional license and take lessons NOW or do I have to wait till 6 months as a resident?

3. Do I need a provisional license (can I apply online) before I can take lessons from a driving school? 

**I do not have an EU driver's license, but I do have a valid US driver's license from when I lived and worked in the US.


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

CuriousNow said:


> Now I am really confused by the conflicting info!!
> 
> 
> 1.So I have to wait for six months from which date (EU nationals don't have a stamp on their passports to show date of entry into the UK) ?


Yes. You have to state your date of arrival on application form for provisional licence.



> 2. I know I cannot take the test BEFORE six months as a resident is up. Can I register for a provisional license and take lessons NOW or do I have to wait till 6 months as a resident?
> 3. Do I need a provisional license (can I apply online) before I can take lessons from a driving school?
> 
> **I do not have an EU driver's license, but I do have a valid US driver's license from when I lived and worked in the US.


You can take lessons on your existing licence. You can even drive unaccompanied and on motorways, until 12 months from arrival. I suggest you get as much practice as you can and as many lessons as you need before the 12 months is up to take and pass the test. You cannot take your test (or even book your test) till you get your provisional licence after 6 months.


----------

