# Drivers License US/England



## terri lynn (Dec 12, 2010)

I am an American living in England, married to a British citizen and have my residents permit. I am thinking of getting my drivers license but am hearing that I would need to give up my US drivers license. I think I want to keep my US one for when I go for visits. Any thoughts?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

terri lynn said:


> I am an American living in England, married to a British citizen and have my residents permit. I am thinking of getting my drivers license but am hearing that I would need to give up my US drivers license. I think I want to keep my US one for when I go for visits. Any thoughts?


I think you only need to hand in your driver's license if you can exchange it for UK one without having to take tests. For those who are on non-exchangeable license like US one, you just take the tests after getting your provisional licence and you keep your US license, this is how I understand it.

The thing to do is to get your provisional licence after being here for 6 months (you can't apply before then) and try to pass the tests before you've been here for a year. Then you can continue to drive on your US license and you aren't subject to learner driver restrictions like having to have full licene holder with you all the time and being banned from motorways while you practise for the tests. If you fail to pass your tests before the 12 months is up, then you will have to have L-plates, being supervised and excluded from motorways etc.


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## Liz in UK (Jul 31, 2011)

Joppa's information is correct. I think the only problem you will find with keeping your US license is when the time comes to renew it, you will no longer be a resident of the state in which it was issued, and I believe the DMV will only issue a license with an out of state address to active military personnel stationed outside of their state of residence. (I once saw a New York License with a Virginia address.) You may be able to overcome it by renewing it with a parent's or friend's address (My sister lives in Sweden and renews her New York License using my mother's address) but I'm not entirely sure of the legalities of that. On the other hand, when you do visit, you will have no issues renting a car on a UK license. My insurance company even said it was ok for my husband to drive my car on his UK license, provided he had the permission of the registered owner.


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## mandyhoov (Jun 15, 2011)

Hi all!

I'm looking into applying for my provisional license but am EXTREMELY nervous about sending in my passport. Is there any other way, as a US citizen with a UK settlement visa to get my license (any gov't offices i can go to?) or any recommendations as to how to send it extremely securely? it would be the end of my world if i lost my passport.

also, puts a bit of a kink in our travel abilities while i'm without it - does anyone know the amount of time, estimated, it takes to receive the passport back from the day you send in your paperwork/passport?

thanks all.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

mandyhoov said:


> Hi all!
> 
> I'm looking into applying for my provisional license but am EXTREMELY nervous about sending in my passport. Is there any other way, as a US citizen with a UK settlement visa to get my license (any gov't offices i can go to?) or any recommendations as to how to send it extremely securely? it would be the end of my world if i lost my passport.


No, you must send your passport - there is no other way with a non-UK passport. Send by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which costs £5.45, and enclose a Special Delivery return envelope (from Post Office). UK postal service is very reliable, and it's extremely rare for Special Delivery items to go missing (never happened to me or anyone I know). You can even track delivery online. If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP), because you came with a fiancée visa and have successfully applied for FLR, you can send that instead. You won't have BRP if you got your spouse visa in US.



> also, puts a bit of a kink in our travel abilities while i'm without it - does anyone know the amount of time, estimated, it takes to receive the passport back from the day you send in your paperwork/passport?


They say don't send in your passport if you need it within a month. That's the worst case scenario, and in my experience, supporting documents are returned separately and usually within 2 weeks but allow extra week to be safe.


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## sdunnaway (May 28, 2010)

I had the same concern, sending my passport in the post with fears of it getting lost. When I mailed my passport in I requested insurance on it for the cost of the passport AND the cost of the visa for a total of around £1000. Also, DVLA will send you a "normal" envelope to put your passport in. I found this very flimsy and not trusting so I put the passport in the DVLA envelope and then put that in a special delivery bag from the post office! I would definitely take the advice of only sending it in if you don't plan on traveling for a month as it took about two weeks for me to get my passport back


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## metroblaze (Oct 7, 2009)

terri lynn said:


> I am an American living in England, married to a British citizen and have my residents permit. I am thinking of getting my drivers license but am hearing that I would need to give up my US drivers license. I think I want to keep my US one for when I go for visits. Any thoughts?


We didn't have to give up ours...although it was an absolute pain in the back side to getbthenUS license and cost a fortune!


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## theshannonriver (Nov 25, 2011)

I am currently in this situation and I can only add one point to consider: When my husband called his insurance company to cover me and my US license, they wouldn't do it. When he called a company that would do it, it was going to cost a LOT of money. 

So we decided to just go the old "get the provisional licence, take the tests, etc." route for my UK licence. We had to get a provisional licence so I would be covered under his insurance.

I had originally wanted to keep my US license but the insane thing is... I can't change my name on it! I got married here in the UK and it turns out the state of Colorado doesn't accept foreign marriages AND we cannot get married in the US because we are already married. Really. Insane.  So I'll just have to let it lapse now. Glad that when we do go to the US, which we do often because I have family there, the UK licence will be acceptable for renting cars.


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## peppera-ann- (Feb 4, 2008)

Ive just gotten my provisional lic- the DVLA returned all of my information (all be it with a bend in my marriage license...grrr).
I've been here 2 years in a few days and didnt know about the doing it before 1 year information (wish I had!). Im going to be starting lessons in a few weeks and am so nervous about the cost. They generally run anywhere from £9 to £20 an hour!!! Eeek and general consensus is about 22 hours of lessons. Sigh, and the practical test is now £62 along with the Theory test £34. I think I am going to do the intensive course all instructors offer- which helps you get your lic in a week or 2 instead of taking ages. I have a friend from USA that is doing the same but he did it with in the 1st year so will be missing the restrictions and L plates....smart guy !

Good luck yall!
xxPepperxx


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

theshannonriver said:


> I am currently in this situation and I can only add one point to consider: When my husband called his insurance company to cover me and my US license, they wouldn't do it. When he called a company that would do it, it was going to cost a LOT of money.
> 
> So we decided to just go the old "get the provisional licence, take the tests, etc." route for my UK licence. We had to get a provisional licence so I would be covered under his insurance.
> 
> I had originally wanted to keep my US license but the insane thing is... I can't change my name on it! I got married here in the UK and it turns out the state of Colorado doesn't accept foreign marriages AND we cannot get married in the US because we are already married. Really. Insane.  So I'll just have to let it lapse now. Glad that when we do go to the US, which we do often because I have family there, the UK licence will be acceptable for renting cars.


This is enormously helpful to know. My partner has been in the UK 5 months now and so we're getting ready to start driving soon. All I could recall was that there was a benefit to passing the test within 12 months BUT the cost of insurance can be prohibitive and given that my partner's not used to a left-shift car and has never encountered roundabouts before  she needs to be accompanied anyway so the restrictions won't really hurt us, so we might do the same as you did and just apply for a provisional license.


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## theshannonriver (Nov 25, 2011)

2farapart said:


> This is enormously helpful to know. My partner has been in the UK 5 months now and so we're getting ready to start driving soon. All I could recall was that there was a benefit to passing the test within 12 months BUT the cost of insurance can be prohibitive and given that my partner's not used to a left-shift car and has never encountered roundabouts before  she needs to be accompanied anyway so the restrictions won't really hurt us, so we might do the same as you did and just apply for a provisional license.


Glad I could help. It sure does take some getting used to driving on the *cough* wrong *cough* side of the street.  

All kidding aside, it really does take some getting used to, driving on the other side of the road and on the other side of the car, and the roundabouts!!! We had a few minor ones in Colorado but nothing like they are here. I just don't have the instincts for roundabouts that people have when they grow up around them.

So all in all, it does make a lot of sense to simply go the provisional licence route. Mostly because of the insurance costs. Not really sure why a US licensed driver has such a high cost to pay.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

theshannonriver said:


> Not really sure why a US licensed driver has such a high cost to pay.


Because insurance companies profile or group drivers on several criteria, and holding full UK licence is one. Those who don't meet the usual profile - UK-born, UK-resident, UK-licence holders with UK driving experience get penalised with high premiums or they simply refuse to quote/cover. There are brokers and intermediaries who can get a tailor-made quote for non-standard risks, but it tends to be expensive and cover is likely to be more restricted.

So it's in your interest to make yourself a standard risk, and passing UK driving tests is an important step.


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## Bargainista (Mar 5, 2014)

I'm sorry about posting a question on an old thread, hope it's OK to do so. I just wanted to know if it is still true that you can only apply for a UK provisional license after being resident for 6 months and not before then, as Joppa has said earlier in the thread.


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## kat2014 (Mar 1, 2013)

Yeah the 6 month thing is a bit crazy. How do I drive before then. We won't be living in London. I know the public transportation is good but I will need a car.


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## kat2014 (Mar 1, 2013)

I looked it up and it is 6 months... I wonder if it would be easier to get insurance as a named driver and not the main driver on a car. I guess we will just figure it out when I'm there


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## Bargainista (Mar 5, 2014)

Kat2014, my husband's insurer would not add me as a named driver - they only want to insure UK license holders. Other insurers might do but as everyone says, it's not cheap!


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## chiefteaofficer (May 27, 2014)

Bargainista said:


> Kat2014, my husband's insurer would not add me as a named driver - they only want to insure UK license holders. Other insurers might do but as everyone says, it's not cheap!


I live in London now and don't drive at the moment, but when I was here in 2011/2012 I was driving on my US licence as a named driver for about 5 months. It was expensive... this was in London as well. So some companies will do it. I think it just depends on the company.


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