UK driving licence

[julie graham]

We live in Cyprus and return every summer to UK to pick up our MH for our 4/5 week trip to France.
Our insurers are aware of our circumstances and we are fully insured using a family members address with his permission.
When we moved abroad 10 years ago I checked with DVLA about changing my address and quite legally they told me I did not have to advise them of my change of address because I was going abroad. I was told nothing about not being entitled to hold a UK licence.
Because the property we moved from which our licences are registered to has been sold and the only address we have is my relative`s, we planned to change them to that address but according to the form for doing so you have to be resident in UK for at least 185 days. How do fulltimers circumvent this issue because I am sure you don't want to apply for a local licence for each country you visit which is what I understand we are supposed to do? If you saw a Cypriot licence you would know why we don't want to change.
BTW there is no problem driving in Cyprus on a UK licence.

 

[gus-lopez]

I think that many people ' inadvertently' miss the asking about 185 days.
Or don't do anything as re-reading your post they haven't run out & you are quite entitled , with no UK address, to leave them as they are as there is no address for them to go to. Then sort i it out when the photo needs renewing.

 

[BwB]

I'd have thought you'd need to apply for a Cypriot driving licence after 6 months residency. You're OK driving with a UK licence in Cyprus for a holiday or temporary visit but if you live in a county they normally require you to have a local licence. This will then be valid in the UK until you've done your 180 days and can reapply for your UK licence (in the event you move back to Blighty)

 

[Bobndebs McKay]

I'd have thought you'd need to apply for a Cypriot driving licence after 6 months residency. You're OK driving with a UK licence in Cyprus for a holiday or temporary visit but if you live in a county they normally require you to have a local licence. This will then be valid in the UK until you've done your 180 days and can reapply for your UK licence (in the event you move back to Blighty)

Cyprus is part of the EU now don't forget and t here is no requirement to change your licence. Same here in Germany. I have one of my family addresses for a "home" address and certainly "reside" in the UK!!

 

[gus-lopez]

Cyprus is part of the EU now don't forget and t here is no requirement to change your licence. Same here in Germany. I have one of my family addresses for a "home" address and certainly "reside" in the UK!!

No in Cyprus it is the same as here. Residents of Cyprus can continue to drive on the full foreign EU licence until it expires or after 6 months residency.
If it is lost or stolen then it must be renewed in Cyprus. You have to obtain a " certificate of entitlement" from the dvla.
Actually it is similar in Germany. Valid until requires renewal then must be exchanged. & it would be the same as above if lost or stolen.
If you actually renew in the UK after becoming a permanent resident in another EU state & it is spotted by Traffic officer who knows the EU rules then you will be seen as having " No valid licence".
"
If you hold a driving licence issued by a Member State of the European Union (EU) or a state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), it will normally remain valid after you have taken up residence in the Federal Republic of Germany until the end of its period of validity. "
from here;

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The requirement is that it must be changed when the photo has to be renewed.

You should also be aware that you do not have to have taken up residence in any EU state 'officially' , just to have been their over 90 days. You are then officially a resident whether registered or not.
You then may, or may not, be in breach of that states requirement to register as a "permanent foreign resident" . Some states require it Spain , Greece & some like the UK do not.
It comes from the EU rule that EU states cannot 'grant' residency but that the 'citizen' decides that he is a now a resident of that state.

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[BwB]

Thanks for the update. I had forgotten about the European rules.

Would this mean, presuming the OP has lived abroad 10 years and presumably now needs to update a photo licence, they will have to renew in the place of residence?

None of this affects me but just interested.

 

[Bobndebs McKay]

According to that then it would appear that there are a large number of us living and working here in Berlin without valid driving licences
Although, maybe because we have perm,anent addresses in The UK and do travel home at least once every month or so, we could argue that we are not resident for more than 90 days at a time?
We are all Registered though and we all pay taxes, Pension and Health Insurances, and as far as I am aware as yet, nobody has been in any bother over it, maybe it is that they dont really take much notice. I shall check it out.

 

[Bobndebs McKay]

If you hold a driving licence issued by a Member State of the European Union (EU) or a state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), it will normally remain valid after you have taken up residence in the Federal Republic of Germany until the end of its period of validity. You must have a domestic driving licence – an International Driving Permit is not sufficient.
Applicants for driving licences must have their normal residence in the Federal Republic of Germany. In other words - put simply - they must live here for at least 185 days each year.

From the document above @Gus Lopez, we are all good here as we have validity on our UK Licences and (most importantly) have addresses in The UK, and Residency is not more than 185 days per year as we travel home. As for the OP in Cyprus, I would imagine similar rules will apply.

I read it that to actually be able to apply for a Driving Licence in Germany you must be resident for more than 185 Days and NOT that after 185 days you must get a German Driving Licence.

Thats how I read it anyway.

 

[gus-lopez]

To be honest the whole lot is a shambles. far from being a level playing field each country has slightly different requirements as regards to when a 'foreign resident' has to change there licence.
Same as the health requirements in each country.
All these EU rules were drawn up by people who never gave any thought to how each & every one would work in relation to people who live/retire/travel to many different EU countries during the course of a year.

 

[julie graham]

Thanks for all the replies. Just to reiterate there is no problem driving in Cyprus on a UK issued European licence. We still had a property in the UK when my husband renewed the photo on his licence and he still has 5 years to go before it expires. Mine has 9 years to go for the photo and doesn't expire for 13 years. I changed the name on mine when I married and as it was an ols style paper one it was changed to a pink E licence.The issue I am highlighting is that the property we owned that is on both our licences has been sold and we wanted to change the address to my b in law`s to match were we have the van registered. The form for change of address states that you have to be UK resident to change address so we don't want to break the law.
There must be full timers who do not have a UK address so my question is what do you do about this rule if renewing your photo or once you reach 70?

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[BreweryDave]

Julie - I refer you back to my earlier post on your other thread re a registered address. That is a uk address and is suitable for all uk stuff - even though it's not a 'residence'. Licence, log book, bank etc etc etc
£60 per year and all sorted wherever you are
Been FT over 3 years - many on here for longer - and intend to be overseas in Europe for more time than we are in the uk !

 

[julie graham]

Thanks BD I will look into that. Seems we were misled by the PO when my husband tried to change the reg address of the van. She gave him the form for changing licence address and he didn't realise that it didn't apply to the van address which can just be changed at the counter when road taxing it. Men!!! However we will need a uk address when the licences come up for renewal in future so will follow your advice.