Driving in Great Britain (GB) on a licence issued in a
European Community/European Economic Area country
All drivers must comply with British minimum age requirements which is 17 years olds for cars.
Visitors
If you hold a valid community licence and are visiting GB, you can drive any vehicle if the full entitlement for that vehicle is shown on the licence.
Residents
If you are the holder of an ordinary driving licence (car, moped, motorcycle entitlement) and provided your licence remains valid, you can drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a provisional GB licence must have been obtained and a driving test(s) passed before the 12-month period elapses. If you obtain a provisional licence during this period, you are not subject to provisional licence conditions eg displaying 'L' plates or being supervised by a qualified driver or being precluded from motorways.
However, if you do not pass a test within the 12-month concessionary period you will not be allowed to drive as a full licence holder and provisional licence conditions will apply. If you do not apply for a provisional licence within the first 12 months you must stop driving and obtain a British provisional licence with a view to passing a driving test. Provisional licence conditions will then apply
For help and advice contact
Drive There Driving School