Driving abroad on a UK licence: IDPs and exchanges

A UK photocard licence is fine for a holiday in most of Europe. Once you live somewhere, it's on borrowed time.

The short version

Visiting: in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, a UK photocard licence is usually enough. Elsewhere you may need an International Driving Permit (IDP) [1].
IDPs come in three types, 1926, 1949 and 1968, cost £5.50 and are now sold at PayPoint shops, not the Post Office [2].
Moving abroad: GOV.UK says don't get an IDP; exchange your UK licence or apply for a local one [3].
DVLA won't put an overseas address on your licence. You can be fined up to £1,000 for not telling DVLA when your address changes [4].
Insurance: a UK policy is for a UK-registered car and a UK-based driver. Once you live abroad, you'll need local cover.

Visiting: when your UK licence is enough

For a trip, the question is simply whether the country accepts your UK licence on its own. Across the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, a UK photocard licence is usually enough. A paper licence, or a licence from Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, may also need an IDP in some of them [1]. Some countries also limit how long a visitor can drive on a foreign licence. GOV.UK gives examples such as up to 6 months in Belgium and Germany, 185 days in Portugal and 30 days in Cyprus [1].

If you still have an old paper licence, swap it for a photocard before you go. It saves you an awkward conversation at a hire car desk.

International Driving Permits: which type, where and how long

An IDP isn't a licence. It's a translation of your licence in a format other countries recognise, and you carry it with your UK licence, never instead of it [1]. Which one you need depends on the convention the country signed up to, and some countries want more than one type if you're driving through several.

IDP type	Valid for	Examples from GOV.UK
1926	12 months	Mexico, Somalia
1949	12 months	Australia, Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Ireland, the United States
1968	3 years, or until your UK licence expires if sooner	Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE

Sources: validity from [2], countries from [1]. A country on the list doesn't mean you always need one: France and Spain are listed, but GOV.UK says you don't need an IDP to drive there on a photocard licence [1].

Each permit costs £5.50 and you get it in person at certain shops with PayPoint [2]. The Post Office used to sell them, which is what most of us remember. You must live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, hold a full UK licence and be 18 or over [2]. That residence rule matters: an IDP is a tool for visitors and short trips, not a way to keep driving abroad for years.

Moving abroad: exchanging your licence

GOV.UK is blunt about this: if you're moving abroad, don't apply for an IDP. Exchange your UK licence or apply for a new one in the country you're moving to [3]. In some countries you can swap without a test; in others you start from scratch with lessons and a local test. Check with the driving licence authority there [3].

How long you have

Each country sets its own grace period for new residents. Spain is a good example of how it works. You can drive on a UK licence for up to 6 months after you become resident, and to keep driving after that you must exchange it. The FCDO advises applying before the 6 months are up [5]. Licences from Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man can't be exchanged in Spain; those drivers apply as non-EU nationals [5].

Elsewhere the window may be shorter, longer, or tied to the date your residence permit was issued. The FCDO "Living in [country]" guide usually has a driving section, and EU countries each have their own exchange rules [3].

How an exchange usually goes

Check the rules in the "Living in" guide and with the local licensing authority.
Get your residence document first. Most countries only exchange licences for registered residents.
Gather the papers: your UK photocard, passport, residence permit, photos and often a medical certificate from an approved local doctor.
Get a check code or driving record if asked. Some authorities verify your licence with DVLA directly.
Hand in your UK licence. You usually surrender it, and the local authority sends it back to DVLA.

Keep a copy of both sides of your UK licence and your DVLA driving record. If you ever move back, it helps to show what you were entitled to drive, especially categories like motorbikes or minibuses that some countries don't carry over.

The DVLA and your UK address

This is the bit that catches people out. DVLA's address service is for residents of Great Britain, and you can't register an overseas address on a British driving licence. DVLA's advice is to contact the licensing authority in your new country [4]. You're meant to tell DVLA when your address changes, and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you don't [4].

So keeping a licence at your old flat, your parents' house or a friend's address in Croydon, when you don't live there, isn't a clever workaround. It's the wrong address on an official record. It also leaves you stuck when the photocard needs renewing, because the online services assume you live in the UK. Exchanging the licence where you live is the clean answer.

Insurance and the car itself

Your insurance

A UK motor policy is written for a UK-registered car kept in the UK by a UK-based driver. Most give limited cover for trips abroad, but not for living there. Once you've moved, you'll need a local policy. Check with your UK insurer before you drive across, and ask local insurers whether they'll recognise your UK no-claims history. Many will with a letter from your UK insurer, so ask for it before you cancel.

Taking a UK car with you

GOV.UK says to check what documents you need to take a vehicle out of the UK, and whether your insurance covers you on the way [3]. When you go for good:

you'll usually need to register the car locally within a set period, often with a technical inspection and sometimes import taxes;
tell DVLA the car has been permanently exported using the V5C logbook;
remember UK cars have the headlights set for driving on the left, which needs adjusting for most of the world;
a UK sticker may be needed while it's still on UK plates [6].

For many moves, selling the car in the UK and buying locally is less faff, especially for right-hand-drive cars in countries that drive on the right.

Coming back

Most countries that exchanged your UK licence will let you swap the local one back for a UK licence when you return, but the rules depend on where it was issued. Keep your old UK licence details and the local licence safe, and check DVLA's rules before you book the removal van home.

Driving abroad on a UK licence: when it's enough and when to swap it