The rules are different depending on your circumstances.If you are just visiting the UK for a short period of time, then you can drive on your International Licence for the length of your stay (provided you’re not staying for longer than 12 months).
Please note: Marshmallow cannot cover drivers who are just visiting the UK. We can only insure drivers who have moved to the UK to permanently live here.If you are a UK resident, the rules on how long your licence is valid for depend on where your International licence is from.
- If your licence is from the European Economic Area, you can use it until you turn 70 years old. (If you were 67 or older when you became a resident, you can drive on your EU licence for 3 years after that point.) After that, you will need to exchange your licence for a British one.
- If your licence is from a ‘designated country’, it can be used for up to 12 months from the time you became a UK resident. After that, you will need to swap it for a British licence if you are to keep driving in the UK.
- Designated countries are: Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.
- If you hold an international licence from any other country, it can be used for up to 12 months from the time you became a UK resident. After that, you will need to take a driving test in order to get a full British licence.
For more information on driving in the UK, checkout our article here. If you are still unsure about the validity of your international licence, you can use the DVLA’s interactive tool. You can find that here.
