Foreign driving licence exchange?

[un1corn]

Am I right in saying that if you have an EU licence, you can just swap it straight away for a full UK one through the exchange programme? Or do you swap it for a provisional?

Is there any country where you have their licence, but then swap it and have to drive on a provisional? And I assume that even if you apply for a british provisional, you automatically recind all your driving rights under your full iicence from your own country, even if you have only been in the country a couple of months?

[SantaBarbara]

Where is your current place of residence

[SantaBarbara]

un1corn said:

Am I right in saying that if you have an EU licence, you can just swap it straight away for a full UK one through the exchange programme? Or do you swap it for a provisional?

Is there any country where you have their licence, but then swap it and have to drive on a provisional? And I assume that even if you apply for a british provisional, you automatically recind all your driving rights under your full iicence from your own country, even if you have only been in the country a couple of months?

Please be more specific with your details before we can give accurate answer?

[dmitry]

un1corn said:

Am I right in saying that if you have an EU licence, you can just swap it straight away for a full UK one through the exchange programme? Or do you swap it for a provisional?

Is there any country where you have their licence, but then swap it and have to drive on a provisional? And I assume that even if you apply for a british provisional, you automatically recind all your driving rights under your full iicence from your own country, even if you have only been in the country a couple of months?

You're right.
https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licenc...
I've exchanged my EU licence for a full UK one a month ago. The process is simple and 'valid from' date in the new UK licence is the same it was in my old EU one which should mean insurance won't cost an arm and a leg.

[Poshbury]

In France you simply change it for a French EU licence with more or less the same entitlements.

[catso]

un1corn said:

Am I right in saying that if you have an EU licence, you can just swap it straight away for a full UK one through the exchange programme?

Yes.

I got my licence in Italy and (back in the old days) when I moved back here I could drive for 12 months on the Italian licence but during that time I needed to pass a UK test to continue to drive afterwards, as I had a job that meant I needed a car I did the test ASAP.

Then (a few months later) they changed the rules so that you could swap an EU licence for an equivalent UK licence, as I had not yet taken the UK bike test I swapped my Italian licence (car & bike entitlement) for UK licence with motorbike entitlement.

Since then (1980-something) EU licences are able to be swapped for UK and vice-versa but the DVLA won't give you your EU licence back.

The 'from' date on my bike entitlement is the date I swapped rather than the date I passed the (Italian) test so, presumably (if they still do this?) then for insurance purposes you may have to start as a 'new' driver?

Conversely my Sister learnt to drive here, before we moved to Italy and on producing a UK licence they gave her an Italian licence but also let her keep the UK licence - I guess we do the rules more to the letter...

[BOF]

Not certain these days but when I regurlarly went to my office in Antwerp I had to pass the local Belgian driving test center...

A little kind of ramp thing...five or six traffic cones...never really saw much else...

I suspect that you had to keep six crisp packets with a token to get a pass - not sure if cheese and onion got you through quicker than salt and vinegar though.

I might be exagerrating the level of competence required - but experience on the roads seemed to confirm the process.

BOF

PS - Having driven in Milan for two years I said CATSO very frequently!

Edited by BOF on Sunday 13th August 19:17