Driving licence question

[EU_Foreigner]

I did the swap as well, but my licence was from NL. The kind people at Swansea gave me every category for my BE licence, so can now drive the full alphabet

I was "forced" to do that under the original residency rules in the UK in the eighties.

[macushla]

Ardennes92 said:

The old paper licence is valid until you are 70 with no extra cost until you have to update it due to change of address rather than have to pay the government thieves every 10 years for a “new” style

Yes twenty whole pounds every decade, that’s a halfpenny every day. The maximum you can pay over a lifetime is around £100 and that assumes you never move house from the moment you passed your test and just scraped in with a paper licence. Crippling to most people obviously

I’ve siad before, but I bet you lose more loose change every year than you’ll pay for your photocard that year.

[anonymous-user]

Just in the process of exchanging ours for Polish licences

Easy enough to do and all categories retained. You would probably be best exchanging your UK licence for a new style photo card and then exchanging that for a Belgian licence. One of my neighbours (also from the UK) swapped his UK licence over and his HGV categories moved over without any issues. (The old Belgian licence prior to photo card looked like something home made)

I've found when dealing with Beaurocracy (PL and DE) its easier to give them something that looks like it does in their own country. The second anything is slightly different it becomes a problem.

The management of this Brexit thing is an absolute joke! (Although I agree with the principle but thats for another thread)

[hutchst]

When I first exchanged my UK licence in South Africa, it had entitlement up to 7.5t They don't have a 7.5t category in SA, so I got 16t which is the next one up. All for passing my test in a 105E Anglia

[The Mad Monk]

Ardennes92 said:

The old paper licence is valid until you are 70 with no extra cost until you have to update it due to change of address rather than have to pay the government thieves every 10 years for a “new” style

I had forgotten about the 'chip on the shoulder' merchants.

[Pothole]

sunbeam alpine said:

I'm a UK national living in Belgium (been here for years). I've received a letter today notifying me that (as a result of Brexit) I need to exchange my UK driving licence for a Belgian one before 29th March.

I haven't bothered up to now because
a) Belgium didn't require it
b) I have the old-style green paper licence with just old classes A&E

My work requires me to tow trailers up to 3.5t. As I passed my test in 1981 I have this automatically, although it's not expressly stated on my licence. When I went to enquire at our local town hall, they will only give me a Belgian car licence - I would lose the "grandfathers rights" bit on my UL licence.

If I first exchange my UK licence for a modern one, will the updated licence contain these extra groups, then I can exchange it for a Belgian one and be able to tow?

Google & DVLA web site aren't helping

Thanks!

Do you still have a UK address? If so, if it's still the address which is on your old paper licence it'll make the process smoother. As far as I recall my old paper licence carried the same classes as yours and my "new" photocard licence shows all the "extra" classes. Worth a shot, surely. Worst case you'll only end up where you are already.

[jdw100]

Ardennes92 said:

The old paper licence is valid until you are 70 with no extra cost until you have to update it due to change of address rather than have to pay the government thieves every 10 years for a “new” style

I'm just applying for a new passport - going to have it couriered out to where I live. £120 in total. The thieves!!

That's a whopping £12 a year.

I'll have to renew it again in 10 years as well - setting up a GoFundMe campaign now, if anyone wants to help me out.

Thieving government bds!

Edited by jdw100 on Thursday 24th January 09:02

[Cat]

sunbeam alpine said:

As I posted a couple of times, unlike the UK, Belgium does not require EU nationals to exchange their home country's licence for a Belgian one.

There is currently no requirement to exchange an EU licence for a UK one. If you are a UK resident you can drive on an EU licence until you are 70 (or for 3 years after becoming resident if this is longer). This applies to car licences, HGV and bus licences are treated differently.

Cat

[sunbeam alpine]

UPDATE: Finally got my Belgian driving licence. It's been a complete nightmare - see https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[The Mad Monk]

sunbeam alpine said:

UPDATE: Finally got my Belgian driving licence. It's been a complete nightmare - see https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

What about your UK licence?

[sunbeam alpine]

The Mad Monk said:

sunbeam alpine said:

UPDATE: Finally got my Belgian driving licence. It's been a complete nightmare - see https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

What about your UK licence?

See the other thread...