lose your licence abroad?
Discussion
A friend posted this on another forumrecently:
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I was doing some research last night and came across something that those of you who drive back to Britain via France and Belgium and fear having your license seized might be interested in.
There is a convention called "the Convention on International Road Traffic of 19 September 1949." Article 24, subpart 5 to that convention states:
"A Contracting State or a subdivision thereof may withdraw from the driver the right to use either of the above-mentioned permits only if the driver has committed a driving offense of such a nature as would entail the forfeiture of his driving permit under the legislation and regulations of the Contracting State. In such an event, the Contracting State or subdivision thereof withdrawing the use of the permit may withdraw and retain the permit until the period of the withdrawal of use expires or until the holder leaves the territory of the Contracting State, whichever is the earlier, and may record such a withdrawal of use on the permit and communicate the name and address of the driver to the authority which issued the permit."
www.offshore-manual.com/ConventionTraffic.html
Many of the European countries currently will seize a driver's license on the side of the road. This makes clear that they are also required to return them when you leave the country. None of them currently do so.
I suggest printing this and carrying it with you (it is also available in French). It might be possible to make the cops life complicated enough that they decide not to seize the license in the first place.
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Good Luck!
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I was doing some research last night and came across something that those of you who drive back to Britain via France and Belgium and fear having your license seized might be interested in.
There is a convention called "the Convention on International Road Traffic of 19 September 1949." Article 24, subpart 5 to that convention states:
"A Contracting State or a subdivision thereof may withdraw from the driver the right to use either of the above-mentioned permits only if the driver has committed a driving offense of such a nature as would entail the forfeiture of his driving permit under the legislation and regulations of the Contracting State. In such an event, the Contracting State or subdivision thereof withdrawing the use of the permit may withdraw and retain the permit until the period of the withdrawal of use expires or until the holder leaves the territory of the Contracting State, whichever is the earlier, and may record such a withdrawal of use on the permit and communicate the name and address of the driver to the authority which issued the permit."
www.offshore-manual.com/ConventionTraffic.html
Many of the European countries currently will seize a driver's license on the side of the road. This makes clear that they are also required to return them when you leave the country. None of them currently do so.
I suggest printing this and carrying it with you (it is also available in French). It might be possible to make the cops life complicated enough that they decide not to seize the license in the first place.
-----------
Good Luck!
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