I need a counterpart for my EC driving licence ?

[Medic-one]

I'm a bit confused chaps, i've got a so called EC/EEA (European Community/European Economic Area) driving licence from Holland (The Netherlands) with car (B) and small truck (C1) entitlements, and i moved to the UK in 2006.

The DVLA website states :

A valid community licence issued on the strength of a driving test within the EC/EEA, will allow you to drive in GB for a set period. Alternatively, you can exchange your licence for a British licence.

Provided your licence remains valid you may drive in GB:

Car, motorcycle driving licence holders (ordinary driving licence):

•until aged 70 or for three years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period

Lorry, minibus, bus driving licence holders (vocational driving licence):

•until aged 45 or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period
•if you are aged over 45 (but under 65) until your 66th birthday or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the shorter period
•if you are aged 65 or over for 12 months after becoming resident

In order to continue driving after these periods, you must get a British driving licence.

From that i allways concluded that i don't have to swap my licence for a UK yet untill i'm 45 as that'll be the longer period, giving that i'm 26.

I need the C1 entitlement for work, as some of our ambulance's weigh around the 5 ton mark, and one of my managers told/asked me couple years back i need to swap my Dutch licence for a UK one. However i showed that a printout of that part of the DVLA websites quoted above and they've been fine with my licence since.

Though yesterday a manager showed me this D9 form from the DVLA ( http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_...)

Now that form (Application for a driving licence counterpart for non-GB licence holders) states that :

The law requires all those who live in Britain who drive buses
– from 9 passenger seats – and vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes – to be registered with the Driver and Vehicle
Licensing Agency (DVLA). Drivers who exchange their licence in Britain are automatically registered.
You are required by law to do this within 12 months of your taking up residence.


I've also just used that interactive tool on the DVLA website, filled in the bits that applied to me (driving Lorry, minibus and or bus, EEC/AC licence, and resident in UK) and the result states :

•you can drive in Great Britain (GB) on your full, valid EC/EEA, driving licence until age 45, or for five years after becoming resident whichever is the longer period.

•you do not need to exchange your licence before the above requirements are met, but you must register your details with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) within 12 months of becoming resident.


So by the looks of it i do need to register my licence with them, though i've been here just over 3.5 years now, and it states it needs to be done within 12 months of becoming a resident.

Is there a fine or any other kind of penalty related to not appying for this counterpart within those 12 months ?

And the form states i need to enclose my current EEC/EC licence with it ("it will be returned to you"), however i've read about quiet a few horror stories on here about the DVLA losing documents, plus we do i stand if i get pulled over, i wont be in the "police computer" as i don't have UK licence, and if i send them my Dutch licence i will have no (legal, as im sure a copy wouldn't do it) proof i actually have a licence. So not really sure what to do now...

[Pothole]

telephone them?

[Medic-one]

Pothole said:

telephone them?

"erm yes hello goodmorning. I've heard you guys are st and lose documents all the time so i won't send you my licence, what can you advice me about that 12 month rule of yours i've just broken by 2.5 years..."

[Mill Wheel]

Use Royal Mail Gtd. Next Day Delivery to send ANYTHING to the DVLA. It is a silver slip or better, a rip proof envelope, available from the Post Office.

It will cost you about £5 for minimum weight, but it is bar coded all the way and is traceable online using the barcode number.
It has to be signed for on delivery.

Photocopy all the documents you enclose, and remember to keep them safe, AND to check the delivery is made (by 1.00pm) to DVLA.

Good luck!

[SmoothCriminal]

I've got no advice on your predicament but it's the DVLA so of course there will be a fine.... money grabbing tts.

[NugentS]

Why not send them the copies...

That way when (if) they ask for the real ones - you have some sort of proof of the transaction going on and you may be able to reply to a person rather than a DVLA droid

Sean

Edited by NugentS on Thursday 22 April 23:33

[skwdenyer]

Mill Wheel said:

Use Royal Mail Gtd. Next Day Delivery to send ANYTHING to the DVLA. It is a silver slip or better, a rip proof envelope, available from the Post Office.

It will cost you about £5 for minimum weight, but it is bar coded all the way and is traceable online using the barcode number.
It has to be signed for on delivery.

Photocopy all the documents you enclose, and remember to keep them safe, AND to check the delivery is made (by 1.00pm) to DVLA.

Good luck!

I think "has" is a little strong in the context of "has to be signed for"; I regularly have SD items delivered to me wherein no signature is asked for.

[Medic-one]

Medic-one said:

I've also just used that interactive tool on the DVLA website, filled in the bits that applied to me (driving Lorry, minibus and or bus, EEC/AC licence, and resident in UK) and the result states :

•you can drive in Great Britain (GB) on your full, valid EC/EEA, driving licence until age 45, or for five years after becoming resident whichever is the longer period.

•you do not need to exchange your licence before the above requirements are met, but you must register your details with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) within 12 months of becoming resident.

Ok, so i've done that. I filled in that D9 form from the DVLA website (to register my details and apply for the counterpart as a EC/EEA licence holder) and send it off with my original Dutch licence, and i just got it back today.

And now i am confused.

In Holland we don't do provisional licence's, when you're 18 and passed your theory test you apply for your practical test, and once you pass that you get your driving licence, simple.

I've got my B (car) and C (lorry, upto 7.5) tonn on my dutch licence which looks something like this :


this is just a random internet pic, not mine. I've got C entitlement on mine

The date in the middle colomn is when you got your entitlement, and the date on the last (right) page is untill when it's valid.

When you get a new entitlement your "B" gets automatically renewed, so when i went for my "C" in 2006 my licence (with B and C) became valid untill 13-07-2016.


So i've received that A4 style "counterpart driving licence for EC/EEA full licence holders", which i've scanned in and can be seen here :

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7069/licenceu.jpg


- However, it doesn't mention my B or C entitlement ?

- It states something about provisional A and Be ?

- In the box on the right is states "exchange to UK licence due by 13-07-2016" eventhough the other bit of the website (see first post) states i don't untill the age of 70 (car) or 40 (lorry) ?

- on the bottom it says "sign in the white box" and then underneath "send this form with your EC/EEA licence to POL 7, DVLA etc" ?


So if they want me to sign it and send it off again with my original licence again, isn't this the actual counterpart form then ?
Or if it is the correct form, why is there no mention of my C entitlement then ?

Edited by Medic-one on Friday 13th August 19:25

[Transam]

the paper piece never shows what your entitlements are apart from your provisional, have you got the pink card part of your licence? that shall show you what your entitlements are and aslong as you passed your test before 1997 for your car you shall keep your C1 if you didnt im afraid you have lost it.

i will be working for a dutch company on my british licence out in europe (no driving in the uk ) so dont need to swap it over as im not living there.

[Medic-one]

Transam said:

the paper piece never shows what your entitlements are apart from your provisional, have you got the pink card part of your licence? that shall show you what your entitlements are and aslong as you passed your test before 1997 for your car you shall keep your C1 if you didnt im afraid you have lost it.

i will be working for a dutch company on my british licence out in europe (no driving in the uk ) so dont need to swap it over as im not living there.

No i haven't got the pink card part as i still have my dutch licence. I'm not exchanging mine for a UK one, i just applied for a counterpart.

My Dutch licence (which the DVLA has now returned to me) shows my entitlements.

I passed my car in 2001 when i turned 18, i can't have lost my C1 just by coming over to the country as the whole reason why i got it was that i needed it before i moved over, as UK ambulance's are bigger (heavier) then the Dutch onces.

My C1 remains valid "until aged 45 or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period".

[jondude]

This is all very weird as the whole principle of the EU is that we respect each other's education/standards.

So in principle, we should not be able to make any demands of you.

Why not check your own Dutch DVLA site and see how they handle British licenses in reverse - I was under the clear impression an EU license was 100% respected and that it was and is a voluntary decision for you if you want to exchange it for a British (EU) one.

[mph1977]

i'm suprised you weren't asked to exchange your licence by the driving school fascists working for your employer ... i've seen them thin the herd at selection days that way

wrong address, out of date photo. various other issues , thankyou and good bye , apply next time we advertise ...

[Medic-one]

mph1977 said:

i'm suprised you weren't asked to exchange your licence by the driving school fascists working for your employer ... i've seen them thin the herd at selection days that way

wrong address, out of date photo. various other issues , thankyou and good bye , apply next time we advertise ...

I applied to London first (was still living in Holland) and they did make an issue of my licence and said i needed to have a UK licence for at least 2 years, but the trust i'm with now didn't make an issue about it at all.

[Medic-one]

jondude said:

This is all very weird as the whole principle of the EU is that we respect each other's education/standards.

So in principle, we should not be able to make any demands of you.

Why not check your own Dutch DVLA site and see how they handle British licenses in reverse - I was under the clear impression an EU license was 100% respected and that it was and is a voluntary decision for you if you want to exchange it for a British (EU) one.

It's not completely voluntary, i'm allowed to keep my dutch licence and drive my car "until aged 70 or for three years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period".

If i want to drive busses and lories then that's "until aged 45 or for five years after becoming resident, whichever is the longer period".

So that means i can still keep my dutch licence another 19 years which isn't bad, however they do state they want to to register your foreign licence if you keep your EC/EEA one AND want to drive busses or lories in this country.

And since the ambulance's i drive are over 5 tonn i needed to register my licence with them, whilst keeping my dutch one.

Though i'm still not sure about the last bit,

- on the bottom it says "sign in the white box" and then underneath "send this form with your EC/EEA licence to POL 7, DVLA etc" ?

So if they want me to sign it and send it off again with my original licence again, isn't this the actual counterpart form then ?

[CharlieTwo]

Medic-one said:

- on the bottom it says "sign in the white box" and then underneath "send this form with your EC/EEA licence to POL 7, DVLA etc" ?

So if they want me to sign it and send it off again with my original licence again, isn't this the actual counterpart form then ?

No no - you only need to do that if you've filled in any changes in the box above - then you need to sign and send it off to that address.

[mph1977]

the 45 bit is only the same as anyone who has a 'vocational' category as a result of a test pass as opposed to a pre 1996 car licence with 'free' C1 and D1

[streaky]

skwdenyer said:

Mill Wheel said:

Use Royal Mail Gtd. Next Day Delivery to send ANYTHING to the DVLA. It is a silver slip or better, a rip proof envelope, available from the Post Office.

It will cost you about £5 for minimum weight, but it is bar coded all the way and is traceable online using the barcode number.
It has to be signed for on delivery.

Photocopy all the documents you enclose, and remember to keep them safe, AND to check the delivery is made (by 1.00pm) to DVLA.

Good luck!

I think "has" is a little strong in the context of "has to be signed for"; I regularly have SD items delivered to me wherein no signature is asked for.

As posted previously, my SiL, who works for Royal Mail, has confirmed that DVLA do not sign for 'registered' items - Streaky

[Medic-one]

CharlieTwo said:

No no - you only need to do that if you've filled in any changes in the box above - then you need to sign and send it off to that address.

Thanks for that.

I've never had or even seen one of those counterparts before, so i was a bit suprised to see it doesn't even state my B and C1 entitlement, i thought that was the whole reason my work (and dvla) wanted this document.