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Exchanging to a GB Driving Licence – The Benefits.

Vocational non-GB licensed drivers are expected to register their driving licence with the DVLA within 12 months of taking up residence within Great Britain. Once registered the DVLA will issue a ‘Confirmation of Registration Document’ (D91). However, for their employers, an electronic licence check is not currently available within the DVLA.

So what steps can be taken to ensure that these employees are entitled to drive for work purposes? The first step for employers is to ensure that the non-GB licensed driver is in possession of a D91. The next step is to do a licence check. This is where the convenience of electronically checking is absent and a premium rate phone call to the DVLA’s Driver Check Service (09061 39 38 37) is required with consent from the driver. Repeating the steps for any ongoing frequency checks. The administrative burden of this could be alleviated if the driver is willing to do an exchange for a GB issued licence.

Before indicating the benefits to the employee and the employer for exchanging to a GB driving licence, taking a look at the complexities that are encountered by resident non-GB driving licence and CPC holders can help to encourage a licence exchange.

The Application to register a non-GB driving licence (D9) form includes important notes that relate to registering and exchanging.

  • It is a legal requirement to register with the DVLA within 12 months of taking up residence. Drivers that exchange their licence instead are registered automatically.
  • EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway licence holders can drive until the age of 70 with a valid non-GB licence or for three years after becoming resident whichever is the longer period.
  • Renewal of a licence is required from and at the age of 45 every five years and every year from the age of 65 conditionally upon passing a medical examination.
  • When an EU/EEA issued licence expires or the above age conditions relate, an application to the DVLA for a GB licence is required.

It is also useful to consider the rules relating to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence or CPC and the issuing of the related Driver Qualification Card (DQC) or the equivalent not issued in the GB.

  • There are two indicators that a non-GB licence holder have a valid CPC. A code 95 with an expiry date on the driving licence or possession of a valid DQC.
  • 35 hours of training has to be completed in order to qualify for a renewal of the CPC. Partial training (at least 7 hours) in GB will enable a non-GB licence holder to apply to the DVSA for a renewed DQC. Proof of training outside of GB must be provided.
  • Periodic training hours completed within GB will result in a certificate of attendance. They can be uploaded to the CPC Recording & Evidence (R&E) database after an exchange of licence. Until then a DQC will not be issued automatically.
The benefits of exchanging an EU/EEA Driving Licence for a GB Driving Licence.

The employee…

  • can exchange their licence and be automatically registered with the DVLA.
  • can have any CPC periodic training hours uploaded to the CPC R&E database.
  • will have their expired DQC automatically renewed upon completion of their 35 training hours.
  • can use their GB driving licence as proof of address and in some circumstance their ID.
  • will be able to give their consent for driving licence checking including CPC and Tacho validity.

The employer…

  • will save time without the burden of administrative manual licence checking.
  • will save costs involved with licence checking.
  • will be able to use the services of Licence Link for automated licence checking including CPC and Tacho checks.
  • will be able to easily get consent from their drivers via mandate or better still eConsent.
  • will be able to do real-time checks and continued automated frequency checking.

When a non-GB driving licence holder becomes a resident of Great Britain it makes sense to exchange their driving licence. The benefits above are an incentive, saving time, cost, administration and possible confusion. It makes the recruitment process less painful, for the applicant and the recruiter, where being able to present an entitlement to drive is easily provided. Licence Link will respond to any request for a check on a non-GB driving licence with the recommendation to visit the official government website https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence.

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