Driving licence exchange in the UK – DVLA rules, importing a car, ULEZ and getting around
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Whether you can keep using your foreign driving licence in the UK depends on where it was issued, and the clock starts when you become resident. Here is how the DVLA exchange works, what importing a car costs, which clean air zones charge and how to get around without a car.
Your driving licence is one of the few documents you can keep using after moving to the UK, but for how long depends on where it was issued. Getting around is changing too: single bus fares in England outside London are capped at £3 until the end of 2026 and at £2 throughout 2027.
The licence rules below are for Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales – where the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) issues licences; Northern Ireland differs.
Can you drive in the UK on a foreign driving licence?
You normally count as resident if you live in Great Britain for 185 days in each calendar year. As a visitor, you can drive on a non-UK licence without an international driving permit.
| Licence issued in | How long you can drive on it | Exchange for a GB licence |
|---|---|---|
| An EU or EEA country | Until age 70 if you were under 67 when you became resident; 3 years if you were 67 or older | Optional, at any time, with no test |
| An EU country, but obtained by exchanging a non-EU licence | 12 months | Ask DVLA |
| A designated country, such as Australia, Canada, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine or the UAE | 12 months from becoming resident | Required after 12 months; possible up to 5 years after becoming resident, after which you must pass both tests |
| Any other country, such as the USA, India or Brazil | 12 months from becoming resident | Not possible – get a provisional licence and pass the theory and practical tests |
Source: the government's guidance on driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence, read 23 September 2026.
How do you exchange your licence with the DVLA?
Pick up form D1 at a Post Office offering DVLA services and post it with the £43 fee and your licence. Canadian licences, and those from several Australian states and territories, are limited to automatics unless you prove you passed a manual test.
| Item | Cost in Great Britain | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Exchange a foreign licence (form D1) | £43 | Usually arrives within 3 weeks |
| First provisional licence | £34 online, £43 by post | From 15 years and 9 months old, with permission to live in Great Britain for at least 185 days |
| Theory test, car | £23 | Book through the official government service |
| Practical test, car | £62 on weekdays; £75 evenings, weekends and bank holidays | Unofficial booking sites charge more |
Source: DVLA and the government's driving test guidance, read 23 September 2026.
Northern Ireland is different
In Northern Ireland, a valid EU or EEA car licence can be used until it expires, with no need to exchange it. Designated-country licences can be used for a year after you become resident; apply for a Northern Ireland licence within 12 months to keep driving without a break. Exchanging an EEA or other foreign licence costs £62.50, as does a first provisional licence, while a GB licence is exchanged free.
Bringing or buying a car: import, tax, MOT and insurance
Only visitors may use a foreign-registered car without UK registration, for up to six months in total in 12 months; once resident, you must register and tax it here. Driving it on public roads before these steps are done can lead to prosecution.
| Step | What | Deadline or cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claim Transfer of Residence relief (form ToR1) if you qualify; otherwise pay VAT and duty if HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs) says so | Before the import declaration |
| 2 | Tell HMRC with a NOVA notification | Within 14 days of arrival; late notification can mean a fine |
| 3 | Get vehicle approval | Before you register |
| 4 | Register and tax the car with DVLA, which issues a registration number | £55 first registration fee, plus vehicle tax |
| 5 | Insure it | At least third party, the legal minimum |
Source: HMRC and DVLA, read 23 September 2026.
For cars registered from 1 April 2017, first-year tax depends on CO2 emissions, from £10 to £5,690; after that it is £200 a year for petrol, diesel and electric cars alike, on the rates shown on 23 September 2026. Cars listed over £40,000, or £50,000 if electric, pay £440 a year extra for five years. An MOT (roadworthiness test) is due by the third anniversary of registration and then yearly; driving without one can cost up to £1,000.
HMRC's draft Electric Vehicle Excise Duty would charge 3p a mile for battery-electric cars and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids from 1 April 2028; it is not yet law.
Speed limits, drink-driving and clean air zones
Speed limits for cars are 30 mph (48 km/h) in built-up areas in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland but 20 mph (32 km/h) in Wales, 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 mph on dual carriageways and motorways. The drink-drive limit is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 50 mg in Scotland.
| Zone or charge | Where and when | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) | All London boroughs, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day | £12.50 a day for vehicles that do not meet the standards |
| Clean Air Zones (England) | Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside | Check your vehicle with the government checker – it cannot check foreign-registered vehicles |
| Low Emission Zones (Scotland) | Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres, at all times | £60 penalty (£30 if paid within 14 days), doubling for repeats, up to £480 for cars |
| Dartford Crossing (M25) | Across the Thames, 6am to 10pm every day | Cars £3.50 per crossing, £2.80 with a pre-pay account; pay by midnight the day after |
Source: Transport for London, the Scottish Government and the government's clean air zone and Dart Charge guidance, read 23 September 2026.
Foreign-registered vehicles must meet the ULEZ standards or pay the charge and register with EPC plc. An unpaid Dart Charge costs £70, or £35 if paid within 14 days. Central London also has a separate Congestion Charge on weekdays and weekend afternoons – check the current amount with TfL (Transport for London).
How do you get around without a car?
In London, TfL runs the Tube and buses; pay as you go with a contactless card or Oyster, since a paper cash single on the Tube costs £7.00. The Hopper fare gives unlimited bus and tram journeys within an hour of touching in for £1.75. Tube fares below apply from 5 July 2026; peak is Monday to Friday 06:30–09:30 and 16:00–19:00.
| Ticket | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tube, Zone 1, pay as you go | £3.10 peak, £3.00 off-peak | London |
| Tube, Zones 1–6 (Oxford Circus to Uxbridge) | £5.90 peak, £4.00 off-peak | London |
| Single bus fare, participating services | Capped at £3 until the end of 2026; £2 from 1 January to 31 December 2027 | England outside London |
| Bee Bus 28-day ticket | £80 | Greater Manchester |
| nBus 4-week ticket | £73 | Birmingham and the West Midlands |
| Ridacard, 4 weeks | £80 | Edinburgh, Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams |
Source: Transport for London, the Department for Transport, Bee Network, National Express West Midlands and Lothian Buses, read 23 September 2026.
Older people's bus passes start at State Pension age in England and at 60 in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and London gives free travel within London from 60. In Scotland, everyone aged 5 to 21 travels free on buses with a National Entitlement Card, asylum seekers and refugees included.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Note the date you became resident and your licence's deadline | In your first week |
| 2 | Exchange a designated-country licence on form D1 (£43) | Within 12 months of becoming resident |
| 3 | If you cannot exchange, get a provisional licence and book both tests | Early – you have 12 months |
| 4 | Tell HMRC about an imported car with a NOVA notification, then register and tax it | HMRC within 14 days of arrival |
| 5 | Check your car against clean air and emission zone rules | Before you drive into a city |
| 6 | Tell DVLA your new address – or risk a fine of up to £1,000 | Every time you move |
Source: DVLA, HMRC and Transport for London, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- GOV.UK – Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (smart answer) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Exchange a non-GB driving licence (smart answer) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (smart answer) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Exchange a non-GB driving licence (smart answer, 'Other') · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Exchange a non-GB driving licence (smart answer) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Exchange a non-GB driving licence (smart answer) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Exchange a non-GB driving licence (smart answer, Canada/Australia) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Apply for your first provisional driving licence · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Driving test costs · gov.uk
- nidirect – Exchanging your foreign driving licence; The cost of a driving licence · nidirect.gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Change the address on your driving licence · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Importing vehicles into the UK (printable guide) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Importing vehicles into the UK · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Vehicle tax rates (printable) · gov.uk
- HMRC – Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) policy paper · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Getting an MOT; Vehicle insurance · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Speed limits · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – The drink drive limit · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Pay the Dartford Crossing charge: Charges · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Dart Charge: Fines (penalty charge notices) · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Drive in a clean air zone · gov.uk
- mygov.scot – Low emission zones; LEZ fines · mygov.scot
- Transport for London – ULEZ · tfl.gov.uk
- Transport for London – Congestion Charge · tfl.gov.uk
- Transport for London – Bus and tram fares · tfl.gov.uk
- Transport for London – Unified API, Single Fare Finder · api.tfl.gov.uk
- Department for Transport – £3 national bus fare cap; written statement 22 July 2026 · gov.uk
- GOV.UK – Apply for an older person's bus pass · gov.uk
- Transport Scotland – Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel · transport.gov.scot
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.