International driving permits

Yesterday with much reservation that it’s all a load of nonsense cos it’s in no-ones interest for our driving licences not to be recognised thoughout Europe (or vice versa) I found myself at the post office sorting out international drivers permits.

I didn’t want to but will likely drive in Europe within the next few weeks so for £5.50 a pop thought there’s not much to lose. Link below for those who haven’t heard of this.

The govt site includes mad info for those living abroad about switching your licence over to a local one now before the 29th or face retaking your full driving test in whatever country your in. Spain are apparently keen on this.

Can’t imagine that’ll go down well with the expat demographic!

Anyone else bothered?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/international-driving-permits-for-uk-drivers-from-28-march-2019

ps if we could stick to driving abroad stuff great, Brexit has its own gnarly biscuited thread

[mention]Slowlycatchymonkey[/mention] monkey I signed up for the .Gov email Brexit updates I've unsubscribed now as I was getting 20 to 30 a day I have a mate expat who lives in Germany I'll let him know your post info thanks. I'm off to Germany in June so I'd best pop down the post office too

This assumes there is "No Deal"

I see little or no point in doing anything until the final act. until "Brexit" actually happens. if it does; this year.

Thanks for this, we're due to head to France in July to see some friends and I hadn't even really thought about whether our licenses would be valid while over there.

Reckon I can ask Theresa to delay until we've got back?

I'm wondering if i will be affected by this, since i've passed my original driving test in Romania, and once i've moved in UK i have exchanged my drivers licence to the UK one, and there's a code in the B category marked (ROU). I am not sure if i will need the IDP to drive back home.

But in the USA in some states it's legal to drive, like in Florida. In Virginia you're allowed to drive for 6 months on a IDP or foreign licence.

I went to the Post Office on Monday to get mine, a fairly painless process, took about 10 minutes as the Postmaster was teaching his assistant how to issue one.

I am leading a small group to France on the 29th of April, so thought it was worthwhile and as you say at £5.50 a pop why wouldn't you?

Smart move raesewell, France are currently returning all applications to exchange a UK licence for a French one (unless it’s been lost/misplaced or its due to expire imminently), pending the outcome of Brexit. There is currently no requirement to exchange any valid EU licence for another EU country you reside permanently in, unless you committed a traffic offence involving points or disqualification in that country.

This is an extract from a French forum I am on https://www.bikersclubfrance.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2318&p=21371#p21371

I know a lot of expats who tried to get it done due to the suggestion that in the event of a no deal Brexit they would need to take a driving test for each and every group applied for. As we would be third county status, and as described above would need a IDP to validate our GB licence the day after a no deal Brexit which is becoming more and more likely by default by the day.

Got a 1968 and 1949 permit on Monday. We're sailing to Bilbao next month.

I'm ringing the insurance company up tomorrow for a green card, which I'm told is just a translation of your policy wording.

We ain’t left yet , what’s the panick .

I'm ringing the insurance company up tomorrow for a green card, which I'm told is just a translation of your policy wording.

It’s a bit more than a translation- it’s a certificate in a specific format its own right, and it does have to be printed on green paper

We ain’t left yet , what’s the panick .

No panic, just wanted it done and out of the way, with only a month before we travel.

If it only takes 10 minutes at a post office then there is even less point in doing it now. we will have a clearer idea of what is actually happening in the lead up to the 12th of April and probably before then. as that is the next 'crunch' date. If there is a deal then brexit is due to happen on the 22nd May. Im not going to hold my breath that this shower of nincompoops will be able to sort it out by then. reach a decision. pass the required laws and so on.

What i actually see happening is ... Nothing. a bit of passing the buck with a general election. or another referendum.

Fortunately none of this bothers me in the slightest as our planned trip to the Eifel isn't until September. and i fully expect nothing to happen by then either.

I dont see anything happening either but sometimes just sometimes its best to be at the front of a 10 minute queue ahead of the 32 million other uk licence holders who might want one later.

I think there's a lot of BS going on here. Why would I need an IDL when for example I don't need one currently to drive in New Zealand, Australia,USA, Canada, South Africa, Norway etc.? The only place I have ever needed one was South Korea. If EU countries are going to make this a thing it's yet another example of giving us a punishment beating.

I dont see anything happening either but sometimes just sometimes its best to be at the front of a 10 minute queue ahead of the 32 million other uk licence holders who might want one later.

Yeah they ran out of 1949 permits in Chesterfield, (after 30 minutes in a queue )

Had to go to Bolsover.

I think there's a lot of BS going on here. Why would I need an IDL when for example I don't need one currently to drive in New Zealand, Australia,USA, Canada, South Africa, Norway etc.? The only place I have ever needed one was South Korea. If EU countries are going to make this a thing it's yet another example of giving us a punishment beating.

Agree. Looking at my permits, they just stamp them for what tests you've passed... So, err just like looking on the back of the licence card

I think there's a lot of BS going on here. Why would I need an IDL when for example I don't need one currently to drive in New Zealand, Australia,USA, Canada, South Africa, Norway etc.? The only place I have ever needed one was South Korea. If EU countries are going to make this a thing it's yet another example of giving us a punishment beating.

It depends somewhat on the countries own laws. The requirement for an IDP is down to individual states within the EU to decide upon.

If we depart the EU without a deal we will become a 3rd country and treated like any other country in the world when visiting the EU. and so we will be subject to local requirements the IDP being one of them.

Of the EU countries the only ones that require by law an IDP are: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain.

So.. not something I will need for travelling through France, Belgium and Luxembourg en route to our base in the Eifel. And I tend to think that the Germans wont suddenly care about this. They tend to be really quite pragamtic. Thats assuming we were to ever spot one.

But.. we'll see what happens. its not something Im going to worry about.

If you don’t mind me asking where did your list of countries come from? The Post office list and gov.uk list is much longer and does include France and Germany?

I’m aware it’s all ridiculous posturing cobblers but politicians have little regard for ordinary people and regularly cock things up often through ineptitude (or lack of care) so for £5.50 and 10 mins why not do it.

If you don’t mind me asking where did your list of countries come from? The Post office list and gov.uk list is much longer and does include France and Germany?

I did say that Germany requires one. But France does not. I got that list from an American Travel site subsection on hiring a car in the EU. It made sense to me to go outside of Europe to a country where if they were giving out false information they are going to be sued into bankruptcy. It also made sense to go to a country whose nationals are treated exactly as we will be assuming we leave without a deal. We will effectively cease to be Europeans.

That USA site does recommend that US drivers take an IDP, simply so the french officials have a translation of their license. Why do we need that? we dont... our photocards arent going to be withdrawn overnight. They will remain the EU standard for the foreseeable future.

As for the Post Office having a longer list... that doesn't surprise me at all. They're covering themselves by applying a comfort blanket by copying the advice from the Gov... and if they sell 1,000s of IDPs to people who don't need them then thats a bonus. I also note that nowhere on the gov.uk page that deals with this issue do they use the word "must" instead they equivocate with "You may need an IDP..." in every single "no deal" scenario.

But gain, this will only become relevant if we leave the EU without a deal.

If you don’t mind me asking where did your list of countries come from? The Post office list and gov.uk list is much longer and does include France and Germany?

 

I did say that Germany requires one. But France does not. I got that list from an American Travel site subsection on hiring a car in the EU. It made sense to me to go outside of Europe to a country where if they were giving out false information they are going to be sued into bankruptcy. It also made sense to go to a country whose nationals are treated exactly as we will be assuming we leave without a deal. We will effectively cease to be Europeans.

That USA site does recommend that US drivers take an IDP, simply so the french officials have a translation of their license. Why do we need that? we dont... our photocards arent going to be withdrawn overnight. They will remain the EU standard for the foreseeable future.

As for the Post Office having a longer list... that doesn't surprise me at all. They're covering themselves by applying a comfort blanket by copying the advice from the Gov... and if they sell 1,000s of IDPs to people who don't need them then thats a bonus. I also note that nowhere on the gov.uk page that deals with this issue do they use the word "must" instead they equivocate with "You may need an IDP..." in every single "no deal" scenario.

But gain, this will only become relevant if we leave the EU without a deal.

I get the reasoning for looking at America but just for topical reasons choosing it as a country that doesn’t give out false information has made me laugh a lot

Not sure we are a country that will be treated exactly the same as the Americans, we’ve been annoying other EU countries in our own unique way since.....

I don’t think I really care to think about it that much, like a lot of other folk I’ll pay the £5.50 and not think about it again.

I get the reasoning for looking at America but just for topical reasons choosing it as a country that doesn’t give out false information has made me laugh a lot

Well.. its not my fault if you don't understand just how keen Americans are on suing any company/website whose advice might result in prosecution. The embarrassment of an 'on the spot' fine from a gendarme is worth Millions.

I get the reasoning for looking at America but just for topical reasons choosing it as a country that doesn’t give out false information has made me laugh a lot

 

Well.. its not my fault if you don't understand just how keen Americans are on suing any company/website whose advice might result in prosecution. The embarrassment of an 'on the spot' fine from a gendarme is worth Millions.

As I said I understand the reasoning but for purely topical reasons looking at America as a country that doesn’t give out false info is funny- when that’s all they’ve been in the news for for sometime.

The Americans taste for litigation transformed the way the NHS works, not for the better so of course I get it but....

whether you’re determined to take it seriously or not that is humourous

You need the 1949 one for France. Or is it 1968

I've got them both anyway

You can now sue the Americans

If you are visiting France this is the official French advice if it helps

https://mobile.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/Le-ministere-de-l-Interieur-se-prepare-au-Brexit/Permis-de-conduire

You can always cut and paste it into google translate if your French isn’t that good

For anyone with Bennet's bike insurance you can just let them know if you are going abroad and they will send you a IDL free of charge 21 days before you depart.