10393 UK Photo Driving Licence - Time Limited

I see mine expires in 2011 - but I changed my address in 2004 - thus proving this is a stealth tax as the expiry remains 10 years from first issue!

I'm so pleased to have resisted changing my tatty bit of paper to a photo-licence! (Though there was another thread here recently which sought to persuade me that a non-photo UK driving licence 'wouldn't work' in Italy). Tosh!

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]The only time that the old pink one of mine has not worked in Italy was when Budget car rental at Pisa tried to photocopy it. They just got a grey sheet onto which the assistant had to write the number!!! :laughs:

Stick with the old and tatty folks!![/FONT]

Ok so what happens if you live in Italy and are resident and you are still using your UK (plastic card with photo) driving licence and you get stopped or caught for speeding? OK fair cop you pay the fine but have you broken the law by still having a British driving licence even though you are resident in Italy? Oh and how do the police arrange for points to be put onto your British Driving Licence? Answers please.

If you infringe the law in a way which would lose Italian points, you have to take a photocopy of your (UK) licence to the police who stopped you. (Or, you can pay something like €350 and avoid this step). They then (in theory) send this photocopy (of any foreign licence) down to a crew in Rome who are then expected to send the UK ones to DVLA, who then stick some points on the UK licence. Doesn't happen at the moment! However, there is somethng going to be approved in the EU in the next few weeks which might mean it will start happening in the next few years...

[quote=Noble;96825]Ok so what happens if you live in Italy and are resident and you are still using your UK (plastic card with photo) driving licence and you get stopped or caught for speeding? OK fair cop you pay the fine but have you broken the law by still having a British driving licence even though you are resident in Italy? Oh and how do the police arrange for points to be put onto your British Driving Licence? Answers please.[/quote]
This from the FCO web site
"If you have a UK Drivers' Licence, you may use it for up to one year after you arrive. Unless you already have the EU standard licence, you should exchange your old UK licence for an Italian one, [I]patente di guida[/I], once the initial 12 month period is up. For more information regarding what to do with your car or driving license when moving to a new country, visit [URL="http://www.dvla.gov.uk/"][B][COLOR=#003399]DVLA - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency[/COLOR][/B][/URL]."
So technically (when stopped in the scenario above) we get an additional fine and grief for not changing our license (and perhaps car registration)....
...in practice, I had occasion to be involved in an accident recently, and sadly it was my fault. Fortunately the local carabineri (who knew me, so knew I was resident) wrote the whole thing up as if I was a Uk resident. Thus avoiding a whole heap of paperwork (for all parties).

In 2006 I was renting a car at Gatwick and was asked for my address for the car rental form so I naturally gave my Italian address. As I had moved to Italy in 2002 my UK licence obviously had my old UK address on it. I was warned to be careful 'cos if the police pulled me over I could be liable for a GBP 1,000 and 3 points for not having told DVLA about a change of address within 2 weeks of moving.

Given that I go back and forth and hire cars quite a bit, and that one should legally substitute your licence after 12 months (though who's going to know?) it made sense for me to get an Italian licence.

So I substituted my UK plastic photocard licence for an Italian patente - not too painful - a perfunctory medical, some forms and €140 to a multiservice agency.

The thing is that when I got patente di guida back I had inadvertantly been given a full licence for ALL categories B, C, D, BE, CE and DE:wideeyed:!!! So if anyone has a 40t articulated lorry with trailer or other heavy machinery that needs moving I'm your man!:laughs:

Many Thanks for all this info...ask 10 people get 10 different answers perhaps?

Will let you know what happens next.....the fine has to be paid within 60 days...5 points on the licence.............er um!

[quote=Noble;96991]Many Thanks for all this info...ask 10 people get 10 different answers perhaps?

Will let you know what happens next.....the fine has to be paid within 60 days...5 points on the licence.............er um![/quote]

Well, another story to add....we collected a raccomandata from the local post office a few weeks ago and it was a speeding fine from Comune di Roviano (always fines, never winning lotto notifications, eh?). Turns out my Mum had been caught speeding when she was visiting in May and borrowed my wife's car for the day (oops!)

We paid the fine (a hefty €154 :eeeek:) and submitted a copy of my Mum's UK licence with a delaration by my wife that my Mum was the driver at the time of the offence...

We'll see what happens, but I [I]seriously [/I]doubt that any points will appear on her UK licence - I'm sure the paperwork will be 'filed' by the Comune once they see a declaration from an Irish car owner, resident in Italy, declaring a British driver as responsible for the offence!

As regards 5 points - the Italian licence has up to 20 points, the UK one 12 so, if it was ever processed, [I]pro rata[/I] I assume that should only be 3 points on the UK licence, not 5?

Under the Euro convention there is no need to change driving licences when you move to another EC country. If you commit an offence in that country and you are a resident in that country then the police can force you to surrender your national licence and give you an Italian(say) licence with the offence points added/subtracted.

If you are resident in Italy, you should have your driving licence recognised (omologato - sorry if the spelling is wrong) by the Italian authorities who will issue a sticker to attach to your UK photo driving licence with a Italian driver number and new Italian address on it. It will cost you about 50 euro and you can get it done by any local driving school who doubles as an automobile agency.

Just don't (as I did) change your surname as it took about 6 months and hundreds of euros to do - not to mention the headaches and multiple journeys with all kinds of documents that no-one asked me for initially!