Exchanging a UK Driving Licence Abroad: Deadlines by Country, DVLA Check Codes, Letters of Entitlement and Translations

The DVLA's advice to anyone moving abroad takes two sentences: "You cannot register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence."

From the day you become resident, the new country sets the clock: 60 days in Ontario, six months in Spain, a year in Italy. Miss it and you may be driving unlicensed; let the licence expire and some offices will not exchange it at all.

Below: deadlines and tests in 14 countries, what offices ask for, check codes and letters of entitlement, and when a translation is needed.

Do I have to exchange my UK driving licence when I move abroad?

In most countries, yes, once you are resident. GOV.UK says "You may need to get a local driving licence if you move abroad" and that in some countries "you can exchange your UK licence without taking another driving test."

Three UK rules argue for exchanging early:

• No renewal from abroad. The FCDO's country guides repeat one line: "You cannot replace or renew any of these licences if you live in" that country.
• No foreign address. The DVLA cannot record one on your licence.
• No IDP for residents. "Do not apply for an IDP if you're moving abroad," GOV.UK says; its Ireland guide adds that a permit "is not a substitute for exchanging your licence". Permits for trips are covered in driving abroad with an IDP.

How long can I drive on a UK licence after moving, and do I need a test?

It depends on the country, and the period usually runs from the date you become resident. From the FCDO's living-in guides and each country's licensing authority:

Spain has exchanged UK licences under its agreement since 16 March 2023 and Italy since 30 March 2023. Italy's covers only licences issued before you became resident there, and Spain's, for licences issued since it took effect, only those issued while you lived in the UK.

What will the licensing office ask for?

Expect most of the following, usually in the original:

• Your UK licence, which you hand over. Under the UK–Italy agreement, Italian offices return surrendered licences to the British diplomatic mission within 40 days.
• A DVLA check code, which GOV.UK lists for Spain, France, Portugal, Ireland and others. You create it online with your licence number, National Insurance number and the postcode on the licence, and it lasts 21 days, so make it close to the appointment. Northern Ireland licences use the DVA's service.
• Proof of residence, such as a residence card.
• A medical or eyesight check, such as Spain's report from an approved drivers' medical centre or Ireland's eyesight report dated within a month.
• Proof the licence was earned in the UK. France exchanges only licences issued where you were normally resident; the Netherlands wants 185 days of UK residence in the year of issue; Japan wants 3 months in the UK after issue, usually shown by passport stamps.

What is a DVLA certificate (or letter) of entitlement?

A statement from the authority that issued your licence listing your categories. The FCDO describes it as a document that "sets out the categories of vehicles you're entitled to drive", obtained from "the authority that issued your driving licence (for example, the DVLA)".

Most exchanges do not need one, because the check code shows the same record. Offices ask for it when the licence cannot speak for itself:

• Ireland: if your licence expired less than a year ago or shows no category start date. The NDLS wants an original dated within six months of your application.
• Austria: if you have lost your licence, and GOV.UK says "The certificate must be translated into German". Austria wants the exchange within six months of registering residence and sets no practical test for UK licences.
• France and Slovakia: for Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man licences, which have no DVLA check code.

For a licence from Great Britain, ask DVLA's driving licence enquiries (webchat, email form or 0300 790 6801); for Northern Ireland, the DVA.

Does my UK licence need translating to exchange it?

Often not: it is in English, and many offices read it. Where a translation is required, the rule usually says who makes it:

• France: a traduction officielle. Made abroad, it "doit être légalisée ou apostillée" (must be legalised or apostilled); made in France, it must come from a traducteur habilité or the issuing country's embassy. A record of driving entitlement not in French must be translated by a traducteur habilité in France.
• Poland: the 2025 licensing regulation wants a Polish translation made or certified by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) or a Polish consul, except for licences on the EU model. GOV.UK says you "may need" one, so ask first.
• Slovakia: you exchange within 60 days after your first 185 days of residence, with "an official Slovak translation of the confirmation of your driving licence", as GOV.UK puts it, pointing to translators in Slovakia; the interior ministry wants certified translations of the confirmation and the licence.
• Italy: Article 13 of the UK–Italy agreement allows an official translation "only where the concerned driving licence is in paper form and has additional text".
• Japan: Toyama's prefectural police, for example, accept a Japanese translation only from JAF, the issuing authority or your country's consulate, and British embassies and consulates do not translate documents. JAF charges ¥6,600 and accepts applications only from within Japan.
• South Korea: KoROAD wants an embassy certificate or an apostille for the licence, issued within the past year. The British Embassy in Seoul does not issue the certificate, so GOV.UK says to have the licence legalised: a UK notary or solicitor certifies a copy, which is then apostilled.
• None: Spain's and Portugal's lists include no translation, and Berlin wants one only for licences "nicht in deutscher oder englischer Sprache" (not in German or English).

Where an office accepts a translation company's certified translation, ours covers every category, date and code, such as 01 (eyesight correction) and 78 (automatic only). Where it accepts one made abroad only if apostilled, as France's licence rule does, our apostille service supplies it notarised and apostilled, with the apostille attached to the translation. Where the rule names a sworn translator, a traducteur habilité, JAF or a consul, use them: our translation does not meet it.

Why licence exchanges get delayed or refused

• An expired licence. The Netherlands cannot exchange one; Italy takes licences expired up to 5 years; Spain only if it was still valid when you arrived.
• A missed window, such as France's year or Italy's six years.
• A check code more than 21 days old.
• An IDP instead of a licence. Berlin does not exchange international permits.
• A licence obtained after you moved, which Spain, Italy and Germany will not exchange.
• A translation from the wrong source, such as a non-sworn one in Poland.

Moving back later? Our DVLA licence translation guide covers exchanging a foreign licence in the UK.

Checklist: before you exchange a UK licence abroad

For the rest of the paperwork, see moving abroad with UK documents and, for EU countries, EU residency after Brexit.

Questions people ask