Renewing a UK Driving License

[Dannie Boy]

Has anybody renewed a UK driving license while they’ve been in Thailand? I need to get mine changed and I have a new address to use, but if you’ve been at your new address for less than 3 years, you have to put in your previous address and obviously it’s not been in the UK. I’m thinking of using my old UK address the same that’s printed on the driving license, but unsure whether they’re likely to check? If anybody has done similar it would be good to hear if there were any problems. TIA

[sateeb]

I renewed mine once a few years ago from here and used my mothers address with no problems. I don't know how things have progressed since then but the last time I was back there and hired a car at the airport the chap said it was far easier to hire the car on my Thai driving licence as if I wanted to use my UK D/L there would be credit checks etc. Since then I have let my UK licence expire as I have no intention of returning and will continue to use my Thai D/L on my infrequent trips back.

[Big Boy]

I renewed my son's licence not long after moving to Thailand. I used our old address in the UK, and arranged for the new owners to send it to Thailand. We had no problems.

[Dannie Boy]

Ok I’ll give it a go, I’m sure the worst that will happen is they say no, but hopefully they don’t check too much as the old house was sold a few years ago.

[HHTel]

Of course if you have a paper licence pre-1998 then that doesn't expire until you're 70.

[Dannie Boy]

Of course if you have a paper licence pre-1998 then that doesn't expire until you're 70.

And that’s the reason I need to renew it - 70 is just over 3 months away!!


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[CWinUK]

If you do it on the Government Gateway they will just use the photo from your passport.

I did it and used the address they had on existing license that was 15 years out of date - having not told them of 3 address moves inbetween.

New license arrived within a week so no evidence that they check.

If you do it with a written application on the DVLA form then expect long delays as the most of the staff are off with the ridiculous pingdemic.

[HHTel]

Of course if you have a paper licence pre-1998 then that doesn't expire until you're 70.

And that’s the reason I need to renew it - 70 is just over 3 months away!!


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And the renewal is free for over 70.

[Dannie Boy]

Of course if you have a paper licence pre-1998 then that doesn't expire until you're 70.

And that’s the reason I need to renew it - 70 is just over 3 months away!!


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And the renewal is free for over 70.

That’s a bonus - the key issue is being able to renew it using my out of date former address


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[HHTel]

Lol. Any bonus always comes with a downside. Over 70 and it has to be renewed every 3 years.

[Robinhood]

Just be careful with the address. When I was in the UK my local post office told me there was a 1,000GBP fine for having the incorrect address on your license.
Having said that, I'm not sure what people living overseas or even no fixed address are meant to do!

[Dannie Boy]

Just be careful with the address. When I was in the UK my local post office told me there was a 1,000GBP fine for having the incorrect address on your license.
Having said that, I'm not sure what people living overseas or even no fixed address are meant to do!

I’m assuming I will have to use a UK address for where I have been living, even though clearly I haven’t been in the UK. I might call into my local Post Office and see if I can glean any information about what to do, without telling them the full picture.


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[GroveHillWanderer]

Just be careful with the address. When I was in the UK my local post office told me there was a 1,000GBP fine for having the incorrect address on your license.
Having said that, I'm not sure what people living overseas or even no fixed address are meant to do!

People living overseas and who are no longer resident in the UK are not supposed to keep their UK license.

This is stated on the gov.uk website, which says that to renew your license, you must:

be a resident of Great Britain

It also says:

If you’re moving abroad
You cannot register your new address on your British driving licence.

https://www.gov.uk/change-address-driving-licence

It also warns that there may be a fine of up to £1,000 for supplying an invalid address.

Whether they check of course, is another matter.

[Robinhood]

Let us know what your undercover enquiries turn up Dannie Boy.

I had a feeling that you may not be able to put a foreign address on your license. GroveHillWondere

Hope you don't have to take another driving test!

[Dannie Boy]

Let us know what your undercover enquiries turn up Dannie Boy.

I had a feeling that you may not be able to put a foreign address on your license. GroveHillWondere

Hope you don't have to take another driving test!

I wasn’t intending to put a foreign address on the new license as I will have a legitimate UK address, the concern was using my old UK address that I haven’t lived at for a number of years (which is the address on my UK license) and to what extent the DVLA check on such things?