Is it possible to renew a UK driving license from abroad if you don't have a permanent UK address?
 

The vibe seems to be no you can't, and yes you can. So what's the deal?

You are supposed to be resident in the UK.  So where will they send it if you are not?  But I don't recall any address evidence being needed when I last did it so if you still can receive the new license at the address on the old one then ought to be no issue, and likely even with a new address easy enough.  But one thing is sure, they wont send it to Thailand.

Yes you...   kind of... 

 

If you still hold a UK address... i.e. one to where your existing DL is registered, then you can simply renew online and they will deliver to that address.

 

 

This happened to me during covid... 

While I was back in Thailand under quarantine my folks received a letter in the post with 28 days to pay a speeding the fine...   No chance to send my DL back my UK license as I was 'locked in a room'....

The issue with paying a fine in the UK at the time was that I had to send the Driving License with proof of payment to the DVLA.

Solution: Apply online for a new DL (saying I'd lost the old one) - delivery was quick... and the folks then sent the DL off to the DVLA.

(Note - the requirement to send in the DL to the DVLA after accepting a fixed penalty is no longer a requirement since Nov-22).

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies.
 

I don't hold the address from the original license, but my sister has agreed to let me use hers as postal address. I still have a UK bank account so payment will be local.

 

I was wondering if the DVLA actually require proof of address? The other issue is I don't have the paper version anymore - but I'm pretty sure they don't care about that these days.

 

Basically I want to get my ducks in a row before I start entering all online details.