British Drivers Licence

[Wellington]

I have recently applied and got a new plastic GB Drivers Licence, which was issued by The DVLA,

and showed my UK address of 5 years ago

When I pointed out to them that I was resident in Thailand for the last 4 years, they told me they could not issue another licence when the current one runs out in 3 years as

1.I am not resident in UK

2.I am over 70

3.Foreign addresses are not permissible .

4. They had issued the current licence in error.!

I am English; I hold a GB Passport; I have paid my taxes;

Can this be a joke?

Are they serious?

Can I be refused a GB licence as an Englishman born and bred, just because I chose to retire to where I can afford to live. ?

PS: I do have a Thai licence, but am not sure of it's acceptability when I hire a car in Europe .

Grateful for any comment .

Edited July 7, 2006 by Rse

[GuestHouse]

They are correct, you are resident in Thailand and therefore the DVLC in the UK will not issue you with a UK license.

It is nothing to do with nationality, nor the amount of taxes you have paied, it's all about residence and address.

You need a valid UK address to receive the license, no address - no license.

[Axel]

Based on the Thai - licence you can get an IDP (Intern. Drivering Permit) in Thailand.

IDP and Thai licence together are perfectly ok to drive in Europe as long as you reside in Thailand.

[Charma]

You can either get a friend in the UK to recieve a UK licence for you, but as you are over 70, you will need a medical I think. Alternatively you can obtain an international licence in BKK to go with your Thai one. My wife drives in the UK on her Thai/international licence without a problem. Car hire companies must always be renting cars in Europe to non europeans, but I guess if you were not sure, you could check with them.

[mrbojangles]

I've got a good few years to go yet. But i intend to always keep an addy in the uk, if nothing else, at least i'll still be entitled to get the annual pension increases.

Edited July 7, 2006 by mrbojangles