Car rent with International driving licence in UK after lived in UK more than 1 year

Car rent with International driving licence in UK after lived in UK more than 1 year - Man Driving Vehicle Near Tree

I recently met a problem about renting a car in UK. I came from China and have lived in UK for around 2 years. The UK licence I just got is less than one year so most car hire company won't rent a car to me (even Enterprise did not give to me because of the new system ). However, technically, I can rent a car with my Chinese licence since it is older than 2 years.

So can I rent a car with the Chinese licence since I can drive in UK technically because I have a valid UK licence?



Best Answer

According to two British government guides (linked below), you can only drive on your foreign drivers license in the UK for a maximum of a year after you enter the country, so the answer is no - while the foreign license is still valid in the country of issue, its grace period in the UK has past.

If you do succeed in renting the vehicle under your Chinese license and are stopped by the police, you could technically be charged with driving without a valid license and thus driving without valid insurance (and your UK license would potentially only cover you for that first charge - the insurance would still be invalid).




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Can I rent a car with international driver license in UK?

You will need to provide an International Driving Permit if your own driver's licence is not printed fully in English. Keep in mind that those with a driver's licence issued from the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand do not require an IDP to be able to rent a car in the UK.

How long can I use my international driving licence in the UK?

The good news is, tourists can drive around Great Britain (i.e. England, Wales and Scotland) on their valid foreign driving licence for up to 12 months from the day they last entered the country.

Can I drive in UK after 12 months?

You can drive small vehicles for 12 months from the time you started living in GB. To continue driving you must get a GB licence before the end of the 12 months. You do this by exchanging your licence for a GB one. If you do not do this you must stop driving.

Can I rent a car with less than 1 year licence UK?

A common question we are asked is \u201chow long do you need a driving licence to hire a car?\u201d The answer to that question is that drivers who have held their licence for less than 12 months are able to hire a vehicle in the UK at all major airport locations and some downtown.



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Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Deeana Arts, Maria Geller, Carlos Pernalete Tua, Olga Lioncat