UK driving licence issue
 

I may be about to find myself in an inconvenient situation and hope I can get good advice and sort it out.
Later this year I expect to be going to South America with my Land Rover. While I’m away, my British driving licence (period of validity printed on it:1976 to 2015) will expire – in fact, it could have expired already, according to what I’ve read.
I got my first licence in about 1966, so this present one must have been a replacement. In 1976, after living abroad, I visited my parents. For the replacement I used their address. It was the only one I had. I retrurned to the UK in ’78 and for three years lived at several temporary addresses: a month in one town, two months in another. Tell the driving licence people every time I moved? It never occurred to me. If it had, it would have seemed preposterous. Anyway, I didn’t. In 1981 I went overseas again and have been abroad ever since.
The UK licensing authority will not register an overseas address. It’s an offence, I understand, not to notify the UK licensing authority of address change but they won't register an overseas address. It’s also an offence to drive in the UK with the wrong address on the licence. Then I’m a criminal!
Not the only one, I guess. I can’t be the only UK citizen with a currently dated (I’m being careful not to say “valid”) licence who’s living abroad and has no UK address.
When I turn 70, in 2015, I want (naturally) to keep my UK licence up-to-date. But it seems that won’t be possible: I don’t have a UK address and they won’t accept an overseas one.
Any advice much appreciated.

Have you any close friends or relatives in the UK?

Just use their address, once you have somewhere to fill in on the address you are ok. It may be a bit of a pain if there is required documentation to accompany the application, but proofs of address can be obtained(change their phone bill/electric bill into your name).

I'm not sure what supporting documentation is required now, but I am going to be in the same boat in a couple years again.

I'm in a similar position, having left the UK in 1984. My UK driving licence is one of the old-style green paper licences and has my last UK address on it.

Last year, I considered applying for the new photo card licences and using my mother's UK address. When I got the application form, I saw that it is an offence to make a false declaration on the application, so applying for a licence and using my mother's address would be an offence.

As far as I am aware, my UK licence is still valid, albeit the address is no longer current. I have quoted the UK driving licence details for my UK vehicle insurance (for my UK registered Land Rover). Otherwise, I use my Bermuda driving licence.

How does one determine a 'fixed address' though? I still consider myself a UK citizen although I don't have a house of my own in the UK.

Some day (sadly) I will most likely inherit my mothers house and farmland, I doubt I'll ever live there again, but I don't consider using the address a 'false declaration'.

At one time I was pretty much of 'no fixed abode' because I never stayed in the one place long enough to sign a lease etc, but I wasn't residing at home either. Was that a 'false declaration' then?

Its another one of those 'grey areas'. How do members of the travelling community get licences etc?
Where and how did you register your landrover if you don't have a UK address? :blushing::blushing: (Don't expect an answer to that, just making a point)
I think once you can actually access any mail you may get there its enough, morally if not totally legally,and lets face it the law is usually an ass in the case of this kind of beurocratic nonsense.

My mother used my grandparents address for all these type of things until she was in her 50's because she moved several times. And given that her father was a very senior member of the judiciary I can't imagine it was a blatantly illegal thing to do!

Thanks for replies.

I'd suggest that the answer depends on where you currently reside. If you are in an EU member state then you have the right to exchange your British licence for a local one, often better as many are issued for life not just until you are 70.

If you are outside the EU enquire if there is a reciprocal exchange agreement, if not then in all my dealings with.the DVLA I've always been told that you don't need to put a residential address just a reliable contact address, family/friends/etc.

It's a problem faced not just by ex-pats, boat dwellers, the homeless even students all either have no fixed abode or a frequently changing residential address. The DVLA seem to be strangely pragmatic about this and accept that we can't all fit into their boxes.

Loads of people use their parents' address or similar for their licence. As long as you can be contacted via there, I wouldn't worry about it