If you have a driving licence issued in one of the so-called ‘designated’ countries (listed below), you need to exchange your licence for a British license to be able to drive in the UK for more than 12 months.
The designated countries are: Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.
If you hold a driving licence issued by any country not listed above, then you will need to pass a British driving test in order to continue driving in the UK beyond the initial 12-month period.
Converting your licence
Foreigners who are permanently resident in the UK and are not required to pass a British driving test (as explained above) may exchange their licence for a British licence. To do so you need to collect an application form (known as a D1 form) from any British post office and send it to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA):
DVLA,Swansea SA99 1BT
Any further information you might need about driving in Britain is available on the DVLA’s website: www.dvla.gov.uk or Use this tool to see if you can drive in Great Britain with your non-GB driving licence. "Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland" gov.uk .
