Theory online - How to exchange your non-GB licence for a GB licence

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How to exchange your non-GB licence for a GB licence

To exchange your non-GB licence for a full GB one, you should fill in an ‘Application for a driving licence’ (D1) and send it to us at DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1BT with your licence and the correct fee. If the licence you are exchanging is a vocational one you should fill in an ‘Application for a lorry or bus’ (D2). If the licence was issued in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you must also provide a ‘Medical report’ (D4) filled-in by a doctor. If your vocational licence was issued in an EC/EEA country, you only need to provide a D4 if you are 45 or over. This applies even if your vocational licence is still current. On exchange you must surrender your licence which cannot be returned to you.

Rules for exchanging your licence

You must meet the following conditions before you can exchange your non-GB licence for a GB one.

You must normally live in GB and have a permanent address here.
If you are an EC/EEA licence holder applying for a GB driving test at the same time as exchanging your licence, and you have moved to GB after recently living in another EC/EEA country, you must have lived in Great Britain for 185 days in the 12-month period before you apply for a full driving licence.
Licences from the designated countries listed in section 3 must be valid at the time we receive your application to exchange your licence. You will be able to exchange those issued in any EC/EEA country even if it is not valid.
You must send us your non-GB licence, which we will return to the authority that issued it.
You cannot exchange International Driving Permits.
You cannot exchange test pass certificates (except for those issued in NI or Gibraltar for a test passed within the past two years).
Applicants who apply to exchange their Canadian drivers licence must provide evidence that they passed a driving test in a manual transmission vehicle. Canadian licences do not show whether or not a manual driving test has been passed
Japanese licences must be accompanied by an official translation (available for a fee) from the Consulate General of Japan at 101-104 Piccadilly, London, W1V 9FN or 2 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7HW.
Licences issued from the Republic of Korea must be accompanied by an official translation (available for a fee) from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, 60 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ.
If you have lost your non-GB licence you will need to apply for an official document from the authority that issued it to confirm your driving entitlement.
You cannot transfer entitlement to ride motorcycles from a Republic of Korea or Faroe Islands licence to a GB licence.