Simon,

I can answer one of your questions. If you have passed your UK test in an auto car you can then only drive auto cars. It has this restriction printed on the UK licence. If in the future you wanted to drive a manual car you would have to take another test to 'upgrade'. I am pretty sure the above is true but check out the DVLA website to get the official line

 

Hi there,

My wife's from the USA and has a US license, no UK one... she's lived here for a year now, and I was wondering if anyone knows what the deal is for getting her insured to drive a (very basic, not the Scooby) car on her US license.

Am I right in thinking she can do this for so long before she has to take the UK test????????

Also she's only ever driven an auto... but doesn't have an auto restriction on her US license, so I'm guessing she could drive manual here.

One last question... anyone know if someone with an auto only UK license can drive a sequential gearbox car? I ask cos we're thinking that she could get her auto license, and we could get some small sequential box thing.

Thanks for any advice,

Simon.

 

Simon,

The official line is:

Provided your full licence remains valid, you can drive any category of small vehicle shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a provisional GB licence must have been obtained and a driving test(s) passed before the 12 month
period elapses. If you obtain a provisional licence during this period, you are not subject to provisional licence conditions e.g. displaying `L' plates or being supervised by a qualified driver or being precluded from motorways.

However, if you do not pass a test within the 12 month concessionary period you will not be allowed to drive as a full licence holder and provisional licence conditions will apply.

If you do not apply for a provisional licence within the first 12 months you must stop driving and obtain a British provisional licence with a view to passing a driving test. Provisional licence conditions will then apply.

Full details at

 

Thanks for all the help folks... I've now just got to win the argument to get her to go for a manual license!!!

Have a good weekend,

Simon (off to Amsterdam).