Driving licenses.

xHannahx

Iceweasel wrote: »

Have you tried doing that? I think it's not acceptable.

Driving licences, post, bank or tax cards are not accepted as valid travel documents or proof of identity.

That quote comes from here:

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-citizen/index_en.htm

As Rover Driver has said a DL will be accepted as ID for the Common Travel Area - but that's a different historical issue.

No I hadn't tried it, I'd assumed they were valid within Schengen, like they are within the common travel area.
I did successfully use my UK driving licence photo card for an internal flight in Greece though from Athens to chania (Crete)

Car_54

xHannahx wrote: »

UK isn't in the Schengen Agreement so it won't work for the UK, but would be acceptable for say a flight between Greece and Spain.

Since Spain & Greece are within the Schengen zone, there are no passport checks for immigration.

Any check is for airport/airline security, just as for internal flights in the UK, so it's up to the airport/airline what to accept.

pvt

Rover_Driver wrote: »

A Driving Licence is acceptable ID by UK or Republic of Ireland citizens for travel within the Common Travel Area - UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey & Guernsey.

To the best of my knowledge you don't need any ID for travel within the UK (not sure about RoI). What you MAY need is ID that the carrier deems acceptable, as defined in their Ts&Cs, before they will let you travel, particularly so in the case of air travel.

pvt

I also still have a paper licence, issued when I last changed address in 1987, and valid for another 12 years.

The only problem I have ever had with this was when required to do a 'producer' at the local police station. The very rude and pious 'civvie' on the desk first informed me I was remiss for only bringing the counterpart of my photo licence with me. When she finally absorbed on the third time of telling her that it wasn't a counterpart, but an old style paper licence, she then told me this was obviously no longer valid and she would have to record this as my not producing a valid licence. And as a final insult she refused to return it to me, and said she needed to retain it because I was trying to misuse it by passing it off as valid.

Fortunately, there was another 'civvie' within earshot who had not had their manners and civility surgically removed, who wandered over and told her she was completely wrong and my licence was fine, and she begrudgingly capitulated to his instruction to record the details.

Her parting shot, once the nice guy was out of earshot, was to further admonish me for my (and apparently his) ignorance, tell me I was lucky this time, and advised me I should get a proper licence straight away.

I regularly hire cars when in the USA, and although I have never had an issue yet, I suspect it will only be a matter of time before an increasing lack of familiarity with the old paper licences means that not having a photo DL will become an issue.

Car_54

pvt wrote: »

To the best of my knowledge you don't need any ID for travel within the UK (not sure about RoI). What you MAY need is ID that the carrier deems acceptable, as defined in their Ts&Cs, before they will let you travel, particularly so in the case of air travel.

But the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands aren't the UK.

Rover_Driver

Car_54 wrote: »

But the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands aren't the UK.

But they are within the Common Travel Area, along with the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Rover_Driver

pvt wrote: »

To the best of my knowledge you don't need any ID for travel within the UK (not sure about RoI).

You don't if you are travelling in, and a citizen of, the Common Travel Area (inc. RoI). You may need ID to show that you are, for which a driving licence is a good example.

AdrianC

Your mere presence at the security gate at Heathrow with a boarding card for a flight to Dublin will show that you're travelling in the CTA.

A UK driving licence will not show that you're a citizen of the CTA.

Rover_Driver

AdrianC wrote: »

A UK driving licence will not show that you're a citizen of the CTA.

It has your details on it, showing your ID. Citizenship can then be checked if necessary.

AdrianC

Rover_Driver wrote: »

It has your details on it, showing your ID. Citizenship can then be checked if necessary.

Not, easily, by somebody at a boarding gate.