non-GB Licence and 3 year rule/law

PCorite

Hello All, I would like to inquire about the following scenario:

If you have a full non-GB driving licence whereby you have now lived as a resident in England (UK) for 4 years for example without changing your driving licence over to a full British driving licence, because you never drove a vehicle in England (or anywhere else in the world, since) - Does the 3 year change-over rule/law mean you should of changed driving licence by now (because 4 years has passed, even though no driving was done anywhere) or does day one of the 3 year change-over period only begin when you start driving in the England?

To clarify: If a policeman stopped me while driving one day (i.e. after the 4th year of being a UK resident), could the policeman say "Why haven't you changed your driving licence?" or could you (I) state "because I haven't been driving for 4 years, anywhere"...."I only use my non-GB driving licence for ID purposes".

I did not find anything on the DVLA website to say whether or not the 3 year resident must change-over regardless of their driving situation.

PCMcGarry

Where is your licence from? If it's an EU one there's no need to change it

Rover_Driver

It depends what country's licence you hold, some are exchangeable for a GB licence, some are only valid for one year.

PCorite

Hungary, EU

molerat

https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence

You can drive in Great Britain on your full, valid driving licence until you’re 70, or for 3 years after becoming resident in Great Britain, whichever is longer

PCorite

Thanks Molerat, but have you perhaps got a link or some website that states this "irrelevant of driving....". I need to see the wording....

PCorite

There is my problem ;(

PCMcGarry states no need to change and molerat states you can only drive upto 3 years...... so being a resident cancels the 70. So now I am a resident of 4 years in this case, as my original question states - Do I now have to, perhaps by rule/law, change my driving licence over (even though I am not driving)????

molerat

No, age 70 is longer so you do not need to exchange it until age 70 (unless you are already over 70)

Rover_Driver

A licence issued in an EU country is valid until you are 70 - the same as a GB licence.
If you are over 70 it is three years.

It doesn't matter if you actually drive or not, only that you need to hold a licence if you do drive.

PCorite

So just to be clear - As rover drover says: A licence issued in an EU country is valid until you are 70 - the same as a GB licence.

So far, clear!!

NOT CLEAR - or for 3 years after becoming resident in Great Britain, whichever is longer

1) Are you saying that I could drive in the uk as a UK resident until I am 70, with a non-GB driving licence, and therefore do not have to change-over to a GB driving licence????

OR are you saying:

2) Same as 1, but if I am 71 years old for example I then only have two years left to drive on my non-GB driving licence? By which time I would be 73 of course.

PCorite

BTW, if I have interpreted the correct way? where answer 1 above is correct because 70 would be longer than 3 years of course, it begs the question - In what way would you want to become a resident and only get 3 years of driving?

Or am I missing something?