Will people from the EU have to apply for the international permit like other people from other parts of the world have to do post-brexit? 

We have heard lots about what the UK will look like from a trade point of view and even more about people from the EU having to apply for a visa to visit our wonderful country but nothing about how if they will be allowed to drive if they wish to stay more than a year.  Will they be able to swap their licences to a UK licence? or will they have to take the UK driving test?. For those applying for a provisional driving licence from EU countries at the moment they can do so straight away and those from outside the EU need to have an address in the UK for at least 6 months.  Will this also apply to EU people as well post-brexit.

If people coming from the EU have to wait 6 months before they can apply for a first provisional driving licence this will effect greatly on their ability to work in the UK, it will put them at a massive disadvantage when applying for work and it will also impact on where they will be able to live especially if there is little or no public transport. By limiting their ability to have gain a full driving licence it will also have a knock on effect on the UK economy as a whole. Businesses where there is a need for employees to be able to drive will find it hard to fill their vacancies. This will lead to a smaller economy and will inevitably lead to higher costs for both business and consumers.

From a driving instructors side of things it will indeed make us a lot busier but on the down side for UK learner driver residence it will lead to much longer waiting times at both the theory test centres and the practical driving test centres making it much harder for UK residence to gain their full driving licence quickly.  It may also lead to much higher prices for UK learner driver residents as there are few driving instructors working in the industry and with more people having to take driving tests. The learner industry is like any other industry, the more demand with less supply always leads to higher prices.

This is something the UK government will need to address sooner rather than later.  The longer there is uncertainty about how EU residents will be treated post-brexit when it comes the the driving tests/ licences the more confusion that will ensue.  This matter is too important to be left until the last minute to sort out.  I hope we will get to know more on our government thinking on this very important matter.

Last updated: 28/11/2022