By law, you must have a current driving licence and be properly insured to drive. If you own a car or intend to drive in the UK you must do so legally (see Owning a Vehicle, this Section).



Driving Licence

If you live in the UK and have a valid driving licence from a country in the European Community you can drive in the UK.  However, you can exchange your licence for a British licence at any time.


Cars & Motorcycles
By law a licence from an EU country to drive a car or motorcycle must be exchanged for a British licence 3 years after you have become a resident. (You can become a resident after one year of continuous work.  See Work Section.)


Community Licences with Vocational Entitlement
This is for commercial vehicles such as lorries, buses etc.  This kind of licence needs to be exchanged 12 months after you have been in the UK.  However, by law you must register your Polish vocational licence when you first arrive in the UK.


To Register a Polish Licence
This is not the same as exchanging your Polish licence for a British licence.  You will keep your Polish licence, but will receive a UK counterpart document.  This will enable you to take advantage of the fixed penalty system for road traffic offences instead of having to go to court.   Anyone can choose to register their licence, but if you have a Community Licence with Vocational Entitlement, by law you must do so.

Minimum Age
The minimum age for a licence to drive cars and motorcycles is 17, to drive medium sized vehicles is 18, and it is 21 years for large lorries and buses. 

Applying for a New Licence
If you are over 17 and have no licence, you can apply for a provisional licence and learn to
drive a car or motorcycle. Once you have passed your driving test you will have a full driving licence.  Licences for different kinds of vehicles have different minimum ages.



Application Forms
You can get application forms from the Post Office or download them from www.dvla.gov.uk.  For information (in English) there is a leaflet available at the Post Office or you can call 0870 240 0009.  If you have difficulty obtaining, understanding or filling in the forms, you can get assistance from your local Citizens Advice Bureau (See Useful Contacts & Advice Section).



Driving Safely
The maximum speed for all roads in Wiltshire is 60 mph.  Along the road there will be signs to let you know if you need to go at slower speeds.  There are cameras that will photograph your car and check the speed and you will be fined if you are going too fast.  If a road is a dual carriageway, you can go up to 70 mph.  On a motorway, the speed limit is 70 mph.



The rules for driving in the UK are in the Highway Code which you can find on-line at
www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/highwaycode/