Driving licences post Brexit

FTA has discussed the issue of driving licences for international haulage post-Brexit with Department for Transport (DfT) officials. At the point of Brexit, or at the end of the transition period if the withdrawal agreement is ratified in time, UK driving licences will cease to be recognised and accepted ‘by default’ in the EU. Drivers with a UK licence will need to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP). There are different templates for the IDP, corresponding to different international conventions. While the 1949 Geneva Convention is the only recognised one in Ireland, Spain, Malta and Cyprus, several EU member states (like Germany) only recognise the 1968 Vienna Convention, and therefore IDPs on the 1968 format.

The Vienna Convention will enter into force on 28 March 2019 in the UK, making it possible for drivers with a UK licence to obtain both formats of IDPs, depending on where they need to drive. 1968-format IDPs will be issued in the UK as of 1 February 2019; until then, IDPs issued in the UK are only compliant with the 1949 Convention, and therefore are not valid in European countries which only recognise the 1968 format, like Germany. DfT intends to share more information with FTA on the application process and timelines for the 1968 format in the autumn.  
 
Going forward, DfT would like to obtain an agreement with the EU whereby UK driving licences would continue to be recognised in the EU after Brexit, without the need for UK drivers to apply for an IDP. However, there is no real precedent for such an agreement, as agreements are usually negotiated on a bilateral basis (ie country/country). At this point in time, DfT is concentrating on a deal with Ireland, due to the volume of vehicles crossing the border with Ireland; and also that IDPs on a 1968 template, recognised by the majority of member states, would not be accepted in Ireland. A second obvious candidate for such an agreement would be Spain, for similar reasons (and because volumes to and from Malta/Cyprus are probably extremely small, deals with Ireland and with Spain would largely remove the need for UK drivers to carry two different versions of the IDP).
 
Meanwhile, to be on the safe side, any driver driving on a UK driving licence willing to drive in the EU will need to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP). FTA recommends that members should refrain from applying for IDPs before 1 February 2019, unless they wish to operate in the Republic of Ireland, as the existing IDP model would not be valid and recognised in the majority of EU countries; and would therefore be of limited use outside of UK-Ireland road transport movements. Members should note that IDPs are only valid for a limited period (one year, in the case of 1949-style IDPs). Currently an IDP costs £5.50, with an additional £2 or £3 administration fee; the cost of IDPs is unlikely to change after Brexit. FTA understands that EU driving licences would still be accepted post-Brexit for non-resident visitors (eg EU subcontractors temporarily driving through the UK). For further information, please contact Pauline Bastidon.