Road Traffic Act 1988

F1 99A [ Authorisation to drive in Great Britain.] E+W+S

(1) A Community licence holder may drive, and a person may cause or permit a Community licence holder to drive, in Great Britain, a motor vehicle of any class which—

(a) he is authorised by his Community licence to drive, and

(b) he is not disqualified for holding or obtaining a licence under this Part of this Act to drive,

notwithstanding that he is not the holder of a licence under this Part of this Act.

(2) Subsections (3) and (4) below apply to a Community licence holder who is normally resident in Great Britain.

(3) In a case where the Community licence holder is authorised by his Community licence to drive motor vehicles of classes other than any prescribed class of goods vehicle or any prescribed class of passenger-carrying vehicle, he shall cease to be authorised by virtue of subsection (1) above to drive in Great Britain any such classes of motor vehicle from—

(a) the date on which he attains the age of seventy years, or

(b) the expiry of the period of three years beginning with the relevant date,

whichever is the later.

(4) In a case where the Community licence holder is authorised by his Community licence to drive any prescribed class of goods vehicle or any prescribed class of passenger-carrying vehicle, he shall cease to be authorised by virtue of subsection (1) above to drive in Great Britain any such class of vehicle from—

[F2 (a) except in a case falling within paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection—

(i) the date on which he attains the age of 45 years, or

(ii) the expiry of the period of five years beginning with the relevant date,

whichever is the later,]

(b) where his age at the relevant date exceeds forty-five but not sixty-five years—

(i) the date on which he attains the age of sixty-six years, or

(ii) the expiry of the period of five years beginning with the relevant date,

whichever is the earlier, and

(c) where his age at the relevant date exceeds sixty-five years, the expiry of the period of one year beginning with that date.

(5) A Community licence holder F3 ... who is authorised by virtue of subsection (1) above to drive in Great Britain motor vehicles of certain classes only, may drive, in Great Britain, motor vehicles of all other classes subject to the same conditions as if he were authorised by a provisional licence to drive motor vehicles of those other classes.

(6) Subsections (3) and (4) of section 98 of this Act shall apply in relation to subsection (5) above as they apply in relation to subsection (2) of that section.

(7) For the purposes of this Part and Part IV of this Act a Community licence shall not be treated as authorising a person to drive a vehicle of any class if it is not for the time being valid for that purpose in the EEA State in respect of which it was issued.

(8) In this section “relevant date", in relation to a Community licence holder who is normally resident in Great Britain, means—

(a) in the case where he first became so resident on or before 1 January 1997, that date; and

(b) in any other case, the date on which he first became so resident.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 99A inserted (23.7.1996 for specified purposes and otherwise 1.1.1997) by S.I. 1996/1974, reg. 2, Sch. 1 para. 9

F2 S. 99A(4)(a) substituted (1.7.1998) by S.I. 1998/1420, reg. 9

F3 S. 99A(5)(a) and word omitted (8.6.2015) by virtue of The Road Safety Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/583), art. 1(1), Sch. 2 para. 2(b)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 99A(5) restricted (12.11.1999) by S.I. 1999/2864, reg. 19(1)(3)(8)

C2 S. 99A(5) applied by S.I. 1999/2864, reg. 19(1) (as substituted (19.1.2013) by The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/977), reg. 1(2), Sch. 3 para. 13(a))