The Motor Vehicles (International Circulation) Order 1975

Visitors' driving permits

2.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this Article, it shall be lawful for a person resident outside the United Kingdom who is temporarily in Great Britain and holds—

(a) a Convention driving permit, or

(b) a domestic driving permit issued in a country outside the United Kingdom, or

(c) a British Forces (BFG) driving licence,

during a period of twelve months from the date of his last entry into the United Kingdom to drive, and, except in the case of a holder of a British Forces (BFG) driving licence, be employed in driving, in Great Britain a motor vehicle of any class which he is authorised by that permit or that licence to drive, notwithstanding that he is not the holder of a driving licence under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this Article, it shall be lawful for a person resident outside the United Kingdom who is temporarily in Great Britain and holds—

(a) a Convention driving permit, or

(b) a domestic driving permit issued in a country outside the United Kingdom,

during a period of twelve months from the date of his last entry into the United Kingdom to drive, and be employed in driving, in Great Britain a public service or heavy goods vehicle brought temporarily into Great Britain which he is authorised by that permit to drive, notwithstanding that he is not the holder either of such a licence as is required by section 144 of the Road Traffic Act 1960, or of such a licence as may be required by section 112 of the said Act of 1972.

(3) The foregoing provisions of this Article shall be without prejudice to section 4(1) of the said Act of 1972 (which imposes minimum age limits for persons driving motor vehicles of various classes therein specified) except that paragraph 4 of the Table in that subsection (which makes it unlawful for a person under the age of twenty-one years to drive certain heavy motor vehicles) shall not apply in relation to a person driving in pursuance of this Article a motor vehicle brought temporarily into Great Britain if he has attained the age of eighteen years.

(4) This Article shall not authorise a person to drive a motor vehicle of any class if, in consequence of a conviction or of the order of a court, he is disqualified for holding or obtaining a driving licence under Part III of the said Act of 1972.

(5) The Secretary of State may by order contained in a statutory instrument withdraw the right conferred by paragraph (1)(b), (1)(c) or (2)(b) of this Article, or any two or more of those rights, either in the case of all domestic driving permits or British Forces (BFG) driving licences, or in the case of domestic driving permits or British Forces (BFG) driving licences of a description specified in the order or held by persons of a description so specified.

The power to make orders under this paragraph shall include power to vary or revoke an order so made.

(6) In this Article—

“Convention driving permit” means a driving permit in the form A in Schedule 1 to this Order issued under the authority of a country outside the United Kingdom, whether or not that country is a party to the Convention on Road Traffic concluded at Geneva in the year 1949, or a driving permit in the form B in the said Schedule issued under the authority of a country outside the United Kingdom which is a party to the International Convention relative to Motor Traffic concluded at Paris in the year 1926 but not to the Convention of 1949;

“domestic driving permit” in relation to a country outside the United Kingdom means a document issued under the law of that country and authorising the holder to drive motor vehicles, or a specified class of motor vehicles, in that country, and includes a driving permit issued by the armed forces of any country outside the United Kingdom for use in some other country outside the United Kingdom;

“British Forces (BFG) driving licence” means a driving licence issued in Germany to members of the British Forces or of the civilian component thereof or to the dependants of such members by the British authorities in that country in such a form and in accordance with such licensing system as may from time to time be approved by those authorities; and

“dependants” in relation to such a member of the British Forces or of the civilian component thereof, means any of the following persons, namely:—

(a)

the wife or husband of that member; and

(b)

any other person wholly or mainly maintained by him or in his custody, charge or care.

(7) The provisions of this Article which authorise the holder of a permit or a licence to drive a vehicle during a specified period shall not be construed as authorising the driving of a vehicle at a time when the permit or the licence has ceased to be valid.

3.—(1) It shall be lawful—

(a) for a member of a visiting force of a country to which Part I of the Visiting Forces Act 1952 for the time being applies who holds a driving permit issued under the law of any part of the sending country or issued by the service authorities of the visiting force, or

(b) for a member of a civilian component of such a visiting force who holds such a driving permit,

to drive, and be employed in driving, in Great Britain a motor vehicle of any class which he is authorised by that permit to drive, notwithstanding that he is not the holder of a driving licence under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

(2) This Article shall not authorise a person to drive a motor vehicle of any class if, in consequence of a conviction or of the order of a court, he is disqualified for holding or obtaining a driving licence under Part III of the said Act of 1972.

(3) This Article shall be without prejudice to section 4 of the said Act of 1972 (which imposes age limits on young persons driving motor vehicles).

(4) The interpretative provisions of the Visiting Forces Act 1952 shall apply for the interpretation of this Article.

4.  Schedule 3 to this Order shall have effect as respects the driving permits referred to in Articles 2 and 3 of this Order.