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Thought I'd just offer my two-pence worth!
As Gillespie says, the UK won't issue a driving licence to anyone if they are not living in the UK. When I lived in Singapore, I thought I would send my licence in as I hadn't had it changed since getting married. I submitted my Singapore address and was contacted by them to say they would not issue a new licence! I spent hours on the phone then trying to persuade them that we were just in Singapore on a short contract and that we would be returning to the UK the following year (big fat lie, but what they hey), and commenced to give them my brother's address in Glasgow as my own! I also have a UAE driving licence, which is accepted in most countries, but was not about to give up my UK licence. So needs must and all that! Hopefully, no one from the DVLA will read this and come looking for me!!
I think you'll find that the new licences are still valid until your 70th birthday, it's just the card part that has to be renewed after ten years, I believe - which makes sense! You might have lost all your hair by then!! My paper counterpart licence shows the "valid to" date as being the day before my 70th birthday, whereas the plastic card shows ten years from the date they issued the licence.
And look - I got all that in without revealing my age!!
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This message was last edited by JeansSis on 5/17/2007.
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Oh, Janice, I shouldn't laugh really!! But just couldn't help it - the image of you doing an Evil Knevil impersonation with your wheelie just took over!!! Thank goodness you were okay!!
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This message was last edited by JeansSis on 5/17/2007.
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Janice - ever tried getting a bus? 
I confess to being completely terrified of motorbikes, ever since taking a Thai moped taxi with a mate (plus driver - 3 of us on a Honda 50 step-thru), when the driving decided to nod off and plough into the back of a parked truck. Ouch! 
Another curious thing about driving licences. My old UK licence included my permission to drive HGV 1, but when I exchanged it for a Spanish licence, this entitlement strangely vanished. Since I never had any intention to drive a juggernaut in Spain (or anywhere for that matter) it didn't particularly bother me, and I suppose if I ever exchange my Spanish licence for a UK one again, I may find I get it back.
BTW, Pitby, you reminded me that my father worked for a while in Dubai several years ago, and he also got a UAE licence. No test, never asked if he could actually drive a car, just showed his passport. I wonder if it's still the same, and if so, a bit worrying that it's readily accepted worldwide?
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"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
Mark Twain
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Roberto, you can get a Dubai licence issued on showing your UK licence and residence visa. If you don't have a residence visa, there are a couple of emirates here that are still a little dodgy re granting licences, eg they'll issue them with a little money and depending on who is asking them. I got my Dubai licence before my UK one, and had to take a full test, theory as well as road and technical. When I was in the UK in 1984, I thought it was a good time to get my UK licence and got a test date. Then went to a local BSE to book a couple of hours before my test in Pinner, North London/Middx (I think) and didn't have a provisional licence, but put on the form that I had a full UAE licence (I had a translation from the Embassy at that time in English) and, as the DVLA had given me a date for the test, on the back of that, BSE said they would agree to me using their car - even though, that year, in a little quarrel between the countries, the UK had decided that UAE licences weren't to be accepted in the UK (the guy showed me the document pointing this out!!!!).
So I was still able to go ahead and take my test and the guy actually said to me "drive as you would normally drive"!!!! And that was when I was stuck behind a coach on a small crossing!!! He didn't test me on an emergency stop, reversing, parallel parking - hardly anything! And didn't ask me one question on the Highway Code! I was awarded my UK Licence!
Saying that, having driven on a few continents and in the middle east extensively, I class myself as a pretty good driver!! He didn't know that though!! This message was last edited by Pitby on 4/17/2007.
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BSE? I thought that was mad cow disease?
_______________________
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"
Mark Twain
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You're right!!! Obviously my thought track was on country lanes (anywhere north of Marylebone is country!!) and got it mixed up with BSM!!!
Gosh, I'm obviously still functioning!! Works for me!!
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