Foreign Driving Licences
Please note we are a motorcycle training school in the UK. We no longer answer individual licence enquiries in the comments section below. Please contact the DVLA for your foreign licence enquiries.
If you already hold a full motorbike category on a foreign driving licence you may ride that category of motorbike in the UK.
- For the lifetime of your licence, until the age of 70, only if the licence was issued in EU or EEA (but not if that EU/EEA licence was first exchanged for an EU licence from another foreign country).
- Or for the 12 months after becoming resident if your licence was issued in a designated country*. You might then be able to exchange it for a UK licence to continue riding BUT the rules depend per country. You MUST first check using the government online check tool
- Or for the 12 months after becoming resident if your licence was issued in any other country. After 12 months you must apply for a UK provisional licence and then take and pass all motorbike theory and practical tests (and any other category of vehicle you wish to drive).
If you do not have a full motorbike category on your foreign driving licence and want to learn to ride a motorbike in the UK you must first exchange it for a UK licence with provisional motorcycle entitlement added before you can undertake any training (CBT or DAS). This is done by filling in form D9 and submitting to the DVLA. The D9 can be found here. Make sure you tick the following boxes in section 1 or the DVLA will reject the application.
- First application to register your licence.
- Motorcycles – Category A.
*Designated countries are;
Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Andorra, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Republic of North Macedonia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
If I have a full European motorcycle licence or a full rest of the world motorcycle licence, must I have a uk provisional licence to take a CBT, cat A, A1 or A2 motorcycle course/test. Thanks.
Full car licences issued within the EU or European Economic Area (EEA) are valid until the age of 70 in Great Britain provided they are current. They don’t give provisional motorcycle entitlement (with the exception of Northern Ireland).
Full car licences from countries within the EU or EEA can be used as provisional motorcycle entitlement only if supported by a D91 issued by DVLA.
Applications for a D91 should be made on a D9 form.
The Great Britain driver number should be entered on all DL196 certificates issued to foreign licence holders.
Full car licences from countries outside the EU or EEA don’t give provisional motorcycle entitlement.
I have a Canadian Driver’s license (car only) I also have a Philippine Driver’s license, both car and motorcycle.
I’ll be staying in the UK for a couple of years. If I exchange my Canadian license for a GB license, will they give me motorcycle license also? Thank you.
Unfortunately not. Your exchange will only give full category entitlements. The cat A motorcycle will be provisional. You will need to complete a theory test, cbt, further training and both the mod 1 and mod 2 practical tests.
Does this also applies if I have a full A1 (125cc) and B (car) EU licence? “If you already have an A1 licence and are 19 years old or more, you can take the practical test and upgrade to an A2 licence.” Can I apply for learner licence without having to take the CBT?
Hi Alex, If you have a full A1 category on an EU licence then you need to exchange it for a UK licence. Your A1 entitlement (with any other full entitlements) will be included. If you are 19 years old you can then do an A2 Mod 1 and Mod 2 UK bike test without requiring a CBT.
I have a full EU car license. I’ll be moving to the UK next year, and want to take a CBT and start riding a 125cc scooter. Can I register my license with the DVLA and take a CBT straight away, or is there a requirement on residency?
Hi Thomas, you must be a resident of Great Britain to exchange your licence. You can cross check the process here https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence
Once you are a resident and have exchanged your licence you can apply to take a CBT.
I have A1 South African license, can I exchange this for a UK A1 license?
Hi Giulio, Yes you can, because SA is a designated country allowing an exchange of licence but you also must be a resident of Great Britain. If you are not a resident you cannot exchange it.
i have a motorcycle license in HK (full), can i change for a full motorcycle license when i get back to UK?
As long as you become a resident of the UK, yes you can exchange a HK licence for a UK licence.
We are hosting a (soon-to-be 18yo) Ukrainian national here in Reading. He has a full Cat A motorcycle license, so should be entitled to ride ANY motorcycle for the first 12 months, but will have to relinquish that entitlement when he has to hand in the foreign license? He wants to buy a motorcycle soon, but I want to make sure he doesn’t make a silly purchase if he won’t be allowed to ride the bike after 12 months …
Hello Eric. For the full information please use the government licence checking tool at https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence
The summary is:
– a Ukrainian national can exchange their Ukraine driving licence for a UK licence when they become a resident of the UK.
– if they passed a manual gearbox car test before 28th Dec 2021 they will only get automatic entitlement on their UK licence.
– if they passed a manual gearbox car test after 28th Dec 2021 they will get manual entitlement on their UK licence.
– they cannot exchange a motorcycle licence for a UK equivalent. They will lose that entitlement when exchanging for a UK licence and must take a theory and practical motorcycle test in the UK.
Hi, I am a recent resident in the UK and I have a valid Motorcycle License from the UAE where I was residing before. Can I exchange the UAE Motorcycle License to Category A Motorcycle license in the UK? Please note that in the UAE the Motorcycle License does allow to ride category A bikes.
Thank you
Adham
Hi Adham,
For the full information please use the government licence checking tool at https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence
Hello, I have recently become a UK resident and hold a US car and motorcycle licence. Will I be able to take the A level motorcycle test after my first 12 months here or will I need to start from the beginning with A1 level?
Hi Patrick,
A US licence holder can drive in the UK on their US licence for 12 months. After that they need to take all theory and practical tests for all types of vehicle they wish to drive. If you are 24yrs old or more then you can go straight to Category A motorcycles. If you are 19-24yrs old you would start at A2 category. If you are 17-19 years old you would have to start at A1 category.
I have full Hongkong motorcycle and car license and have changed to Uk license already . My Uk license has A category 79)3) .
Can I drive any motorcycle and do I need to take CBT, Theory test?
Hello Ranjit, The code 79(3) means you can only drive a tricycle. You do not have a motorcycle licence and will need to do CBT, Theory, Mod 1 and Mod 2 motorcycle test.
Hello! I have a French EU car driving Licence I passed in 1990 and I have entitlement for moped and light bikes/scooters (no max than 125cc, it shows AM & A1). In the U.K. I therefore can ride a moped or 125cc bike with that licence.
I would like to go for a full motorcycle one so I need to fill D9 and am I right to think I will be entitled to skip CBT ?
( know it is useful info but I feel I don’t need to spend that money as I have been driving full size motorbikes for 5 years before I just moved in the U.K. as I previously had a US licence but this is another story)
Than you.
I have a Massachusetts Motorbike license and an international drivers/motorbike license. I’m moving back to England for Uni next year. I’m a UK citizen and will be 18 when I move back. What restrictions will I be under on an international motorbike license/ what is the best course of action. Where I live now I can ride any bike I want…
I have a European A1, A2 and B licence. If I switch to a UK licence should these classifications remain the same?
Just want to make sure I’ve got this correct.
I’ve my Full uk manual driving license and have since got by bike licence while living in the British Virgin Islands (this is on my BVI licence).
I should just fill in the D9 form and will then get my full bike license put on my UK License? No theory or practical tests, full UK bike license.
Is the German B196 Extension on the European B-licence valid for 125ccm Motorcycles on a vacation trip in the UK?
Hello, I am resident in UK. I have full motorbike licence In Turkey A2 and A What route to follow to get my full motorbike licence in UK please? Do I have to take training or can I go book full licence exam with out CBT training? Thank you
Unfortunately you cannot transfer a Turkish licence to the UK and you will need to take a CBT, a theory test, mod 1 and mod 2 practical tests. You can confirm this information here https://www.gov.uk/exchange-nongb-driving-licence
Hello there,
super helpful to see all the answers here! I have an EU Cat B Car license and would like to take a CBT in the UK. gov.uk says to register my EU license with the DVLA, but the DVLA got back to me and said that the rules have changed. What do I need to do to be able to take the CBT?
Many thanks,
Peter
You don’t register your EU licence, you actually need to exchange your EU driving licence for a UK licence by filling in a D1 form and sending it to the DVLA. https://www.gov.uk/exchange-nongb-driving-licence/y/yes/car-or-motorcycle/european-union-or-european-economic-area
Hello,
My husband has a Egyptian motorbike licence and is now a resident in the UK. Can he drive a bike on this licence for 12 months or does he need to do a CBT with a provisional UK licence straight away?
Thanks
Hi
Your husband can drive on his full Egyption licence for 12 months from date of entry to UK. He will then be required to apply for a UK licence and pass the motorcycle test.
Hi,
I’m UK resident and I have a EU license B, A1 and A2. I believe I can use my license, as long as it’s valid, until age of 70. Will I be able to ride any bike here in UK with my EU A2 license or will I be restricted to a specific BHP?
Thanks
The UK and EU aligned their licence categories on 27 Jan 2013. The current A2 licence allows you to ride any size cc machine but it can only have a maximum of 47bhp. If restricted is applied the vehicle can only be restircted by a max of 50%, so a max full power of 94bhp (prior to restriction).
I had a Full Motor Cycle & Car License from UAE, submitted my UAE driving license, along with the required documents and D1 form, to exchange it for a UK driving license. Upon receiving my UK license, I was surprised to find that while my car license was successfully converted, my motorcycle license was issued with the observation 79(3).01 instead of full entitlement.
can you advise why is that and what should I do now?
Thank you for your enquiry.
Not all countries have the option to convert their motorcycle licence to a full UK motorcycle licence. Unfortunatley, this question needs to be raised with the DVLA.
What you have been issued is entitlement to ride a Trike and provisional for a motorcycle.