Filipino driving licence in UK

[aposhark]

Hello,

Can a Filipino use their Philippines driving licence to drive in the UK?

I know someone who has just gone back home to get their licence, so she will be able to drive here.

I know the steering wheel and gears are on the "wrong" side over there.

Seems a crazy thing to do, safety wise, as the roads are so much more demanding and dangerous in the UK.

Brgds,
aposhark

[scott&ligaya]

Hi Mike,
as I understand it they can drive on it for one year over here. By the way it is the last chance to surprise your honey Rochelyn... the Piolo Pascal concert is this Sunday at the Theatre Royal drury lane... go on you know she is worth it

[darren-b]

Yes you can drive for a year from when you first became resident here - you can't keep resetting the clock by leaving the uk every so often. Some people believe you can and have then been caught out as they have been prosecuted for driving without a license.

So if she has been resident in the UK for more than a year then she can't use it here.

Also you need to notify the insurance companies that your license isn't a UK one, and they may well charge you more for insurance.

[aposhark]

Hi Mike,
as I understand it they can drive on it for one year over here. By the way it is the last chance to surprise your honey Rochelyn... the Piolo Pascal concert is this Sunday at the Theatre Royal drury lane... go on you know she is worth it

Thanks scott&ligaya, but I am working all the time so cannot seem to plan anything
Maybe it is a good idea as she may try to run away with Piolo

[aposhark]

Yes you can drive for a year from when you first became resident here - you can't keep resetting the clock by leaving the uk every so often. Some people believe you can and have then been caught out as they have been prosecuted for driving without a license.

So if she has been resident in the UK for more than a year then she can't use it here.

Also you need to notify the insurance companies that your license isn't a UK one, and they may well charge you more for insurance.

Thanks darren-b.
When you mean resident, do you mean from when she first arrived in the UK with her spousal visa?
Cheers.

[bornatbirth]

you will have a start and finish date on the license,you can use the license until the finish date.

[Northerner]

After seeing the drivers here first hand I was hoping the answer was no!

From a lot of the people I have seen driving here in the Philippines there is one thing that ties them all together... They are all crazy

I had the pleasure of riding in the back of a pick up truck from Barili to Cebu and everytime the driver changed lanes with what seemed like sheer hope to overtake the vehicle overhead, I almost found Religion!! The rule here seems to be if you know how to forward and reverse your a driver

And here in Valencia the kings of the roads are the tricycle drivers and they drive like they are just waiting to see those pearly gates

[darren-b]

Thanks darren-b.
When you mean resident, do you mean from when she first arrived in the UK with her spousal visa?
Cheers.

Yes - or first arrival on most types of long term visa (spouse, fiancee, work). So if she has already been here for a year then her plan is totally pointless.

The other think I've heard Filipinas claim is that they could get an International Driving License in the Philippines that would be valid in the UK. This isn't true either - it's actually a permit rather than a license, and is purely a translation of your driving license.

There is no getting round it, a filipino resident in the UK who wants to drive in the UK long term has to pass a UK driving test.

you will have a start and finish date on the license,you can use the license until the finish date.

Not true with regards to a Philippines driving license in the UK - see previous posts.

After seeing the drivers here first hand I was hoping the answer was no!

From a lot of the people I have seen driving here in the Philippines there is one thing that ties them all together... They are all crazy

Unfortunately there is a difference between being allowed to drive and being fully capable of driving here properly. Personally I wouldn't have been happy for my wife to drive here until she passed a UK driving test.

[vbkelly]

After seeing the drivers here first hand I was hoping the answer was no!

From a lot of the people I have seen driving here in the Philippines there is one thing that ties them all together... They are all crazy

I had the pleasure of riding in the back of a pick up truck from Barili to Cebu and everytime the driver changed lanes with what seemed like sheer hope to overtake the vehicle overhead, I almost found Religion!! The rule here seems to be if you know how to forward and reverse your a driver

And here in Valencia the kings of the roads are the tricycle drivers and they drive like they are just waiting to see those pearly gates

haha agree sean and no seatbelt at all

[aposhark]

......Personally I wouldn't have been happy for my wife to drive here until she passed a UK driving test.

That's exactly what I recommended to my wife too.
I drive artics and see crazy stuff every day
We have so many signs and cameras to be aware of, it can be a sensory overload to ALL new drivers in the UK.
Besides, we are right hand drive in the UK.

[aposhark]

After seeing the drivers here first hand I was hoping the answer was no!

From a lot of the people I have seen driving here in the Philippines there is one thing that ties them all together... They are all crazy

Don't ever go to Egypt on a rush hour.
Filipinos are positively excellent compared to Egyptians.
Especially when they drive like the clappers on the desert roads until they get to about 15 seconds before they pass another car coming towards them.
Then they both turn their headlights off as they don't want to frighten each other.

[bornatbirth]

Not true with regards to a Philippines driving license in the UK - see previous posts.

oh..i was going on what my wife told me,my wife got a international permit before she came,bit silly when she didnt need it.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...nce/DG_4022561

i think it best to let our wifes to get a uk driving license,i thought driving in the philipines is easy and because my wife can drive so well there,so i let my wife take my car for a spin down a quiet country road....

[darren-b]

oh..i was going on what my wife told me,my wife got a international permit before she came,bit silly when she didnt need it.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...nce/DG_4022561

i think it best to let our wifes to get a uk driving license,i thought driving in the philipines is easy and because my wife can drive so well there,so i let my wife take my car for a spin down a quiet country road....

As i said lots of people misunderstand the law in regards to driving in the uk on a foreign license. It's not the best way, it's the only way they can drive in the uk long term. Lots of stories on other immigration boards of people having trouble getting british citizenship because of a criminal record due to driving for too long on a non-uk license.

[adam&chryss]

This is interesting cos when I called the DVLA they quite clearly told me that cos my wifes Phillipine licence expired 2 weeks after she arrived here then she couldnt exchange it for a UK one and drive for a year. Actually they refused to change it to a valid Uk one at all.

[Sophie]

After seeing the drivers here first hand I was hoping the answer was no!

From a lot of the people I have seen driving here in the Philippines there is one thing that ties them all together... They are all crazy

I had the pleasure of riding in the back of a pick up truck from Barili to Cebu and everytime the driver changed lanes with what seemed like sheer hope to overtake the vehicle overhead, I almost found Religion!!

Hahahaha, welcome to the philippines sean, lol

[joebloggs]

This is interesting cos when I called the DVLA they quite clearly told me that cos my wifes Phillipine licence expired 2 weeks after she arrived here then she couldnt exchange it for a UK one and drive for a year. Actually they refused to change it to a valid Uk one at all.

yes, as far as i know that's right
i don't think you can drive at all in the UK with a pinoy licence you need to convert it to a international one in the phils, and then you can drive for only the 1st year your in the uk, and if you want to continue to drive you need to pass the Uk theory and practical test to carry on driving.


also if i remember correctly, if you hold dual citizenship and one is british or even if you are British then you can't drive at all in the uk with just an international license.

[RickyR]

I posted a bit of info on this topic earlier in the year, and how to obtain an International Driving Permit which some people have suggested isn't strictly necessary but is very easy to obtain and might make things easier. As has been said you can drive in the UK for 12 months on a Philippines license.
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=18246

As for driving in the Philippines, it's not quite as a disorganised and chaotic as it first seems, I've driven quite a lot in the Philippines over the last few years and have got used to it, and find it just different. Then again i've driven in Egypt, France, Italy, Germany etc etc and it's just a case of adjusting. I don't think its a big deal learning the rules, a few hours with a driving instructor would sort most Filipinos out.

[darren-b]

I posted a bit of info on this topic earlier in the year, and how to obtain an International Driving Permit which some people have suggested isn't strictly necessary but is very easy to obtain and might make things easier. As has been said you can drive in the UK for 12 months on a Philippines license.
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=18246

As for driving in the Philippines, it's not quite as a disorganised and chaotic as it first seems, I've driven quite a lot in the Philippines over the last few years and have got used to it, and find it just different. Then again i've driven in Egypt, France, Italy, Germany etc etc and it's just a case of adjusting. I don't think its a big deal learning the rules, a few hours with a driving instructor would sort most Filipinos out.

It depends how well they were taught in the first place as it's not only the rules of the road, it's the way you drive (holding the steering well, etc) and some 'skills' (3 point turn, parallel parking, reversing around a corner, etc) that you may never have done properly before.

[fred]

It depends how well they were taught in the first place as it's not only the rules of the road, it's the way you drive (holding the steering well, etc) and some 'skills' (3 point turn, parallel parking, reversing around a corner, etc) that you may never have done properly before.

They very rarely get taught at all..All that is needed to drive on Philippine roads is a student licence and then they can go and teach themselves.
Filipino`s are probably the worst drivers in the world and should not be let loose on British roads under any circumstance IMO.