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[yskabeche]

For 15 months I am driving here with my international driving licence but I have a valid MOT, I am paying road tax and insurance in the post office. I was caught by a traffic police one day and found out that I violated the UK law so Im banned for 6 months and a penalty. Though, my colleague who got an offence like me who applied for his PR in the HO manage to get away with it. Is this a major offence and may affect my PR in the future?

[Wanderer]

For 15 months I am driving here with my international driving licence but I have a valid MOT, I am paying road tax and insurance in the post office. I was caught by a traffic police one day and found out that I violated the UK law so Im banned for 6 months and a penalty. Though, my colleague who got an offence like me who applied for his PR in the HO manage to get away with it. Is this a major offence and may affect my PR in the future?

Without a valid licence your insurance is invalid too. Imagine if you'd killed someone.

[thirdwave]

For 15 months I am driving here with my international driving licence but I have a valid MOT, I am paying road tax and insurance in the post office. I was caught by a traffic police one day and found out that I violated the UK law so Im banned for 6 months and a penalty. Though, my colleague who got an offence like me who applied for his PR in the HO manage to get away with it. Is this a major offence and may affect my PR in the future?

The HO is planning to toughen up the rules in this regard so you might encounter difficulties in applying for ILR in the future? What visa are you on? How long have you got before you can apply for ILR? IN any case, you`ll have to wait for 5 years from the date of your conviction before you'd be allowed to apply for naturalisation so this misdemenour might cost you in more than one way in the longer term (in case you are planning to take up British Citizenship,that is)

[gollywood]

Thats like saying you got busted for growing cannabis in your attic - but my house is insured; I have lovely new windows and Ive just had the house painted and the doorbell works fine!!!

A work colleague of mine was hit by a driver similar to you - didnt have a valid licence, and therefore that invalidates anything else - he has been chasing him for a year, and still he 'walks free'

Stay off the road - or pass your UK driving test!!!

[edrelle]

I know a similar case like this (not me but my collegues husband whose using international driving licence and driving here for morethan a year already when the police stopped him and ban for 3 months and now he got full UK driving licence) but still they manage to renew their work permit and give them 5 years more. I am wondering if the HO checks all the docs we're submitting with them or checks every person characters or bec his on work permit dependant visa they are more on keen checking the main applicant. As for me I am really doing with my best to be a law abiding citizen and there's someone like them who can get away with it.

[sunny9675]

there is no need to check all penalties by HO , applicant have signed documents and confirmed that nothing is affecting them to get pr / ctiz etc

this is a fraud and any fraudlent act how old it is, will affect APPILCANT future ,

imagine your r standing of mp election and in background check this is caught u r gone

[xhesika]

give the guy a break, the fact that an "international" licence isn't valid in UK is ridiculous, the international licence is consistent with European law, the rules and regs of passing the test are also thats why its called "international", NOT national!.

A quote like "one like you" is wrong, don't generalise.

Please cut it out, regardless of where you are from, who you are, you are capable of breaking the law, knowingly or unknowingly, PURPOSELY OR ACCIDENTLY.

my example is: my friend passed her uk driving test a while back, in Nov last year, a little girl ran out in front of her car, she knocked her down, she was hospitalised for a week, and has now recovered well BUT my friend had no insurance, she was due to get it on the friday, she hit the girl on a Wednesday, she was breaking the law, I am not condemning it by any means, but my friend is English with A UK licence.

You have to remember that everyone has feelings and it's none of your rights to go hurting them with unreasonable comments.

[Wanderer]

give the guy a break, the fact that an "international" licence isn't valid in UK is ridiculous, the international licence is consistent with European law, the rules and regs of passing the test are also thats why its called "international", NOT national!.

A quote like "one like you" is wrong, don't generalise.

Please cut it out, regardless of where you are from, who you are, you are capable of breaking the law, knowingly or unknowingly, PURPOSELY OR ACCIDENTLY.

my example is: my friend passed her uk driving test a while back, in Nov last year, a little girl ran out in front of her car, she knocked her down, she was hospitalised for a week, and has now recovered well BUT my friend had no insurance, she was due to get it on the friday, she hit the girl on a Wednesday, she was breaking the law, I am not condemning it by any means, but my friend is English with A UK licence.

You have to remember that everyone has feelings and it's none of your rights to go hurting them with unreasonable comments.

Are you serious? Hopefully your friend will be going to court and at least heavily fined and at best jailed.

[paulp]

give the guy a break, the fact that an "international" licence isn't valid in UK is ridiculous, the international licence is consistent with European law, the rules and regs of passing the test are also thats why its called "international", NOT national!.

xhesika, are you advocating to break the law?

[Markie]

Let me get it straight. An international driving license as per DVLA guidelines is only valid for up to 12 months from the date you arrived in the UK. If it is 15 months then, you clearly went overboard.

I too had an int'l license for 12mos and later switched to UK license after passing the driving tests both theory and practical.

For 15 months I am driving here with my international driving licence but I have a valid MOT, I am paying road tax and insurance in the post office. I was caught by a traffic police one day and found out that I violated the UK law so Im banned for 6 months and a penalty. Though, my colleague who got an offence like me who applied for his PR in the HO manage to get away with it. Is this a major offence and may affect my PR in the future?

[joe777]

you can drive on a international license, like markie said for upto 12months since you first came to the uk,

some people seem to think you can leave the country, and then drive for aonther 12 months, you cannot.

you have a year to take your test, if you don't pass then you shouldn't drive til you have..

when you get insurance you should tell them that your driving on a Int license and they will probably tell you that you need to pass within the year.

also if you have a british passport you cannot drive in the UK on a Int license

[xhesika]

I was simply saying that the fact that the law states an international licence is only valid for 12months , in my opinion is ridiculous BECAUSE the standards of driving needed to gain an international licence are actually quite hard to overcome and yet again in mine and many others opinion the standards are higher than them of the UK standards....

I do not agree with people who break the law, BUT give this guy a chance, he wasn't to know his licence wasn't going to be valid after the 12month period, he made a mistake he wasn't asking for a lecture.

As for my friend, yes maybe she will get put in a grotty prison, I dont know, she is facing the consequences of breaking the law, not me, I was just using her as an example of someone british who has broken the law and is subsequently facing the appropriate form of punishment, difference is, she knew she had no insurance, this guy posting HAD INSURANCE,MOT AND LICENCE (albeit international) and wasn't aware of the law...... now he is, he wishes to gain some advice on whether or not his mistakes will affect his future immigration and no doubt he wishes to rectify his licence situation...............

[Wanderer]

1. International Licence doesn't mean good driver, for a start in the UK the roads are busier than most, on the wrong side of the road and we keep to the left on motorways. How many idiots on Polish plates do I see sat in the middle lane on the M62....

2. If licence is invalid, insurance is too.

3. Ignorance of the law is no defence, a basic tenet of the legal framework here.

I agree he didn't ask for a lecture, but things like this get to me, damage to children and drugs. I just go off on one....