EEA - Automatic Permanent Residency and DVLA application

[pedvito]

Hi everyone. My EEA residency stamp in my passport expired and it is my understanding that I do not have to apply for another one as I have been in the UK for 11 years and my partner who is Portuguese has been exercising treaty rights. My question is about applying for a drivers license. Will they insist on a UK passport or that I apply for an EEA4 stamp in my South African passport. For some reason not many public officials are familiar with the information that after 5 years you azutomatically have Permanent Residency. Any advice greatly appreciated. Also whom can I speak to to get clarification of my current residency status please.

[Universal soldier]

Are you planning to apply new driving licence 1st time or you already have but want to extend it.

[pedvito]

Hi thanks for the reply. I'm making a new application not renewal. Its a 1st time application.

[pedvito]

[/cHi there does anyone have any thoughts regarding my post please? olor]

[Universal soldier]

Why don't you get from your country the international driving licence to drive for some period until you get pr because when you will apply your first driving licence then have to send original passport and more likely they will see the expired visa and more likely not process even though the family member of EU national not need visa but they donot care of that.

[pedvito]

Thank you for the suggestion. My country of origin is quite slow at processing such requests. I'm still hoping that it would just be case of applying forr the provisional license with my passsport as it is.

[Stefan-TR]

Why don't you get from your country the international driving licence to drive for some period

Please disregard this advice, as Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence is only allowed "for 12 months from when you became resident".

I don't know if the DVLA will recognise your automatic permanent residence. You can explain it in a cover letter and see what happens (the DVLA processing times are normally much faster than UKVI EEA applications). Or you wait a few months and apply for a PR card first.

[pedvito]

Thank you for the feedback. I will try the coverletter. I was hoping to get a driving license as soon as possible but it appears that this may be challenging. I appreciate all your comments, Thank you

[chaoclive]

Hi everyone. My EEA residency stamp in my passport expired and it is my understanding that I do not have to apply for another one as I have been in the UK for 11 years and my partner who is Portuguese has been exercising treaty rights. My question is about applying for a drivers license. Will they insist on a UK passport or that I apply for an EEA4 stamp in my South African passport. For some reason not many public officials are familiar with the information that after 5 years you azutomatically have Permanent Residency. Any advice greatly appreciated. Also whom can I speak to to get clarification of my current residency status please.

Does the non-EEA citizen automatically have PR? I thought it was just the EEA citizen who had this?