Brexit is on a fast-track to becoming one of the nation’s greatest disasters or triumphs, depending on your viewpoint. Even now, it’s a political hot-topic that that is contentiously debated up and down the country. With the vote being so tight, whatever the outcome half the country would’ve been celebrating and the other half not.
Whatever the rights or wrongs of it, it’s here and it’s happening, being driven by a desire to be free of bureaucratic red-tape imposed on us by the EU. And yet, if we reach a ‘no deal’ on the process, we may find ourselves with yet more red-tape – the International Driving Permit being just one small element.
International driving
Currently, British residents need an International Driving Permit (IDP) if they intend to drive in certain countries such as the United Arab Emirates, it’s essentially just an official multi-language translation of your regular licence, that’s recognised throughout the 140+ countries that aren’t covered with any EU agreement, it can’t be used as a standalone licence, and will only be issued to full UK driving licence holders.
With regulations as they stand now, drivers can jump in their car and take a trip to France, Germany … anywhere in Europe, with nothing more than a tank full of fuel and a passport, but if the Government can’t reach a deal with BREXIT, drivers will need an IDP for travelling throughout Europe too.
Whilst this doesn’t sound disastrous, and at just £5.50 (currently) for twelve months, it’s not going to break the bank, but as with a number of government systems, the infrastructure behind it could fail us.
The IDP system
It’s estimated that just 100,000 International Driving Permits are issued annually at the moment, this is done through the Post Office, at the counter or by mail – there’s no online system for it. To satisfy the 100,000 demand, 89 branches of the Post Office can offer this service, that’s throughout the country.
Latest figures suggest that should we need to have an IDP to drive in Europe, it could affect around 7 million motorists.
We’re told that the Department for Transport are looking to upgrade the systems and put plans in place to handle the surge in numbers, with estimates saying that around 4,500 Post Offices could be upgraded to offer the IDP service, but as with most government announcements, no set date or figures have been issued, which could lead to a backlog or delay.
Applications
You can apply for an IDP up to three months in advance of travel, but remember that it’s also valid for twelve months, so maybe if you’re planning on taking a driving trip abroad this year, it could just be worth applying for one shortly, before the rush happens. In the event of us reaching an agreement with Brexit, and you not needing an IDP, you’ve lost £5.50, but equally, you may just save your holiday.
To apply for an International Driving Permit, you’ll need to locate your nearest branch offering the service, you’ll also need a full UK Driving Licence, £5.50, a signed passport photo and proof of identification, such as a passport.
The application process takes around 5 minutes.
The industry
Regardless of what deals are reached, you can guarantee that there will be more disturbances for the UK motorist following on from Brexit, the IDP could just be the tip of the iceberg. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have stated that additional EU tariffs on cars could add around £2.7 billion to imports, and £1.8 billion to exports, with the import tariffs adding around £1,500 to the list price of any car imported from the continent.
Other studies have said that typically, most ‘British’ cars have around 70% of European components in them (which does include UK components) – around 1,100 lorry loads of components arrive daily from Europe, so prices could still rise regardless of agreements, but in the worst case scenario, British automotive companies could move their manufacturing facilities abroad, with Eastern Europe being favoured.
Whatever the future may hold, PetrolPrices will be the first to bring you the news regarding any impact on the motorist, hopefully an agreement will be reached that should mean we don’t suffer financially, and the Government won’t see this as a way to further stealth tax our vehicles.
Would having an IDP be an issue for you? Do you feel that BREXIT will affect the motorist in other ways? What would happen to the UK car industry if prices were raised by £1,500 for each car? Let us know your thoughts.
It just gets better and better.
Looks like the smart money is staying out of this (not just this discussion but even the City of London).
Rats and sinking ship spring to mind.
Anyway, what’s a post office?
This is going to be popular with lorry drivers.
In case anyone’s interested, I didn’t vote as I was called away on work.
Although I pessimistic about Brexit, I really, really want to be wrong.
I am confused. We are members of the EU until 29th March 2019 so if we are planning on taking a driving trip abroad this year why would we need an IDP?
You wouldn’t not yet.
Before we joined the EU everyone drove hire cars in Europe without an IDP.
Why the difference after we leave the EU?
Sounds to me like the last Project Fear statement that “on Britain leaving the EU Brussels will cancel the flying licences of every British pilot anywhere in the world so no British pilots are allowed to fly”.
And remembering 2K, weren’t all aircraft meant to fall out of the sky on 1st January 2000?
How did that go then?
Them European’s in their government drink too much wine with their meals, I have seen them in pubs in Dunkerque pouring out of their offices straight into the pubs gargling their wine down their necks for TWO hours, then back to work,
We have to carry breath test kits to see if we have been driving, we have been sat in a local pub were a POLICE officer used to come into every night when he had finished his shift, and get totally rat-a***d then go out and try and get in somebody else’s car, a cop car came passed and stopped and helped him into his own car, could you see that happening in the UK.
SteveH
True, we software engineers at the time were having a good old laugh at the con artists stating disaster will happen at Y2K.
I actually flew back from a holiday in Florida with my young family on the 1st Jan 2000 as I knew it was all cobblers.
Imagine the situation, the multiple systems controlling the aircraft state ‘Oh I don’t know what the date is today as I only have a 2 digit representation of the year, I know I will turn the engines off”
We did laugh and a lot of people I know made a lot of money out of the scaremongering.
The vast majority of the general public are generally so dim as to believe anything on the news as is still the case today.
P.s.
Oh and the dim crowd usually vote Labour too.
The number voting Labour and Tory are very nearly the same.
Both parties have buggered up this country.
Mike,
There should be a simple intelligence test before being allowed to vote.
The question would be, “Would you ever vote for the Labour Party.”
If your answer is ‘yes’ then you should be deemed too dim and stupid to vote.
So we wouldn’t have the NHS in your world then
We would have had the NHS at some point whether it was Labour or the Conservatives who introcuded it.
But that was 70 years ago, the socialists have gone too far and have caused a large percentage of the population to think the world owes them a living for free and demand everything for free.
Also a software engineer. I worked at a COBOL compiler company around the Y2K issue. Most bank, insurance, healthcare, payroll etc is or was written in COBOL. So we came across a lot of software and companies with the issue.
The reason Y2K was not a disaster was because loads of companies who had old code spent months and years updating it and testing it ready for Y2K. Or they spent money on new systems that were Y2K compliant from the start. And that’s a simple issue to deal with – just increasing date fields from 2 to 4 digits.
Brexit isn’t that kind of simple problem and the government hasn’t spent years or even months fixing it before it might go wrong.
Before we joined the EU we had agreements for mutual recognition of driving licences with a number of other European countries. These have lapsed, subsumed by the standard EU licence. This will cease to be valid outside the UK next March unless a new agreement is reached. I don’t suppose an agreement would be controversial, but an international treaty has to be drafted, agreed by the EU Commission and the UK government, and then ratified by 27 EU countries and the UK Parliament. With the best will, this is likely to take several months, and if Chris grayling had done anything more than add it to his “to-do” list, I think we’d have been told.
Incidentally much the same applies to other EU agreements, like air travel, lorry drivers’ hours, roaming mobile charges, mutual acceptance of medicines and many others
It’s possibly worth adding that there may well be an informal understanding that the police, both in the UK and the EU-27, will accept each others’ licences until there’s a formal agreement. Which will solve much of the problem. But I suspect car hire companies at the airport will need a legally0-valid driving licence i.e. an IDP. But if you plan to go by ferry or tunnel next year, you’ll probably be OK.
Probably?? Would be nice for some certainty (or should that be sanity?)
In anything to do with Brexit sanity would be too much to expect. We have, after all, taken two years to come to a proposal that satisfied the cabinet for less than a week, and was known from the start to be unacceptable to the EU. So we must put sanity behind us. But I will not be getting an IDP (although I shall ensure I have three months’ stock of prescription drugs in hand.)
But that is the great plan.
Present something stupid and unacceptable and you have the recipe for a cliff edge no deal brexit The guys at the ERG will be fine as they have millions in the background and run their own companies. We little idiots will get hurt and then pay for it.
As the say, there where ends the knowledge starts the opinion
Just dig out the old agreements and get them signed – The UK could set up a specific department to resurrect all pre-common-market things.
No, most systems reverted to their expected behaviour which was that they knew it was 2000. Most of the money spent was to check this behaviour, not to correct it.
Y2K happened where I work in the education sector in 2014 – when students started who were born in 2000 they showed up as 114 years old… Hope none of this Brexit stuff looks ok at first then bites us later.
That must have been confusing for the staff at schools. Let’s chuck a few million at fixed by that.
Steve
I fear your memory or history book are wrong. I recall having to buy an IDL for the trips we took to Europe and the USA before 1992. Then the process worked through the local AA office. Though the cost was minimal and all they required was a photograph and the old green driving licence. Just one of the numerous bits of costly bureaucracy that will need to be in place and working by March 2019.
Way back in 1966 I was driving in Europe (Germany actually) but also through Belgium and France regularly, using the old GB red license the booklet) issued by the local town hall. I regularly ( 4/5 times a year) drove in the USA from 1982 regularly hiring cars from Hertz at Chicago O’Hare using the old green paper license. All I had to show was my passport.
I was working in France from 1992 with the pink paper UK license and was still doing the same procedure even when the new EU/UK photo license was introduced.
I have never had an IDL and was never asked to produce one!
Ask NatWest how their 2K planning worked!
That’s me done with petrolprices.com, MSM is the place for project fear BS, I’m not gonna suffer it on here as well.
Yes it appears hust to be all a scam I am afraid.
Presumably all EU drivers would also need a permit for driving in the UK?
That’s got to happen, surely. Works both ways. Theresa needs to show some backbone. Tired of hearing how many more concessions the Government feels we have to make. If UK drivers are to be penalised then visitors should be required to have one and have it examined against their personal ID card. Might help to tighten our leaky borders?
She has no backbone. She is a wuss
I used to think that. Now I believe she has plenty of backbone, but unfortunately she has chosen to bat for the other side.
TM was always batting for the other side – it was the biggest mistake ever for the tories to replace Cameron (who refused to work for Brexit, but hypocritically won a General Election largely on the back of promising the referendum) with another Remainer (who pointlessly threw away her government’s majority on the back of many 2015 voters being disgusted by getting a Remainer PM after Cameron). They will rue that choice – and the UK will rue it in parallel when we get another wishy-washy leftie coalition government in 2022 (or a lot earlier).
As for IDPs, oh no, a whole £5.50 to get one…. Not sure how I’ll afford it, having already stomached the much greater hike in ferry prices when duty was imposed upon marine diesel a few years ago (at the behest of the Channel Tunnel operators who demanded that ferries be hobbled to make the Chunnel less uncompetitive), but I’ll scrimp a bit and get by.
Where on earth (literally) do they get a figure of £1500 extra cost on a car due to tariffs on imported components? My understanding is that WTO tariffs are in the region of 3 or 4%, so to generate £1500 of extra cost would require a car costing £40k upwards in the first place – and that’s assuming 100% imported components. I work in the automotive industry and can tell you that relatively large and/or heavy components are not economical to transport long distances for a start, so the imported parts percentage is a good deal lower – which means a lot more than £40k car sales price to generate £1500 of tariff-inspired price increase.
As for moving production out of the UK – that’s been a threat ever since eastern European nations joined the EU, long before Brexit was even imagined. Nevertheless, I’m quite sure that slimebag multinational manufacturers will cite Brexit as an excuse the next time they move production to a low cost country. ‘Tis the way of the world.
If it was just about backbone the world would be full of countries led by people like Trump! Sorry but we don’t live on this planet in isolation – let’s stop talking about ‘acting tough’ and pursuing our own selfish interests and start seriously looking for win-win solutions (like staying in the EU?). On the immigration issue… Brexit has reduced the number of EU nationals coming to this country (who would want to stay here in the circumstances?) yet immigration from outside the EU is continuing to rise(??)
If I hear one more renowned……give me a gun. We voted to join the EEC forty years ago and politicians have lied ever since to change to the Franco German union run from Brussels and Berlin.
I want out whatever the consequences and to hell (or Brussels) with remainers.
What is the need for thid tit for tat game.
Hopefully, as in my previous comment!
Dont be daft! Its only the english who ever get inconvenienced by this type of stuff!!
more scare mongering this would work both ways and actually be worse for Europe than us,since France is the most visited country in the world i doubt they would want anything to drastically reduce tourism to there country.before joining we had no problem so should be fine,sounds like a easy way to get revenue for a piece of worthless paper.
Don’t forget we bow and scrape to “The Jobsworths”
I remember before we joined the common market as it was then, that we were supposed to get an international Driving Licence when driving in other countries & so this is nothing new. I was never checked when driving abroad but obtaining one was easy anyway. I think the AA gave them out on request, at least to members; I don’t remember ever [aying for one. The main reason to have one seemed to be that the International Driving Permit had multiple languages to assist anyone checking it. These days with standardised European style driving licences that don’t require language to understand, I would query whether an International Driving Permit would in fact be insisted upon anyway.
This is just another scare tactic aimed at those who are too young to remember before we joined the Common Market. Older people know that life outside the European Union won’t be so very different, except that we will be able to make our own laws based on manifestos that we have been given the opportunity to vote on. The unelected individuals making European Union laws & regulations do not submit any manifestos for us to influence the direction of travel. No wonder remainers are looking for older people to die off or be disenfranchised because we know how it was; younger people who do not have that advantage can be more easily manipulated.
What-ever happens, if we have to obtain an IDP, it is no different to how it used to be before we joined the EU. However, we can always adopt a tit-for-tat approach to the rest of the EU. If they want to play silly games, we can always insist on like for like. Make it hard for foreign vehicles to enter our country, especially the French,German and Belgian one’s. Some people would say that this is scoring an “Own goal”, but I for one cannot see this situation lasting for long. We have to show these EU crooks that the UK is no longer a push-over and we should not pay the ridiculously inflated so called “Divorce” bill.
Brexit has no place on here and besides, if we have to fill out forms or get visas or special driving additions so be it. I doubt it will cause sleepless nights.
“Currently, British residents need an International Driving Permit (IDP) if they intend to drive in certain countries such as the United States, it’s essentially just an official multi-language translation of your regular licence,” and I thought the Americans spoke English so whats the real reason.
I am afraid this is a lie. The facts are totally distirted. The UK and US are signatories to the latter DL treaty which covers mutual recognition. Licenses are valid for 6 months. After this where someone has emigrated a lical license is required. Mist states and the UK allowed exemptions for certain parts if the local license tests but the EU insisted they were removed and only exemptions for EEA licenses are permitted.
You see I use the computer and this sort of site for genuine information and if its not the correct genuine information then there is no point of being a member of this sort of site except for there original format of giving fuel prices, which if wrong is not the end of the world.
Utter BS. I see the MSM Project Fear has got to you as well. Unsubscribing from your propaganda.
Nonsense – this is part of the Brexit negotiations – there is a difference between propaganda (i.e. this will happen) and discussion (this may happen) – Get your head on Martin and leave the emotional reactions behind.
What is the real price of a car these days of discounting, perhaps we get £1500 or more discounted already , so you are saying the prices will rise by £3000 and as we have next to no motor industry under UK name this is the punishment of selling it off unlike France that has 4 marques and Germany the same, they haven’t sold theirs off
So what, we always used to have to get a ticket thing to keep in our licence when we went to Europe. No big deal. We have to get a chit when going to Switzerland. Also a bail bond thing if went to Spain. Millions did it then, no worries. Why the whining
I’ve been driving in the U.S. almost every year on holiday since 1987. NEVER taken an International Licence – don’t own one. So, Sorrie Jamie but that scare story doesn’t wash with me.
If, in the future, an IDP really is needed the UK Government could quite easily allow applications to be made way in advance of the required “start” date and permit a Start/End date to be printed on the document. This would ease the demand for the peak summer holiday period potentially over the whole year.
Who seriously believes that German cars aren’t already WAY over-priced? If moving manufacturing to Eastern European countries AFTER a “bad” Brexit seems a possibility why the heck hasn’t that happened now whilst Eastern European countries currently enjoy tarif-free trade with the U.K.?
After a “bad” Brexit maybe Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Brazilian, Mexican and USA/Canada manufactured cars will be LESS expensive as there’ll be no expensive EU tarifs applied.
Perhaps we’ll source more parts for our own assembled cars – such as the Honda Civic (two in our house) – from British manufacturers, or indeed, from manufacturers outside the EU with whom we’ll have new, shiny trade agreements.
Slightly off track here, I was in Nice last week and was aghast at the cost of vegetables and other food staples even on public markets. Way more expensive than here.
I’m convinced that exit from the EU even without a trade deal will result in lower costs for basic products – stuff we need to survive. The luxury products will still exist for those willing to pay over the odds.
Since an IDP is valid for a year, most sensible people would apply during winter or spring anyway.
I too was shocked recently at the price of basic shopping in France. Their fuel is more expensive than here now as well.
Their fuel was more expensive than here before we joined the Common Market. I remember my dad filling up at Dover before we got on the ferry.
Once we’re back making our own way in the world it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to just add the IDP to everyone’s licences as part of the printing process as it appears to be a mear formality rather than anything more complicated.
You don’t need an IDP in the US as UK driving licenses are in English. IDP is only required when the license is not in the native language.
This is factually inaccurate and scaremongering to try and overturn the popular vote.
UK residents who drive in the USA do not need an IDP. Their UK license is valid for 6 months though they may need a code number due to the odd EU system that was introduced when the paper pottion was removed.
License acceptance is covered by international treaties totally separate from the EU.
The main reason for an IDP is when the DL is not in English.
Stop printing lies, desperate though you may be.
I asked the AA about getting an IDP for travelling in various countries all around the world, and the answer I got was “You have a UK driving licence, it is accepted everywhere – why would you want one of those?” If I had a Nigerian driving licence that would be quite different!
You do need an IDP for some non EU countries (e.g. some Balkan states) at the moment but they’re valid for a year at a time so it’s not a big deal really.
As you have said, you don’t need an IDP in the US as UK driving licenses are in English.
However when we leave the EU, our DL won’t be in the native language, so may need an IDP.
It’s probably scaremongering, if it’s not. It’s £5.50 a year, no biggie…
When I applied for an IDP in 1975, there were two versions. What is the situation now?
Same, depending on where you’re going. There’s a 1926 version and a 1949 version. I think they have different languages in them. I had to get a 1949 version for some Balkan states earlier this year.
There is also the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic which the UK ratified on 28th March 2018.
Which is great because I need a 1968 version IDP to drive in Vietnam on holiday this year, now if only the AA & RAC could pull their fingers out and get some printed up.
You can get an IDP by post as well as at the Post Office, check out the RAC website https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit/
You are totally incorrect in stating that the United States requires an IDP for holders of UK drivers’ licences; it only requires them if the language of the licence is not English. Saying that the EU WILL require an IDP is just another example of Project Fear – IDPs are not required for licences in any EU language at the moment and there is no particular reason, except sensationalism, to believe that the EU will require them for English language licences. Do US drives require an IDP to drive in Europe?
What is Project Fear? EU has more to lose than we do if there is no agreement. We nationalise every car manufacturers assets here and their patents UK or worldwide, so we own them and we use this as a basis for a British car industry again, and we can slap import duties on their cars so that no-one wants to buy them. There is a whole world out there outside the EU.
Good luck with that plan. We will need trade agreements. If Fox is to be belived (he isn’t, of course) countries are queuing up to sign one with us (but only after they’ve dealt with the EU) . Try negotiating ANYTHING internationally after you’ve just stolen £billions of assets from foreign businesses. Brexit fantasist!!
Hundreds of thousands of British motorists will face fines for speeding in Europe.
For the first time, UK drivers who get caught by speed cameras going too fast on roads in countries including France, the Netherlands and Belgium will face fines of up to £640.
However, a quirk of the European law will create a “one-way” system in which Europeans caught speeding in the UK cannot be pursued by British police.
The move comes just as millions of British families are preparing to set off on summer holidays around Europe.
In just one year, an estimated half a million UK motorists will face prosecution for driving offences in France alone.
Under the new rules, EU governments can access vehicle ownership records held by other countries, which are then used to prosecute offences carried out in foreign-registered cars.
In at least 14 EU countries, including France, the vehicle owner is ultimately liable for fines, even if they were not driving at the time of the offence.
But conversely in the UK, the responsibility lies with drivers rather than registered car owners. This means UK police will not be able to fine drivers from the EU.
Breaking speed limits by more than 31mph can result in fines of up to €750 under the reforms, which came in 2015.
The rules were introduced across much of the EU, although the UK, Ireland and Denmark were given a two-year exemption.
Until May 7, the UK has been exempt from the rules but now they will be enforced.
Estimates show that speeding fines by foreign drivers cost the British Government more than £2 million a year in lost income.
The Department of Transport said: “While the UK is still a member of the EU, we are obliged to bring in rules on cross-border enforcement.
“Once we have left the EU, our Parliament will have the power to amend the law.”
So is this £650 going to stay after Brexit or are we going to fine their drivers for none payment of fines and Tolls which they are getting away with.
IMO it wouldn’t take much effort to introduce a system whereby each foreign vehicle entering the UK is logged and if a digital speed camera issues a fine, that info is sent to Customs & Excise at the borders where the vehicle is stopped and not allowed to leave until the fine is paid.
Good luck with that plan. When you last had your portrait taken at speed, how long did it take before you were notified? They can’t even handle speeding Brits promptly, and that’s with DVLA on tap, so how do you foresee their developing an ANPR system for the multitude of foreign plates?
Best not to exceed the speed limit and avoid any potential fines at home as well as abroad.
Easier said than done, in France for instance the speed change at the village or town sign you don’t get the lower speed speed limit sign at all and as we Brits get informed with the big 30 sign and by the distance of street lights not so in France and to be honest I just want a level playing field in all matters.
I have driven in the USA many times and have never had an IDP. I think this is another article by the project fear gang. The Germans and French will not want to stop selling cars in the UK.
There are not enough other marques left
There’s always Lexus and Infinity to replace Merc and BMW and as the Japanese already drive on the correct side of the road there would be no need for left to right conversions with all the degradation of the original design that entails.
You don’t need an IDP in the US as UK driving licenses are in English. IDP is only required when the license is not in the native language.
Been driving in the USA for years. Never been asked for an international driving permit by the police or the hire car companies. Getting fed of reading articles on here that have not been fact checked
You don’t need an IDP in the US as UK driving licenses are in English. IDP is only required when the license is not in the native language.
As others have said any regulations can work both ways so it is bad for both sides to introduce barriers and red tape etc. I refuse to be ripped off or blackmailed by anyone and if necessary or if they anger me enough refuse to go to EU countries or buy their products.
I also agree that this is inflammatory anti-Brexit propaganda and will unsubscribe, especially as the fuel prices for my region were wrong and misleading.
I’m making the same decision . . . unsubscribeing, this site has lost its way in a big way, if it ever it ever had it in the first place, nonfactual, speculative, unchecked sources of ” information “, an insult to intelligence !!!!,
So I’m off !!!!
Another question is: what will happen to EU-residents in UK? Would they need a full UK driving licence or would the EU-driving licence be accepted in UK?
Well it’s quite obvious which way the author voted. It’s quite a while since I read such a biased piece of misinformation with no actual basis in fact!!
Well the EU funded the removal of Landrover to Slovakia before the Brexit vote. Yes you got it. They used British money to subsidise the movement of an important British product elsewhere. You cant afford to stay when they get that bloody brave. And the Slovaks are furious because the new factory has been built on prime farmland. The EU is not sustainable.
And anyway the French etc will not enforce the rules anyway.
I remember the international drivers license used to get from the AA and this was in the late 90s so I hope that they have to have the same thing in Europe to come into this country this would stop a lot of unlicensed drivers on our roads from Europe
Firstly, I have to agree with those who point out that since we don’t need anything other than our driving licences in the USA (and since I haven’t moved in many years I still have an old ‘paper’ licence which was accepted in the USA last year), making any form of requirement for a permit to drive in Europe another example of the EU bureaucracy so many citizens voted to reject.
During the early years of the EEC, we were being advised to take what was then called an International Driving Licence, however since it was so easy to obtain one, it wasn’t taken very seriously. I drove in Europe during those years and had one in my glove box, which is where it remained untouched until one day I realised it had expired anyway.
Well, if you’re white, you don’t get pulled over in the states, so no one checks your license in the first place.
You don’t need an IDP in the US as UK driving licenses are in English. IDP is only required when the license is not in the native language.
Tit for tat, don’t let the European drivers over here without a British permit and make European trucks drive through a European trucks toll booth so you can catch them not paying, no pay tunnel or bridge toll, you are not going home, them that don’t pass into lane for the booths for Europeans should be stopped and wheel chained and let them be towed off the Motorway into a compound until they do pay , we have to pay over there, so tit for tat I say.
In 1970 I drove from Bergan in Norway, through Denmark, Germany, France & into Spain with no problems at all, But then of course we didn’t have Brussels interfering in everyone’s affairs then. Meanwhile we have s woman supposedly in charge standing bye watching Britannia being shafted by Barnier & Junker
This sounds like yet another EU con. I recently returned from a motoring holiday around France. Before I went I was lambasted with media advice to get a French clean air permit (£4.30) and display it in my windscreen or risk a 60 euro fine. Well surprise surprise I find that 80% of French drivers have ignored this and most Belgium, Dutch, Italian and German drivers too. Only the law abiding Brits fall for this French con aided by a media scare campaign!!
I think this only applies to about 4 towns including central Paris, so if you are not going through these places you do not need one. Also I think restrictions do not apply every day.
Yet another element of the Brexit train crash!
I heard that by leaving the EU the barrier to that giant plague of locusts will be taken away too. Save me Daddy!
Well worth £5.50 to get away from the EU dictators
And surely European drivers would need a similar document to drive in the UK?
Fake news. Even if it’s correct it is a small inconvenience. A mere nothing compared with regaining control of the country and the end of UK financial support for the vast EU gravy train.
I don’t see why. If the UK driving standards are seen as good enough for the EU now why should that change? You don’t necessarily need an IDP outside the EU anyway e.g. you don’t need one for Turkey. It’s no big deal going into the PO to get one anyway – probably cheaper than the visa! Yet more scaremongering….
Rubbish! Project Fear again. A friend used a South African licence in the EU, no problem.
What complete and utter rubbish! A UK driving licence is widely accepted throughout the world for most if not all holiday motoring purposes. I have personally used mine in the USA recently and used it in Spain when I was there BEFORE they joined the EU. This irresponsible scaremongering has to stop!
What a load of waffle. Driven abroad on my UK licence, had it checked in that foreign country. Police said IDP not work the paper its written on.
Why? I drove in Europe before we joined the Common Market and No IDP was required.
I am getting fed up wit all the scare stories about Brexit. I worke din Denmark and Netherlands before and NL again since since we joined the C M. No problems. the procedure didn’t change.
Who cares? Why would you want to drive to/through France anyway? They are all ignorant
More of a concern to us is that we assume that the EHIC European Health Card will no longer be valid. We drive to Poland each year for two months each summer and to Spain for three months each winter. At the age of 68 and 70 we are going to find health insurance prohibititively expensive.
You won’t get health care in Spain unless you can prove you can pay for it before treatment and pills at 30 40 euros apiece you won’t want to stay there
Project fear at it again. Yawn! Change the record. Brexit is happening. If it doesn’t happen it would do more damage to this country for decades to come as democracy in this country would be destroyed. The eu is cracking up. Their greed and stupidity has set the wheels in motion for their self destruction. WE voted to escape that. The only people who want to remain are the rich fat cats who’ve benefited greatly from the eu. Branson, lineker, Blair, miller, clegg etc.
The only ones who will benefit from remaining would be them. Not the majority of the public!
Drivers COULD not would need a permit to drive ‘sur le continent’ – it would not take long for agreements to be arranged – threats to finance tend to concentrate the mind wonderfully.
So What, I’m old enough to recall that I used to get an IDP before driving in Europe. The AA and RAC also used to issue them.
We had them in the sixties no problem
we had them in the sixties no problems
According to the AA the only countries which currently require an IDL are
Brazil (E, P) Iraq. …
Afghanistan. Algeria (L) …
Bahamas (I) Bahrain (A, M) …
Cameroon (E) Canada (E) …
Djibouti (C) …
Egypt. …
Haiti (E, I)
Unless all the remaining EU countries propose to introduce this requirement for ALL drivers and enforce it, this is scaremongering nonsense.
Few countries require British drivers to have an IDP. Most, including the US, are satisfied with our homegrown licence so I can’t see it really being a problem. Our current licence is in EU accepted format anyway!
Although not mentioned it could trigger the old Green Card system to provide cover on your car including mandatory liability cover for some countries. Insurers are unlikely to swallow the cost of this in your annual premium.
Blah Blah Blah, I drove to Germany 4 years ago, no plans to go again soon. This is a non story. More important is the EU nationals in our UK driving without the right to, NOW!
They won’t be, this is all scaremongering! European car manufacturers like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat etc will never stop dealing with us, we sell too many of their cars, we also build many of them! Being out of the EU will enable us to deal directly with them and on our terms not the EU’s and I bet that not too long after getting completely out of the EU’s clutches more EU countries will soon follow suit!
I’m at the age where I remember life before the EU and it was a much better cheaper life, we could drive all over the continent without any problems and we dealt with countries all over the world, we didn’t have to buy most of our household products or energy supplies from EU countries at tip top prices, we produced it all ourselves!
One of the main reasons why your MP’s don’t want Brexit is because Many of them also earn big money as EU MP’s! They don’t give a monkey about us, the general public, they’re only interested in lining their pockets and having a good life for themselves!
Don’t listen to all the Scaremongering, life, this country, will be much better after brexit if we just get out, don’t pay them any money or agree to any terms, just leave, we can discuss any terms or trading deals with world countries after we’re free of the EU!
What about the “best case scenario” after Brexit, the car manufacturers will find it more difficult/expensive to import components to the UK, and businesses will spring up or expand in the UK to service the market locally. Or else we get the components straight from China, and cheaper too. And we keep the import duty. It’s all good!
Will alĺ the foreign drivers that drive pay no road tax or fuel tax have to apply to drive over here