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Views wanted on allowing drivers who hold a Cayman Islands licence to drive cars and light motorcycles to exchange it for a British equivalent

Open consultation

Exchange of driving licences issued in the Cayman Islands

From:Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Published:1 August 2017

This consultation closes at

11:59pm on 29 August 2017

Summary

This consultation seeks your views on allowing drivers who hold a licence to drive cars and light motorcycles which was issued originally in the Cayman Islands to exchange it for a British equivalent, if the driver becomes resident in Great Britain.

Consultation description

This change will apply in England, Scotland and Wales only. Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly may choose to amend the law in Northern Ireland in due course.

Documents

Exchange of driving licences issued in

Cayman Islands

Introduction

This consultation seeks your views on allowing drivers who hold a licence to drive cars and

light motorcycles which was issued originally in the Cayman Islands to exchange it for a

British equivalent, if the driver becomes resident in Great Britain.

This change will apply in England, Scotland and Wales only. Driver licensing is a devolved

matter in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly may choose to amend the law in

Northern Ireland in due course.

Background

In 2015 the government of the Cayman Islands requested recognition of their driving licences

for exchange in Great Britain.

People coming to Great Britain from outside the European Community/European Economic

Area (EC/EEA) may drive small vehicles (motorcycles, cars, and vehicles up to 3500kgs or with

up to eight passenger seats) for up to a year using their valid national driving licences. After this

time, to continue driving they must pass a British driving test, unless they hold a licence issued

in a country or territory designated by law for the purpose of exchanging driving licences. Once

a country has been designated, its licences may be exchanged for British equivalents subject to

the holders meeting the normal British requirements on health and minimum ages.

The countries that are presently designated for licence exchange purposes are: Andorra,

Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Hong Kong,

Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and

Zimbabwe.

The following requirements must be met:

i) Applicants must show that they did not obtain the licence by way of a previous exchange

for one issued in a third country whose licensing and testing standards do not meet those

applied in Great Britain.

ii) Licences issued as a result of a test passed in a vehicle with automatic transmission will be

exchanged for a British licence with entitlement to drive automatic vehicles only.

iii) Licences must be valid at the time of application.

The proposal

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is considering allowing licences that were

issued in the Cayman Islands to be exchanged for the British equivalent if the holders of such

licences become resident in Great Britain.

The current licensing and testing standards in the Cayman Islands have been assessed

and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has approved the standards for cars and light

motorcycles not exceeding 125cc only. The proposed arrangement will not, therefore, include

entitlement to drive large motorcycles.

Subject to the outcome of this consultation, changes will be included in an order made under

sections 108 (2) to (2B) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Consultation question

Are you aware of any reason why the DVLA should not take this proposal forward?

Benefits of proposed change

No savings or costs for businesses or charities have been identified. Any benefits will apply

only to a small number of private individuals, so the change falls outside the better regulation

framework. In the circumstances there is no need for an impact assessment.

The main benefit will be to allow the DVLA to grant a full British driving licence with entitlement

to drive cars and light motorcycles to holders of the equivalent licences issued in the Cayman

Islands, without the added time and expense involved in sitting and conducting another

driving test.

Between April 2013 and March 2017 there were 217 drivers born in the Cayman Islands issued

with a provisional British driving licence. In the last financial year, 73 Cayman Islanders applied

for a provisional driving licence. The number of these drivers who take up residence in Great

Britain and exchange their licences is likely to be very small.

Any benefit will be to individual drivers who may wish to exchange their licences when they

become resident in Great Britain.

The only cost to the DVLA will be for processing applications, which will be met through the fee

for an exchange licence application. There will be no regulatory savings or costs for business.

Duration

The consultation will run between 1 August 2017 and 29 August 2017. Any responses received

after this date will be taken into consideration only in exceptional circumstances.

How to respond

You can respond in the following ways:

• By post to: Strategy, Policy & Communications Directorate, D16, Driver and Vehicle

Licensing Agency , Swansea, SA6 7JL

• Email to: [email protected]

When responding, it would be helpful if you could state whether you are responding as an

individual or representing the views of an organisation. If you are responding on behalf of an

organisation, please make clear who the organisation represents and where applicable, how

the views of members were collected.

Please get in touch by email or by post if you would like a copy of the consultation in an

alternative format, or if you have any questions.

Freedom of information

Respondents are asked to note that we may publish some or all of the comments received

in response to this consultation. Also, if a third party asks to see such comments, we may

be obliged by law (for example, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental

Information Regulations 2004) to disclose them. If there are particular reasons why you would

not wish your comments to be published or disclosed, please let us know. Although your

wishes in this respect may not override any statutory requirement to disclose, they will be taken

into account so far as possible. If you reply by email, the above overrides any confidentiality

disclaimer generated by your IT system.

After the consultation

All responses will be considered as part of the consultation process. We will explore the

possibility of incorporating valid suggestions and comments. The summary of responses

will be published within three months and before or alongside any further action, (e.g. laying

legislation before Parliament). It will be available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publ

ications?departments%5B%5D=driver-vehicle-licencing-agency&publication_filter_

option=consultations. We will notify those who responded to the consultation when this

happens.

The consultation principles

Because of the limited impact and scope of this proposal we are carrying out a shortened

consultation targeted towards key industry groups. We believe that this consultation complies

with the Consultation Principles, which are published by the Cabinet Office online at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/consultation-principles-guidance

Email to:

[email protected]

Write to:

Strategy, Policy & Communications Directorate, D16

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Swansea

SA6 7JL

SOURCE: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/exchange-of-driving-licences-issued-in-the-cayman-islands

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