Major driving licence changes set to launch soon will impact thousands of motorists

Labour is planning to introduce new driving licence changes for thousands of motorists following a weeks-long consultation.

Plans were outlined in March that sought to hear from people on whether to add 24 months to the period during which holders of a Ukrainian driving licence may legally drive "relevant vehicles" in Great Britain.

It proposed extending existing driving eligibility from 36 months to 60 months for some Ukrainian licence holders and from 54 months to 78 months for others.

Relevant includes cars, motorcycles and mopeds, with the consultation receiving 128 official responses.

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The move is designed to support Ukrainian licence holders who are temporarily residents in Great Britain and allow them to continue driving with their Ukrainian permit.

Holders of exchangeable foreign licences, including Ukrainians, continue to have five years from becoming resident in which to exchange it for a GB licence.

Responses to the consultation found that they "overwhelmingly supported" the proposal to extend the Ukraine driving licence recognition period by an extra 24 months.

In total, 95.31 per cent of respondents supported the law changes, while 3.91 per cent were against and 0.78 per cent were against.

While it was only a small percentage of people who were against the proposals cited safety risks as a key consideration.

The Department for Transport acknowledged that there could be "some degree of road safety risk" since they do not need to pass a GB driving test.

It added: "Without a GB test or licence, there is a continued risk from unfamiliarity with GB roads (driving on the left, using a right-hand drive car) and road signage, particularly from road signs which are written in English (rather than pictograms).

"However, we can advise that Ukraine's driving test and licensing standards have been assessed as equivalent to those in GB."

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In terms of road safety, most respondents said Ukrainian drivers had already been operating safely on roads for a long period of time.

Those who did have concerns stated that Ukrainian drivers have had long enough to arrange a practical driving test in Great Britain.

Labour stated that it would introduce secondary legislation to allow eligible licence holders to drive relevant vehicles for a further 24 months.

This would extend their entitlement to five years (60 months) or six years and six months (78 months) after becoming resident.

However, this will depend on the original Ukrainian visa scheme applicable to them, including the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme.

Licence holders with an HFUS visa who applied after 3pm on February 19, 2024, will now be able to drive relevant vehicles for five years (60 months) after becoming a resident.

The following Ukrainian driving licence holders will be able to drive relevant vehicles for six years and six months:

• People who held an HFUS visa and applied for that visa before 3pm on February 19, 2024, who successfully applied for the UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their HFUS leave, and who now apply for an extension of their UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their current UPE scheme leave period
• People who held UES leave, which they applied for on or before May 16, 2024, who became resident in GB on or after March 3, 2022, who successfully applied for the UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their UES leave, and who now apply for an extension of their UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their current UPE scheme leave period
• People who held UFS leave, who successfully applied for UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their UFS leave, and who now apply for an extension of their UPE scheme leave before the expiry of their current UPE scheme leave period

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