Driving with Type 1 on a non GB license

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Elenka_HM

Elenka_HM

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi everyone,

As some of you know I am a Spanish living in England. I passed my driving test in Spain, long before I got diagnosed with diabetes. When I got diagnosed here in the UK, the doctor asked if I planned to drive but I didn't at the time, so we didn't speak more about the subject.

Now I'm considering taking a few lessons and start driving again. I've read many times in the forum that you must inform the DVLA if you take insulin and the gov.uk site says you could be fined or prosecuted if you don't inform them. However I'm not able to use their online service to inform the DVLA because my driving license was issued in a different country. So, do I still have to let them know? Does someone knows of a way I could do this? I also wonder if I should let the driving instructor know, even tho I won't take any insulin before lessons for my own peace of mind.
 
I guess I must inform the Spanish equivalent to DVLA (the DGT, which made me cry in my childhood with their TV ads promoting road safety) when I renovate my license. Which will sure be a lot of fun considering they require an report from your medical team but my medical team is in a different country.
 
I’ve just had a trawl through the Gov.UK online info. I couldn’t find a mention of what to do if you hold a non U.K. licence.
However, it’s the general case that you need to abide by the rules of the country you are living in, so if the U.K. requires you to inform the DVLA, then you must do so. There is a form you can download, fill in, and post off, (the Medical Questionnaire bit of the forms that we all have to do, either by post on online for us U.K licence holders) here

https://assets.publishing.service.g...9d/diab1-confidential-medical-information.pdf

But they’re going to have fun getting info from a doctor based in Spain, unless you're having ongoing care in the UK.
 
You need to tell the DVLA @Elenka_HM You can phone or email them:

By phone​

DVLA Medical Enquiries
Telephone: 0300 790 6806
British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer - find out how to use the service on a mobile or tablet
Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm
Saturdays, 8am to 2pm
Find out about call charges

By email​

You can email DVLA to tell them about your driving and medical issues.

Of course you should let your driving instructor know too. If you don’t, you might invalidate their insurance.
 
Thank you both. I will try and contact them so they can tell me what forms or whatever they need me to provide.


Robin said:
But they’re going to have fun getting info from a doctor based in Spain, unless you're having ongoing care in the UK
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At least that shouldn't be an issue, because all of my diabetes care have been here in England. I'm worried for the other scenario, the Spanish traffic authorities trying to get info from my British doctor!
 
Inka said:
Of course you should let your driving instructor know too. If you don’t, you might invalidate their insurance.
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You are right. I don't know what I was thinking. Should have told them before I booked the first lesson, hope I don't need to cancel now.
 
Okay, I had a minute of panic when I messaged the driving instructor about my diabetes but he said not to worry. I will also send an email to DVLA this week.

For me, getting back behind the wheel is a pretty big deal after years of anxious avoidance. There was a time where I'd have been very happy to have a medical excuse not to do it. So I'm having strong emotions around the process and seeing any inconvenience as a bigger problem. But hey, I can get through this 🙂
 
Morning Elenka,
As Inka says I am sure your confidence will come back as you have a few lessons and more time in the car.
The first time you are driving the car on your own again which may seem a while off will be a big turning point in terms of confidence but small steps and good luck
 
I didn't drive for a year following my knee injury and was very nervous but it was far less scary that I had imagined. Though I wouldn't take any passengers except my other half, just in case for a few weeks. But it was fine in the end.
 
Thanks a lot. I was never a very confident driver in the past, but now I tell myself, that doesn't mean it has to stay this way. I've become more confident in many other areas of my life since then.
 
Hi again. So I finally called the DVLA because my attempts to use email or webchat were not going anywhere.

Initially the guy was like "oh, I don't think that concerns us since we didn't issue your license, you should contact the relevant authority in the country where you got it". So I said "thanks very much, that's what I thought, just wanted to make sure I'm okay to drive in the UK 🙂 " I kinda regret I said anything. He then goes "actually...hold on". And came back after a moment saying actually I should fill a D1 form stating I have insulin treated diabetes and they would start a medical investigation and if all is correct I would receive a restricted license.

Now my head is spinning in new and exciting ways because that would mean losing my EU license and I don't know what will happen if I want to drive in Spain again in the future. On the other hand if I have to declare my medical condition I guess it's easier to get the doctor's information here, where I've actually received treatment.

Also, I've read that I can probably still drive while my application is with the DVLA but I won't have a physical license on that time so if the police were to stop me, how do I prove I'm allowed to drive? Can I take a photocopy or get any document from DVLA?

At this point I'm more stressed about paperwork than the driving itself! I don't want to give up so quick but a part of me is thinking why did I do this to myself. You don't need to fill any forms or get any insurance to ride the bus o_O
 
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You just hold on to your original licence too @Elenka_HM You shouldn’t regret saying something. You need to ensure you’re complying with U.K. law else you could be prosecuted.

The extra diabetes form isn’t very long. Just make sure you read each question carefully before answering as some of the wording isn’t very clear.
 
Inka said:
You just hold on to your original licence too @Elenka_HM You shouldn’t regret saying something. You need to ensure you’re complying with U.K. law else you could be prosecuted.
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I understand, I am trying to follow the rules, that's why I called them. But at the moment felt a bit like "damn, if I left it at his initial response (contact Spanish authorities) I'd stay blissfully ignorant".

I'm not sure I can keep my original license, I think the guy said I had to send it with the D1 form?
 
You could copy or photograph it as proof you hold a licence while waiting for your U.K. one to be processed?
 
My instinct @Elenka_HM is that the DVLA advice was not quite correct. You are not a British citizen and as best I understand you are not in the process of applying for that change. So you are a Spanish citizen with your Narional licence and whatever Spain might require you to do as a result of becoming diabetic is what you should do. Is there some limitation on your stay in Britain that now or in the near future requires you to change your Spanish status? Are you limited to how long you may live here?

If you decide to submit a D1 form then send a copy of your existing National Licence and not the original. I can see nothing on the DVLA website that requires you to surrender your National Driving licence to UK in order to prove you have an existing Spanish licence rather than to prove you actually have a valid Spanish licence. Personally, I would not part with my National licence if I were overseas, unless there were written (and clearly findable) laws that made that obligatory if I were in another country.

But I can see this has the potential to be stressful and messy. I'm not trying to coax you to break UK laws - I just can't see such a law! I suspect a lack of any clear law has led to what is an easier decision for DVLA by someone in the DVLA - but a breach of your rights. I wonder if a phone call or email to your Embassy might help untangle this?
 
@Proud to be erratic My guess is that Brexit part of the confusion. Prior to Brexit, there were certain foreign licences that counted in the U.K. (ie were considered ‘equal’ to a U.K. licence) and some that weren’t. In the case of foreign licences that weren’t considered ‘equal’, the holder could only drive for a certain amount of time in the U.K. (I think it was 12 months but I’m not sure). If they were staying beyond that period, they had to convert their licence to a U.K. licence.

Now we’re not in the EU, I’m not sure how the law works. That’s probably part of the issue you’re having @Elenka_HM But, the important bit is your circumstances have now changed (diabetes) and that will be what’s causing most of the confusion.

Edited to add - Having just checked, your Spanish licence would have allowed you to drive here despite Brexit BUT you now have a medical condition that requires a restricted licence and medical checks. That last bit is the crucial bit.
 
I clearly missed something somewhere. I don't doubt that the medical condition is crucial. I would be concerned about @Elenka_HM getting her Spanish licence held by UK authorities - and not returning it. Even though they have no authority to do that. If Elenka should leave UK in the future for any other country, then, as a Spanish passport holder, trying to transfer a UK restricted licence to get a different national licence could become really messy.

But I recognise this is already muddy!
 
Proud to be erratic said:
I clearly missed something somewhere. I don't doubt that the medical condition is crucial. I would be concerned about @Elenka_HM getting her Spanish licence held by UK authorities - and not returning it. Even though they have no authority to do that. If Elenka should leave UK in the future for any other country, then, as a Spanish passport holder, trying to transfer a UK restricted licence to get a different national licence could become really messy.

But I recognise this is already muddy!
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Yes, it is muddy because it has the added (and ‘badly timed’) complication of the Type 1. If she’d not got the Type 1, then it would have been relatively simple - a swap of like for like - but because @Elenka_HM got Type 1 while in the U.K. and after the issue of her Spanish licence, that’s what complicates things.

Edited to add that I think Spain has similar rules to the U.K. regarding needing to do a medical form or similar if you’re Type 1 on insulin, so it’s possible that Elenka’s original Spanish licence might need attention anyway (ie need a special form, doctor report, declaration or whatever).
 
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