New Euro Rules On Second Driving Licences

Tuesday, 25. November 2008

Since the introduction of free movement throughout Europe it has become possible for drivers to hold two driving licences at the same time, one from his country of origin and another, quite legally, issued in the country in which he now resides. This has led to a situation whereby a driver is convicted of an offence following which his licence is taken away only to be allowed to continue to legally drive a car using his second licence as his entitlement to drive in a European country. This loophole has now been closed by the European Court Of Justice following a case in which an Austrian driver living in Germany was banned from driving following a drink drive conviction. He lost his German permit but continued to drive using his Austrian Licence. In this case advocate general Yves Bot ruled that driving licence authorities can refuse to recognise a pre-existing second foreign EU driving licence if the driver had a licence issued by that authority withdrawn by the courts. However, without a conviction for a crime where a driver would be disqualified, EU law still allows for both licences to be valid simultaneously. By Graham Hill