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I moved to UK exactly 12 months ago for work reasons on a Tier 2 General visa and the government website tells me that I can drive for 12 months since I became a resident.

How is the resident part defined here?

With winter here, I am sorely missing a car now, and I was wondering if simply going to my home country and coming back would help me be eligible to drive in the UK; I can also use the time to get a UK driving licence.

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  • How will leaving briefly change the date you became a resident? It's hard to imagine any official sympathy for your argument that such a "license run" resets the clock.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 1:09
  • Well, I have heard some ills say that the clock gets reset if you re-enter the country. But that’s why I have this post - to clarify if there is a proper way to do this! Else I am afraid I would have to do the hard way.
    – krish7919
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 1:11
  • If that were so, then the rule would have no meaning, as it would be so easily circumvented. That cannot be the result intended by the government.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 1:12
  • That’s true. And in principle, I agree with you.
    – krish7919
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 1:13
  • I'll stand by and watch while you have this discussion with the Magistrate. <g>
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 1:14

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"Resident" means "where do you generally live". If you go on holiday to your home country (or anywhere else), then you are still resident in the UK. If you move back to your home country (end your lease, leave your job, etc), and then move back to the UK, then you stop being resident in the UK.

Sorry, you are going to need to get a UK driving license. Given you already have an Indian driving license, this should be faster than learning to drive from scratch. You will definitely need lessons to explicit unlearn some of the rules you learnt in India (for a start, it is unlikely that it will be correct to use your horn at any time during your test. I don't know if that is a serious fault, but if not it will be a driving fault and you are only allowed 15 of those.)

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    Sounding the horn is one of the “show me” questions, so having to use it during the test is actually quite likely.
    – MJeffryes
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 15:55
  • @MJeffryes Yes, but not while driving
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Commented Nov 30, 2018 at 18:42
  • @MartinBonner Would an international drivers license from India help here?
    – krish7919
    Commented Dec 4, 2018 at 17:23

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