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When I was younger, I lived in the Netherlands and got my driving license there, although I'm originally from the UK and have a British passport.

When I was at university and living back in the UK, I went to the Netherlands on holiday. Stupidly, I drank and rode a moped. I was stopped by the police and was found to be over the limit.

Nothing happened for two years, but now I have moved back to the Netherlands for work. Since coming back and re-registered here in the Netherlands, I have been issued a summons to go to police court for a hearing. It looks like I will be getting a criminal record as a consequence. I'm looking to move back to the UK in a year or so.

When I deregister from the Netherlands and move back to the UK, will I still have a criminal record? Or does Brexit mean that the UK and the EU do not share this kind of data anymore? I'm also looking to keep my Dutch driving license in the UK; how will this affect my driving record in the UK? Will the UK authorities know about the offence? Will this affect my insurance in the UK, as the crime happened in the Netherlands? Will the insurance company know about my drunk driving conviction?

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    You cannot use your 'Dutch' driving licence indefinitely. Please see Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Feb 7, 2023 at 23:07
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    The criminal record relates to you as an individual, it doesn’t just disappear because you move countries. There are means by which UK authorities would have access to the information lawsociety.org.uk/topics/brexit/… so if DVLA, insurance companies etc ask about any criminal convictions without restricting the location of the offence you should declare it
    – Traveller
    Commented Feb 8, 2023 at 8:05
  • So does this mean insurance companies and the DVLA have access to oversea records?
    – John Daley
    Commented Feb 8, 2023 at 11:05
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    As to DVLA and the UK government, yes. The Law Society article attached by Traveller references ECRIS — a specific part of the UK/EU agreement regarding post-Brexit information exchange that allows and facilitates the exchange of "criminal record information."
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Feb 8, 2023 at 15:51

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When I deregister from the Netherlands and move back to the UK, will I still have a criminal record?

It depends. After a certain amount of time, depending on the severity of the crime, your conviction will become spent. https://www.gov.uk/tell-employer-or-college-about-criminal-record/check-your-conviction-caution

Or does Brexit mean that the UK and the EU do not share this kind of data anymore?

No, at least as to the DVLA and UK government. ECRIS — a specific part of the UK/EU agreement regarding post-Brexit information exchange — allows and facilitates the exchange of "criminal record information” https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/topics/brexit/law-enforcement-and-judicial-cooperation-in-criminal-matters-after-brexit

I'm also looking to keep my Dutch driving license in the UK; how will this affect my driving record in the UK? Will the UK authorities know about the offence?

If you hold a full licence issued in a country within the EU you can drive in Great Britain using your original licence until it expires https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence. Note the rules are slightly different for N Ireland https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/exchanging-your-foreign-driving-licence

Will this affect my insurance in the UK, as the crime happened in the Netherlands? Will the insurance company know about my drunk driving conviction?

Maybe. Insurers will ask you to disclose your criminal convictions to work out if you can be covered. You must declare any unspent convictions you have. https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/cover-for-drivers-with-a-criminal-conviction/

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