Only UK residents can renew the photocard, and the official advice for UK licence-holders living abroad is to get a licence in their new country of residence.
If you’re moving abroad
You can’t register your new address on your British driving licence. Contact the driving licence authority in your new country of residence.
If you permanently move to another country, DVA can’t register your new address on your Northern Ireland driving licence. You’ll need to contact the driving licence authority in your country of residence for information on exchanging.
This leaves two questions which are not answered clearly on the government website:
- How should one drive when visiting the UK after the UK licence expires?
- If one returns to the UK, can the expired licence be renewed?