Hello

I would like to ask, it is necessary to have an EU driving licence to drive in surrounding EU countries? I have read that the old driving licences are valid in the countries that have signed the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

But I don't know if there are all the current EU countries. Does anybody know, if we can drive with an old licence in Hungary, Austria, etc.?

edit: ups, I posted it here into this sub-forum, can one mod move it one level up? :)

My father could use his in Italy many years ago,so I suppose the old one is just as international as the new ones.

Yeah, I think so, but it is interesting that on our oul Slovak licence from 2003 is written "Valid only in SK" :)

Yeah, I think so, but it is interesting that on our oul Slovak licence from 2003 is written "Valid only in SK" :)

Just do it like my uncle, drive to England and leave your driving license at home.:D

The only restriction I know of is that below 18 you cant drive abroad(assuming you have licence at 17,which is the lowest here). So I suggest going into a gov office(dont really know the english name,where you make your dealings with the authorities),and ask someone.

Mutual recognition

1. The principle

Article 1(2) of Directive 91/439/EEC stipulates that all driving licences have to be mutually recognised within the European Union. Where the holder of a valid driving licence acquires "normal residence" in a Member State other than that which issued the licence, the host country has to recognise the licence.

Directive 80/1263/EEC laid down a period of one year during which the exchange had to be carried out by the authorities of the state of residence. This obligation has been abolished since 1 July 1996, the date of entry into force of Directive 91/439/EEC. It is still possible to exchange licences but it has to be based on a purely voluntary action on the part of the licence holder.

At the time of the exchange, the Member State in which the holder has acquired normal residence issues a Community model licence of the corresponding category or categories, without the need for a theoretical or practical examination. Authorities must however check that the licence is valid.


http://ec.europa.eu/transport/home/drivinglicence/principles/002_en.htm

So you can drive with your driving licence a car in any of the signatory countries of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (in some countries you need a translation of your diving licence). Within the EU, you can also live in another member state without having to exchange your licence.

I suppose the problem here is not that. The licence maybe not meant for international use,hence the "only in SK" sign.

And a single EU driving licence is under way. As from 2013, all new driving licences issued in EU member states will be in EU credit card format.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6180617.stm

Most people here already has that pink one. Same with ID'd and stundent ID's.

I suppose the problem here is not that. The licence maybe not meant for international use,hence the "only in SK" sign.

It doesn't matter what the licence says. The directive states very clearly that all driving licences have to be mutually recognised within the European Union ("all" is written bold as well on that EU website!). When the licence was obtained Slovakia probably wasn't a member state of the EU, so the licence then wasn't legal outside Slovakia. But as from May 1, 2004 it is.

Most people here already has that pink one. Same with ID'd and stundent ID's.

That's an EU model, not an EU driving licence. Driving licences in the EU have a common appearance since the 1990s, the single EU driving licence will be issued as from 2013, not earlier.

It doesn't matter what the licence says. The directive states very clearly that all driving licences have to be mutually recognised within the European Union ("all" is written bold as well on that EU website!). When the licence was obtained Slovakia probably wasn't a member state of the EU, so the licence then wasn't legal outside Slovakia. But as from May 1, 2004 it is.

Not true. Drivers below 18 cant drive abroad,doesnt matter if they are EU residents or not.

Not true. Drivers below 18 cant drive abroad,doesnt matter if they are EU residents or not.

Not true.

The directive (in Hungarian):
6. cikk

(1) A vezetői engedélyek kiadásának minimális életkori feltételei a következők:

a) 16. életév:

- A1 alkategóriánál,

- B1 alkategóriánál;

b) 18. életév:

- az A kategóriánál; azonban a 25 kW-ot meghaladó teljesítményű, illetve 0,16 kW/kg-ot meghaladó teljesítmény/tömeg hányadossal rendelkező (vagy 0,16 kW/kg-ot meghaladó teljesítmény/tömeg hányadossal rendelkező oldalkocsival ellátott) motorkerékpárok vezetésének engedélyezése a fentiekben az A kategóriájú engedélynél előírtaknál kisebb értékekkel rendelkező motorkerékpáron szerzett legalább kétéves gyakorlathoz kötött; e korábbi gyakorlattal kapcsolatos követelménytől el lehet tekinteni, ha a jelölt legalább 21. életévét betöltötte és külön vizsgát tett vezetői jártasságáról és magatartásáról,

- a B és a B+E kategóriákra,

- a C, C+E kategóriákra és a C1 és C1 +E alkategóriákra a közúti szállításra vonatkozó egyes szociális jogszabályok összehangolásáról szóló, 1985. december 20-i 3820/85/EGK tanácsi rendeletnek az ilyen járművek vezetésére vonatkozó rendelkezéseinek sérelme nélkül [5];

c) 21. életév:

- a D és D+E kategóriákra és D és D1 +E alkategóriákra, a 3820/85/EGK rendelet ilyen járművek vezetésére vonatkozó rendelkezéseinek sérelme nélkül.

(2) A tagállamok eltérhetnek az A, B és B+E kategóriákra meghatározott minimális életkori feltételektől, és a 17. életévtől kezdődően kiadhatnak ilyen vezetői engedélyeket, kivéve az (1) bekezdés b) pontjának első francia bekezdésében foglalt utolsó mondat szerinti, A kategóriára meghatározott rendelkezések esetén.

(3) A tagállamok megtagadhatják az olyan vezetői engedélyek érvényességének elismerését a területükön, amelyeket 18 év alatti vezetőknek adtak ki.

Source: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&type_doc=Directive&an_doc=1991&nu_doc=439&lg=hu (other languages can be chosen on the upper right side)

B1 is a car, A1 is a light motor.

^^Yes,and last point says that the member states can decide if they allow international drivers below 18 or not. And I was wrong with 17,you can get licence at 16. sorry.

Ah yes, I see that now! Guess you're right then... :) This isn't as much an issue in my home country, as you can only obtain a driving licence when you are 18 years old in the Netherlands. But it is an issue in member states where you can get a driving licence below 18 I guess.

The licence is immediately valid in the entire EU when the driver turns 18 though, otherwise it would be in violation of article 1:

1. cikk

(1) A tagállamok ezen irányelv rendelkezéseivel összhangban nemzeti vezetői engedélyt vezetnek be, az I. mellékletben leírt közösségi mintának megfelelően.

(2) A tagállamok az általuk kiállított vezetői engedélyeket kölcsönösen elismerik.

(3) Ha egy érvényes nemzeti vezetői engedély jogosultja szokásos tartózkodási helyre tesz szert az engedélyt kiállító tagállamtól eltérő tagállamban, akkor a fogadó tagállam az engedélyek érvényességi idejéről, az orvosi vizsgálatokról és az adózási rendelkezésekről szóló saját nemzeti szabályait alkalmazhatja az engedély jogosultjára, és rávezetheti az engedélyre az igazgatási szempontból nélkülözhetetlen információkat.

Of course. But maybe there are other special cases in Slovakia,which requires different licences.
BTW,in the first 2 years,no matter your age,you are considered as a beginner by the police. If you make a bad move(even less severe than accidents),there goes your licence...

Well, if it's called a "driving licence" it MUST be recognized by the EU member states. I see no other specifications in the directive than that a member state "may refuse to recognize the validity in their territory of driving licences issued to drivers under 18 years of age."

I guess "all" isn't printed bold for no reason on http://ec.europa.eu/transport/home/drivinglicence/principles/002_en.htm

^^
Member States may refuse to recognise the validity in their territory of driving licences issued to drivers under 18 years of age.

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/home/drivinglicence/principles/007_en.htm
I have no other explanation. He may know better what kind of licence he has.

That's what I said. I acknowledge that, but that's the ONLY ground on which a member state "may refuse to recognise the validity in their territory of driving licences". There is no other ground on which a member state can refuse to recognise. That's why "all" is printed bold on that website.

^^I understand your point,but this case is the reverse. Its not that others dont recognise it, the local authorities say you cant use it abroad.

Yes, but what the local authorities would say is of no meaning, because it would be in violation with Directive 91/439/EEC. And EU law is supreme to national law, as was made clear in the Costa v. ENEL case of the European Court of Justice (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_v._ENEL ). Furthermore, local authorities have no jurisdiction in other member states, so they can't tell other members states which licence to recognise and which not.

Like I said before, I think that "Valid only in SK" stems from the fact that the licence was issued in 2003, when Slovakia was not yet a member of the EU. Since May 1, 2004 that message is of no legal importance since it is in violation with Directive 91/439/EEC (given that the driver is at least 18 years of age, otherwise member state may refuse to recognise it (it's an exception of the general rule)).

The only way that licence is not valid outside Slovakia is that it isn't called an actual driving licence, but that would seem weird to me, since you can drive cars with it in Slovakia!

I tried to look for the members of the convention at 68,but it seems only Portugal refused to sign it at that time from the "major" states from Europe. So I suspect the slovakian licence is international since then too.

Yes, but for international usage you need a International Driving Permit.

Vienna Convention on Road Traffic:

Chapter IV - DRIVERS OF MOTOR VEHICLES

ARTICLE 41
Driving permits

1. (a) Every driver of a motor vehicle must hold a driving permit;
(b) Contracting Parties undertake to ensure that driving permits are issued only after verification by the competent authorities that the driver possesses the required knowledge and skill;
(c) Domestic legislation must lay down requirements for obtaining a driving permit;
(d) Nothing in this Convention shall be construed as preventing Contracting Parties or subdivisions thereof from requiring driving permits for other power-driven vehicles and mopeds.

2. Contracting Parties shall recognize:
(a) Any domestic permit drawn up in their national language or in one of their national languages, or, if not drawn up in such a language, accompanied by a certified translation;
(b) Any domestic permit conforming to the provisions of Annex 6 to this Convention; and
(c) Any international permit conforming to the provisions of Annex 7 to this Convention;
as valid for driving in their territories a vehicle coming within the categories covered by the permit, provided that the permit is still valid and that it was issued by another Contracting Party or subdivision thereof or by an association duly empowered thereto by such other Contracting Party. The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to learner-driver permits.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph:
(a) Where the validity of the driving permit is made subject by special endorsement to the condition that the holder shall wear certain devices or that the vehicle shall be equipped in a certain way to take account of the driver's disability, the permit shall not be recognized as valid unless those conditions are observed;
(b) Contracting Parties may refuse to recognize the validity in their territories of driving permits held by persons under eighteen years of age;
(c) Contracting Parties may refuse to recognize the validity in their territories, for the driving of motor vehicles or combinations of vehicles in categories C, D and E referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 to this Convention, of driving permits held by persons under twenty-one years of age.

4. Contracting Parties may introduce in their domestic legislation a subdivision of the categories of vehicles referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 of this Convention. If the driving permit is restricted to certain vehicles within a category, a numeral shall be added to the letter of the category and the nature of the restriction shall be indicated in the driving permit.

5. For the purpose of the application of paragraph 2 and subparagraph 3 (c) of this Article:
(a) A motor vehicle of the category B referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 to this Convention may be coupled to a light trailer; it may also be coupled to a trailer whose permissible maximum mass exceeds 750 kg but does not exceed the unladen mass of the motor vehicle if the combined permissible maximum mass of the vehicles so coupled does not exceed 3,500 kg;
(b) A motor vehicle of the category C, or of the category D referred to in Annexes 6 and 7 to this Convention may be coupled to a light trailer without the resultant combination ceasing to belong to category C or category D.

6. An international permit shall be issued only to the holder of a domestic permit for the issue of which the minimum conditions laid down in this Convention have been fulfilled. It shall not be valid after the expiry of the corresponding domestic permit, the number of which shall be entered in the international permit.

7. The provisions of this Article shall not require Contracting Parties:
(a) To recognize the validity of domestic or international permits issued in the territory of another Contracting Party to persons who had their normal residence in their territories at the time of such issue or whose normal residence has been transferred to their territories since such issue; or
(b) To recognize the validity of permits as aforesaid issued to drivers whose normal residence at the time of such issue was not in the territory in which the permit was issued or who since such issue have transferred their residence to another territory.

ANNEX 7:
Annex 7
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT

1. The permit shall be a booklet in format A 6 (148 x 105 mm). The cover shall be grey and the inside pages white.
2. The outside and inside of the front cover shall conform, respectively, to model pages Nos. 1 and 2 below; they shall be printed in the national language, or in at least one of the national languages, of the issuing State. The last two inside pages shall be facing pages conforming to model No. 3 below; they shall be printed in French. The inside pages preceding these two pages shall repeat the first of them in several languages, which must include English, Russian and Spanish.
3. Handwritten or typed entries made on the permit shall be in Latin characters or in English cursive script.
4. Contracting Parties issuing or authorizing the issuance of international driving permits of which the cover is printed in a language other than English, French, Russian or Spanish shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the translation into that language of the text of model page No. 3 below.

So you must have a translation with you.

Note that some countries are only signatory of the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 (for example, Portugal). That requires another international driving licence (I can tell, because I have a "Genevan" international driving licence, instead of a "Vienna" one)

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit

Note also that the Vienna convention speaks of this: "The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to learner-driver permits."

The EU directive doesn't mention learner-driver permits...