The Driving Licences (Exchangeable Licences) Order 2025

Made: 7th July 2025

Coming into force: 31st July 2025

The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 108(2)(b), (2A) and (2B) of the Road Traffic Act 1988[^f00001].

The Secretary of State is satisfied that satisfactory provision is made by the laws of the Republic of Moldova for the granting of licences authorising the driving of motor vehicles of a description specified in this Order.

The Secretary of State has consulted with representative organisations in accordance with section 108(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Citation, commencement and extent

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the Driving Licences (Exchangeable Licences) Order 2025.

• (2) This Order comes into force on 31st July 2025.

• (3) This Order extends to England and Wales and Scotland.

Designation of the Republic of Moldova

2

• (1) Subject to paragraph (3), the Republic of Moldova is designated under section 108(2)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as respects licences of the description specified in paragraph (2).

• (2) The licences specified for the purposes of paragraph (1) are licences which—

• (a) authorise the driving of the class of vehicle included in licensing category B, and

• (b) have been granted by the licensing authority in the Republic of Moldova—

• (i) to a person who has passed a driving test in the Republic of Moldova in respect of the class of vehicle included in licensing category B, or

• (ii) in exchange for a licence granted in—

• (aa) the United Kingdom to a person who has passed a driving test in the United Kingdom in respect of the class of vehicle included in licensing category B, or

• (bb) an EEA State or a country or territory named in the Schedule to a person who has passed a driving test in such a State, country or territory, as the case may be, in respect of the class of vehicle included in licensing category B.

• (3) A licence of a description specified in paragraph (2) shall be exchangeable only in so far as it authorises the driving of vehicles with automatic transmission if it was granted to a person who passed a driving test, whether in the Republic of Moldova or in a State, country or territory named in paragraph (2)(b)(ii), in a vehicle with automatic transmission, notwithstanding that the licence authorises the driving in the Republic of Moldova of vehicles with manual transmission.

• (4) In this article—

• “driving test” means a test corresponding to the practical test of driving skills and behaviour prescribed under section 89(3)[^f00002] and (4)[^f00003] of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as part of the test of competence to drive;

• “licensing category B” means the licensing category identified as category B, in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999[^f00004];

• “vehicle with automatic transmission” means a vehicle in which the person driving the vehicle is either— not provided with any means whereby that person may vary the gear ratio between the engine and the road wheels independently of the accelerator and the brakes, or provided with such means but they do not include a clutch pedal or lever which they may operate manually.

Schedule — Other Countries and Territories from which a licence may have been exchanged

• Andorra

• Australia

• Barbados

• British Virgin Islands

• The provinces and territories of Canada

• The Cayman Islands

• The Falkland Islands

• The Faroe Islands

• Gibraltar

• Guernsey

• Hong Kong

• Isle of Man

• Japan

• Jersey

• Republic of Korea

• Republic of North Macedonia

• The principality of Monaco

• New Zealand

• Singapore

• South Africa

• Switzerland

• Taiwan

• Ukraine

• United Arab Emirates

• Zimbabwe

Signed

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport

Lilian Greenwood — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — Department for Transport — 7th July 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Explanatory Note

This Order designates the Republic of Moldova, under section 108(2)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, as making satisfactory provision in law for the grant of a specified description of driving licence. This enables a person holding one of these licences to exchange it for a corresponding British licence.

The licences specified are those authorising the driving of cars.

The Order also provides that if a driving test was taken in a vehicle with automatic transmission, the licence will be exchangeable only so far as it authorises the driving of vehicles with automatic transmission.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument because it does not directly impose or amend requirements for business and is, therefore, exempt from the provisions contained in the Better Regulation Framework.

An Explanatory Memorandum is available alongside this instrument on www.legislation.gov.uk.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1988 c. 52; section 108(2) to (2B) was substituted by S.I. 1998/1917.

[^f00002]: Section 89(3) was amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 (c. 40), Schedule 4, paragraph 63 and the Road Safety Act 2006 (c. 49), section 36(1) and (2)(a), (b) and (c).

[^f00003]: Section 89(4) was amended by the Road Safety Act 2006 (c. 49), section 36(1) and (3)(a), (b), (c) and (d), the Immigration Act 2014 (c. 22), Schedule 9, paragraph 63(c), and S.I. 1996/1974.

[^f00004]: S.I. 1999/2864; Schedule 2 was amended by S.I. 2012/977, S.I. 2014/613, S.I. 2020/663 and S.I. 2021/1450. There are other amending instruments but none is relevant.