Citation and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Driving Licences (Exchangeable Licences) Order 2016 and comes into force on 23rd March 2016.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order-

(a)the following expressions have the following meanings-

"the Act" means the Road Traffic Act 1988;

"driving test" means the practical test of driving skills and behaviour prescribed(2) under section 89(3)(3) and (4)(4) of the Act as part of the test of competence to drive or, as the case may be, a test corresponding to that practical test;

"relevant licensing category" means licencing category C, C + E, D or D + E;

"vehicle with automatic transmission" means a vehicle in which the person driving the vehicle is-

Designation of Switzerland: licensing category C, C+E, D or D+E

3.-(1) Subject to paragraph (3), Switzerland is designated under section 108(2)(b) of the Act as respects licences of the description specified in paragraph (2).

(2) The licences referred to in paragraph (1) are licences which-

(a)authorise the driving of a class of vehicle corresponding to a class included in one or more relevant licensing categories, whether or not they authorise the driving of any other class of vehicle, and

(b)have been granted by the licensing authority of Switzerland-

(i)to a person who has passed a driving test in Switzerland in respect of each class of vehicle authorised by that person's licence corresponding to a class included in one or more relevant licensing categories, or

(ii)in exchange for a licence granted in-

(aa)Great Britain to a person who had passed a driving test in Great Britain in respect of each relevant licensing category authorised by that licence, or

(bb)Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, an EEA state (other than the United Kingdom) or a country or territory named in the Schedule to a person who had passed a driving test in Northern Ireland, Gibraltar or such state, country or territory, as the case may be, in respect of each class of vehicle authorised by that licence corresponding to a class included in one or more relevant licensing categories.

(3) A licence of the description specified in paragraph (2), which authorises its holder to drive a class of vehicle corresponding to a class included in one or more relevant licensing categories but limited to vehicles with automatic transmission, is only an exchangeable licence in so far as it authorises the holder to drive only vehicles of that class which have automatic transmission.

Article 3

SCHEDULE Countries or territories from which a licence may have been exchanged

Guernsey

Isle of Man

Jersey

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order designates Switzerland under section 108(2)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as making satisfactory provision for the issue of certain classes of driving licence. This enables a person holding one of those licences to exchange it for a corresponding British licence. The licences affected are those issued in Switzerland authorising the driving of large goods vehicles and large buses (with or without a trailer). The Order provides that a Swiss licence authorising the driving of vehicles with automatic transmission is exchangeable for a British licence authorising the driving of vehicles with automatic transmission only.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum has been produced and is available alongside the Order on the UK legislation website, www.legislation.gov.uk.