Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on an exchange agreement to allow holders of a Ukrainian licence to drive both manual and automatic vehicles in the UK.

The current driving licence exchange agreement with Ukraine allows the licence holder to drive both manual and automatic vehicles, providing the Ukrainian driving licence was issued following a test taken after 28 December 2021.

The law only allows drivers who took a test in Ukraine before 28 December 2021 to be granted entitlement to drive automatic cars when the GB licence is issued. This is because the Ukrainian driver licensing authority does not retain information to confirm whether a test was taken in a manual or automatic vehicle before this date. This restriction also applies to licence exchange agreements with other countries where the licence issuing authority does not retain information about the type of vehicle in which a test was taken.

However, the Department for Transport appreciates the unique circumstances that Ukrainians who have come to the UK find themselves in. The Department for Transport is exploring options to enable this group to use their Ukrainian driving licences for longer and minimise the administrative burden they face and will keep this House and the Ukrainian community in the UK updated on this work.