03 October 2017
The Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, has asked for the necessary law changes to be made to enable Jersey to accept the same foreign driving licences as the UK for exchange to a Jersey licence.
Once the law has been changed, driving licence holders from EU countries, Andorra, Canada, Faroe Islands, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Zimbabwe will be able to exchange their licences for a Jersey one. Consultations are also underway with the Cayman Islands.
This will reduce the red tape for new residents settling in the Island, who are often partners of Jersey residents or essentially employed people, by removing the need to sit a Jersey theory and practical driving test in order to obtain a Jersey licence.
The jurisdictions with which Jersey currently has an exchange agreement are: The UK, Alderney, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, British Columbia, British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Switzerland.
This new measure will bring Jersey into line with the other Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man and Gibraltar) who all do the same.
Anyone coming to live or work in Jersey from a jurisdiction that does not have an exchange agreement with Jersey, who intend to stay for more than 12 months, must immediately obtain a Jersey provisional driving licence and take the prescribed theory and practical driving tests for each category required.
Once the law change has been made, exchanges of eligible licences will happen at the holder’s local Parish Hall.
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