Can you drive in Great Britain with a Canadian license?

Yes. Visitors can drive small vehicles in Great Britain on a full, valid Canadian licence for up to 12 months from their last entry.

The visitor allowance covers vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes with up to 8 passenger seats, for 12 months from the date you last came to Great Britain; for genuine visitors the clock restarts on re-entry. Becoming a resident switches you to the residency clock, which does not restart. Vocational entitlements do not carry over: visitors may only drive lorries or buses they drove into GB on foreign plates.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No. Great Britain does not require an IDP alongside a full, valid licence.

Great Britain accepts a full, valid foreign licence on its own for the visitor period; no IDP or translation is legally mandated. Car hire firms set their own paperwork rules, so check when booking.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

12 months from becoming a GB resident. After that you must hold a GB licence to keep driving.

While your full licence is valid, you can drive any small vehicle on it for 12 months from becoming resident. After 12 months without a GB licence you must stop driving; continuing is an offence and the vehicle can be seized. As a designated-country licence holder you exchange rather than test, and can apply any time within 5 years of becoming resident.

Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

Yes. Canada is a designated country: exchange your car licence for a GB licence by post, with no theory or practical test.

Apply with the paper D1 form (from Post Office branches), your Canadian licence (it is sent to DVLA and returned to the issuing authority, not to you), a passport-style photo, identity documents and the 43 pound fee; processing runs about 3 weeks. You can apply any time within 5 years of becoming resident, but can only drive on the original licence during the first 12 months. Transmission trap: DVLA grants manual entitlement only if satisfied your test was passed in a manual vehicle. Canadian licences do not show this, so without separate evidence from your licensing authority the GB licence comes back automatic-only.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No theory or practical test for car licences from designated countries; the exchange is paperwork only.

Two carve-outs: vocational entitlements (lorries, buses) do not exchange and require GB tests, and if your exchanged licence comes back automatic-only, upgrading to manual means passing a GB manual driving test (with a theory pass first).

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

No translation regime as such, though country-specific supporting documents apply to some exchanges.

DVLA verifies entitlements with the issuing authority; the recurring extra document is proof of a manual-transmission test if you want manual entitlement.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)

Post the D1 form with your licence, a photo, ID and the 43 pound fee; allow about 3 weeks.

The application is postal, not online, and your original licence leaves the country with it, so time the application for a period when you can go without the physical card.

Exchange a foreign driving licence (GOV.UK)Foreign non-EU driving licence in Great Britain, Q417 (Ask the Police)