Thousands of motorists are set to benefit from easier access to roads after the Department for Transport unveiled new measures for driving licences.

Motorists from the Republic of Moldova will soon be able to drive on UK roads without needing to meet certain requirements as part of new measures announced by the Government.

The new driving licence changes will come into effect from August 1 and will see thousands of drivers who hold a Moldovan licence able to exchange it for a UK one.

The DVLA will soon begin accepting applications for licence exchange from citizens of the Republic of Moldova who, as long as they meet certain UK law requirements, will have easier access to travel.

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Moldova will join 22 other countries which currently benefit from driving licence agreements with the UK

The changes will impact roughly 18,000 Moldovan citizens who currently reside in the UK. They will be able to apply to exchange their Moldovan driving licence for a UK equivalent.

The move comes as the UK looks to strengthen its relationship with the Eastern European country, which in turn will accept UK driving licences.

The policy paper stated: "The memorandum of understanding on the reciprocal driving licence exchange between the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been signed from the Moldovan side by the Ambassador Ruslan Bolbocean and the UK side by Lilian Greenwood, Minister for Future of Roads, Department for Transport.

"Over the past few weeks, technical teams from both countries have finalised coordination mechanisms that will enable a smooth exchange process."

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The new licence changes will launch on August 1, 2025

Moldova will join other EU member states, alongside 22 other countries outside the EU, which also benefit from a simplified driving licence exchange procedure in the UK.
 
To benefit from this new driving licence change, Moldovan citizens must meet certain requirements, including applying for a licence exchange within five years from the date the holder became a resident in the UK.

The document added: "The applicant must not have been resident in the UK for more than five years at the time of the application for exchange, a precondition that applies to all designated countries.
 
"The signing of this MoU represents a strong message of support from the United Kingdom to the Republic of Moldova and a recognition of the valuable contribution that Moldovan citizens make to British society."

The announcement also follows a consultation that ran earlier this year, which received more than 1,000 responses, marking a "much higher than usual" level of engagement for this type of consultation.

One person stated: "Moldovan driver training standards are comparable to those in the UK, and this change will help thousands of people continue to operate legally, avoiding unnecessary costs and loss of time.

"This process will reduce bureaucracy and facilitate the easier integration of Moldovan citizens into British society."

The DVLA explained that between January 2018 to November 2024, 33,472 GB provisional car licences were issued to applicants with Moldova as their place of birth.

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The DVLA licence changes will impact roughly 18,000 motorists from Moldova in the UK

Not everyone in the consultation was supportive of the changes, with one person warning that allowing foreign drivers access to UK roads would be "downright dangerous and we will see the repercussions of this".

The respondent warned: "This cannot be allowed to happen. We have dangerous drivers who are not keeping up to date with the Highway Code or Road Traffic Act, and it is putting us all in danger.

"As a person who has been to Moldova, I can speak from experience that driver ability and safety are very low priorities in Moldova, despite the increase in spending on road safety."

However, despite the backlash from some respondents, the DVLA stated that it would amend the law at the earliest opportunity to allow for drivers who hold a licence to drive cars in the Republic of Moldova to exchange it for a British equivalent if the driver becomes a resident in the UK.