5

I am an EU citized living in the UK. When I lived in my home country, I had a driving conviction which resulted in points, a fine and a withheld licence for 3 months. These fines and penalties were of course paid back then, learning my lesson.

Are the points (e.g. from speeding, drink driving etc) on an EU licence related only to the country where the offence happened, or do they legally apply also in the UK, and as a result they should be mentioned when asked?

I am asking because whether you have a conviction in the previous 5 years is a question asked by insurance companies when you apply for car insurance.

If you don't know the answer, but you know where should I ask about it (besides an insurance company because I might be tricked), please tell me.

Gala
  • 17,379
  • 3
  • 27
  • 59
Petros
  • 51
  • 1

1 Answers1

5

If you have a conviction in the last five years, you should answer "yes" regardless of whether the points are visible on your UK driving record. Otherwise, you run the risk of being denied coverage.

Consider that the question is about whether you've been convicted, not about whether you have points.

If you claim not to have been convicted, you can expect to pay less for your insurance. However, if you then have an accident, the insurer may look at you more closely and discover the conviction. Because you will have obtained your coverage fraudulently by lying on the application, your claim will be denied. Civil and/or criminal penalties will likely follow.

I doubt you want to risk that.

phoog
  • 21,594
  • 2
  • 19
  • 61
  • 1
    Thank you for the answer. I had been convicted with 3 months withdrawal of licence. I agree with the reasoning, hence my question. But I don't know if the UK government can legally request and obtain such information from an EU country. I would say it seems reasonable, but I could not find any official information about it. – Petros Sep 26 '16 at 19:18
  • 3
    @Petros you don't need to be concerned with the UK getting that information, you need to be concerned with the insurance company getting it. I don't know what the rules are around that. – phoog Sep 26 '16 at 19:23