Charged for drink driving in UK with a EU driving license

[munoz]

I have got dual citizenship, Argentine and Hungarian. I have been arrested yesterday with breath reading 63mg. I will have to appear in court on next Friday.

I have got an Argentine and Hungarian Driving License (DL). I showed my Hungarian driving license. They asked me to bring it with me to the court.



My questions are:

1- Will my driving license (Hungarian) be taken away?
2- If they take my driving license, can I get another Hungarian DL and drive anywhere where it is permitted apart from UK?
3- If 1 is true, what happens if I report it lost?
4-What if I drive with another driving license in the UK (with the Argentine) during my ban?
5- Are there any loop holes that that could be used in this situation (dual citizenship and dual driving license) to relieve the consequences of the ban?
Thanks,

 

[SeanJoyceStephensons]

For this offence you will be liable for a disqualification of 17-22 months and a fine. The Court should offer you a drink driving rehabilitation course, the successful completion of which will result in your disqualification being reduced by up to 25%.

If you are disqualified by the Court then that will be definitive. You will not be eligible to drive on your Argentine Licence. If you drive a motor vehicle under any circumstances you will commit an offence of driving whilst disqualified, which is often dealt with by a custodial sentence.

The question as to whether you can drive in another jurisdiction depends on whether that country adheres to mutual recognition of disqualifications. Specialist advice should be sought from a lawyer within that jurisdiction to confirm whether you are eligible to drive.

If you would like to discuss your case in more detail, please feel free to call 0845 002 0736.

Carl Johnson
Drink Driving Solicitor
On behalf of Sean Joyce