Thursday 13 October 2022

The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) welcomed the intervention of the Roads Minister to ease the red tape burden which has been placed on Ukrainian refugees.

LCCI is doing all that it can to support Ukrainian refugees in London and to help firms operating within Ukraine in the face of military aggression.

As part of this work, Ukrainian refugees informed the Chamber that the DVLA was placing onerous rules on them because this Government agency refused to accept that Ukrainian driving licences state whether it is for a manual or an automatic car. Many refugees had to use their cars to flee for their lives from their homes and are now using these cars to support themselves and their children in London.

Following representations from LCCI, the Minister for Roads. Katherine Fletcher MP has stated that that Ukrainian refugees are allowed to drive both automatic and manual cars on UK roads on Ukrainian licences issued from December 2021.

Richard Burge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:

“We warmly welcome Katherine Fletcher to her new role as Roads Minister. Ms Fletcher has made the right decision, in the first days in her new role, to cut back on needless red tape from the DVLA. The last thing that traumatised refugees needed was to cope with unnecessary paperwork. We have agreed with the Minister to work with the Department for Transport and the DVLA so that the right information is communicated to Ukrainian refugees in the capital”.

You can read the final confirmation from the Department for Transport that the rule has been clarified here.

ENDS