Before you start

Established UK residence
Your foreign licence, which is surrendered on exchange
A UK address for the DVLA
Proof of identity, usually your passport plus an eVisa share code

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your country is a designated country
The DVLA publishes the list of countries whose licences can be exchanged without a test. If yours is on it the process is a form and a fee; if not, decades of experience count for nothing and you take the full UK theory and practical tests. Check rather than assume.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the twelve-month window closes
2
Act within the windows
You may generally drive on a valid foreign licence for twelve months after becoming resident. A designated-country exchange must be made within five years of that date. Missing either costs you options rather than money.
OnlineWho: You
3
Apply to the DVLA and expect to be without your licence
Exchange applications go to Swansea with your original foreign licence, which is retained and not returned. Processing takes weeks, so do not post it before a trip home where you intend to drive.
OnlineWho: You
4
Learn which station is which before your first flight
Luton station serves the town centre; Luton Airport Parkway serves the airport and is a mile further south on the same Midland Main Line. From Parkway the DART runs to the terminal in under four minutes, around the clock. People book tickets to the wrong one constantly, and if you live here and fly for work it is worth knowing which side of town you actually want.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Do not budget for a clean air charge — there is not one
Luton does not operate a charging clean air zone, unlike Bristol, Birmingham, Bath or Sheffield, so there is no daily fee to drive any vehicle into the town. The recurring costs are parking, permits in the denser central wards, and airport drop-off charges, which apply to residents exactly as to visitors.
OnlineWho: You
6
Check the parking arrangement before you sign for a flat
This is the most densely populated local authority in England outside London, and a great deal of the housing is Victorian and interwar terraces with no driveways. Permit zones cover much of the centre and the streets around the university and the stations. Ask which zone the address is in and whether permits are actually being issued before you commit.
OnlineWho: YouBefore you move

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence
Passport and eVisa share code
Proof of a Luton address
The DVLA application form appropriate to your licence's country of issue

Things most newcomers don’t know

The DART is the reason to live here if you fly for work.

Since March 2023 an automated, electrically powered people mover has run 2.3 km from Luton Airport Parkway to the terminal in under four minutes, 24 hours a day — replacing a shuttle bus that made the connection unpredictable. Combined with a Thameslink station a mile from the town centre, it means a Luton resident can get from their front door to airside faster than most Londoners can reach a terminal. For anyone in aviation, consulting or any job with frequent short-haul travel, that is a concrete, daily advantage.

Source: London Luton Airport — Luton DART

Two stations, one mile apart, and half the confusion in the town.

Luton and Luton Airport Parkway are separate stations on the same line. Visitors book the wrong one weekly; new residents choose a flat near the wrong one occasionally, which is more expensive. If your life is the airport, you want Parkway; if it is the town centre and the university, you want Luton.

Source: community-reported

The designated-country list is the entire question, and people guess instead of checking.

A designated-country licence is exchanged with a form, a fee and no test, within five years of becoming resident. Everything else means the full UK theory and practical tests regardless of experience, and practical test waiting lists are long. Ten minutes on the DVLA site decides whether this is an errand or a six-month project.

Source: GOV.UK — exchange a foreign driving licence

Twelve months on a foreign licence, and then it simply stops.

People drive for years on a home licence without realising it ceased to be valid after the first year of residence. Nothing flags it until an insurance claim after an accident, at which point the policy may not respond. Diary the date you became resident.

Source: GOV.UK — driving in Great Britain on a non-GB licence

Common mistakes to avoid

Booking or living near the wrong one of the two stations.
Assuming Luton has a clean air charge because other English towns do.
Taking a central flat without checking whether its permit zone is issuing permits.
Assuming your country is designated without checking the DVLA list.
Driving past the twelve-month window on a foreign licence and invalidating your insurance.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.