New rules on which foreign drivers can obtain a UK driving licence have been announced by the Government.
The new regulations have been introduced in order to close a loophole which allowed some non-EU drivers to exchange their foreign licences for British ones without proving they could meet UK driving standards.
There is no law requiring EU licence holders to obtain a UK licence as all licences issued within the EU are valid across Europe.
Although this rule does not apply to licence holders from outside the EU, drivers from 15 countries, including Canada and Australia, are allowed to exchange their licence for a British one. This meant that some drivers could swap their licence for one issued by one of the 15 approved countries and then exchange it for a British one.
The problem with this was the DVLA could not ensure that these foreign drivers had met the standards required for driving on UK roads, potentially compromising road safety.
Under the new law, drivers will only be issued with a UK licence if they can prove they passed their test in a country with similar driving standards to Britain's.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: "The UK's roads are amongst the safest in the world, thanks in part to the rigorous standards demanded by our driving test.
"It is obvious to everyone that drivers who have not been through a rigorous driving test will not be as safe as those who have. This change in the law will mean we can be sure that any foreign drivers exchanging their licence here have already passed a test of a similar standard to ours."
