I am a Canadian studying in the UK and am looking to purchase a car in late August when I return for university. I had already attended for one year and entered the country September 2nd, 2015. According to the DVLA information, my Canadian licence will only be valid for 12 months from my date of arrival (September 2nd, 2016). Unfortunately, I've made a commitment to have a car ready and be prepared to drive from August 30 to September 1st. I believe this is a problem because in order to exchange my Canadian licence for a UK licence I am required to send in my original passport and BRP (in addition to my Canadian licence, but there is no issue with providing this). I'm not sure that my application would be provided in time for my August 24th flight from Toronto to Edinburgh, nor do I believe that they would even be returned to my Canadian address since there is no mailing address option on the form. Essentially, my questions are as follows: 1. What happens if I were to potentially drive in the UK on my Canadian licence for a few days past my 12 month expiry date? 2. Is it possible to purchase a car, insure it, etc. with a licence that would only be accepted for just over a week? 3. If I were to apply right now while still in Canada, could my important travel documents be returned to my Canadian address? 4. Are there any exceptions where the DVLA would permit non-original (ie. photocopied) documents to be submitted with an application? I realise that I completely messed up by not applying to exchange my licence while I was in school last semester, however exceptional circumstance prompted that poor decision making. Any information for any of my questions would be greatly appreciated!