Driving a car in London can be a complex and expensive thing. Not only you pay for the car you buy, the petrol and occasionally the parking (in the parking meters). But also you need to pay for a "residents parking permit" in certain areas, the "vehicle licensing" and the "Congestion Charge".

You have to apply for your Residents' parking permit in your specific council. Each council has a different website (Chelsea, Islington, Westminster, Lambeth, Kingston…)

And to pay for your vehicle go here and to check here your driving licence's validity. Remember you cannot drive in UK with a foreign driving license if it isn't international or for more than a certain period of time.

If you drive a car in London and you plan to drive into the CC designated area (basically downtown and surroundings), you have to pay a charge for it.

You can pay the Congestion Charge either in advance or on the day of travel before, during or after the journey or by midnight the following charging day. The charge is £8 if you pay by midnight on the day of travel or £10 if you pay by midnight the following charging day (you can pay the following charging day via the call centre and website only).

You can pay your Congestion Charge for more than one day at a time by, for example, paying for a week, for a month or even for a whole year in one transaction. You can pay your Congestion Charge up to 90 days in advance, or on the day you need it.

Registering for a Fast Track Card will speed up paying your Congestion Charge. The card will contain your details and vehicle registration number, all protected by a PIN number.

You can pay your Congestion Charge:

• Online
• At selected shops, petrol stations and car parks
• By post (click to download form now)
• By telephone
• By SMS text message from your mobile phone
• At BT Internet kiosks

There is also a range of exemptions and discounts available to certain categories of driver and certain categories of vehicle.

If you operate more than 10 vehicles, there is a fleet scheme to make paying easier.

What happens if I need a refund?
Under certain circumstances, for example, if you have paid your Congestion Charge for a whole year in advance but then sell your vehicle, you are entitled to a refund for the days that you have not used.