Don’t get fined! Understanding UK TV licenses for expats

As a Canadian living in the UK, I was totally shocked that you need to pay for a license to watch live TV. I’d never heard of anything like that before! From one expat to another, here’s what you need to know about getting a UK TV license.

Do I need a UK TV license?

You need a TV Licence if you:

  • watch or record live TV on any channel or service
  • use BBC iPlayer
  • watch live broadcasts on streaming services like Amazon Prime

You do not need a TV Licence to watch:

  • streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus (f it’s not live)
  • on-demand TV through services like All 4 and Amazon Prime Video
  • videos on websites like YouTube
  • videos or DVDs

I way I see it, if you want to watch classic TV, you need a license.

How much does a TV license cost?

Currently, a TV Licence costs £159 to cover you for a year.

Understanding UK TV licenses for expats

What if you live in a shared household?

You need your own TV Licence if you have separate tenancy agreements and you watch TV in your own room.

You can have one TV Licence for the whole household if you either:

  • watch TV in a single shared area
  • have a joint tenancy agreement

In my situation, I have a joint tenancy agreement with my partner and we watch TV together. That way, we only have one TV license.

What happens if you’re a student?

If you’re living in university accommodation you’ll need a TV Licence to watch TV in your own room. Shared areas may already be covered by a TV Licence provided by the university.

If you live at another address outside of term time, you can use its TV Licence while you’re at university on any device that’s:

  • battery powered
  • not plugged in
  • not connected to an aerial

How to buy a TV license

You can apply for the license and pay for it online.

What if I need to change or cancel my TV licence?

If you move home you can update your address on the TV Licencing website.

You can cancel your TV Licence or apply for a refund on the TV Licencing website.

Fines and penalties

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you watch or record live TV without a TV Licence. Now, after living in the UK for 7 years, I’ve never known anyone to get in trouble if they accidentally watched live TV without a license. However, it’s definitely recommended that you pay for a license if you intend on watching live TV.

Did you get a scary letter?

First of all: don’t panic! Sometimes you can receive some really scary and threatening letters from the TV licensing company. These are usually sent to properties where there’s probably a TV but no TV license registered.

If you want to stop receiving these letters, you can contact them directly on their website and tell them you don’t need a license and the letters should stop. Otherwise, most people usually ignore it.

If you don’t watch live TV and don’t have a license, don’t worry.