What if one has a PPL (one of those for ever ones) with SEP rating and others including IMC, and an ATPL with a big jet type rating and multi pilot IR.
One uses the PPL for fun and the ATPL for work.
The licence numbers are different and are on the ratings page of each.
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In the absence of BEagle giving anything other than a "we do cause we do" answer, I have discussed this with someone who knows more about this than myself (hense the delay).
The simple situation I am told is that the rating, medical and licence validity are totally separate independent issues. The only time they combine is so that you can exercise the privileges when you must have all 3.
It is possible to renew a JAA SEP rating every 2 years without holding a JAA medical. Someone actually does it.
The answer is that they held a UK PPL but went N reg for the IFR flying and got a full US PPL (not one issued on the basis of the JAA PPL) to which they added an IR. They do quite a lot of flying and even fly G reg VFR with their US PPL and FAA medical (all legal).
Every 2 years they get a JAA examminer to sign off the rating in the UK-PPL for another 2 years because they have the required hours and dual flight (club requirement).
They say that they want to keep it valid because if they return to using the UK licence they simply get a medical insted of having to do the requirements for a rating lapsed by some 7 or 8 years now - fair enough.
The CAA does not have a problem provided they do not exercise the privileges of the UK licence until they have a valid JAA medical.
With regard to the renewal requriements, the CAA confirm that it is an administrative procedure - no more than that. Many people signing the ratings pages are not and never were instructors. They (R) Examiners simply satisfy the CAA requirement to honestly and correctlyt perform the admin job for them.
Regards,
DFC