Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
Sep 11th 2007, 6:09 pm
#31
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Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Antalya. Turkey
Posts: 13
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
Tegwyn, Yes when I was working I used my UK Licence to drive but now I'm retired and living in Turkey then I have to have a TK. Licence. If not and I have an accident then they don't pay.
Sorry if the original post was not clear.
Ian
Sep 12th 2007, 9:15 am
#32
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: On the edge
Posts: 20,460
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
Yes I know that, but I mentioned it because you said that you had driven all over europe and your understanding was that you could drive on your UK licence for 6 months, which is not always the case
Sep 12th 2007, 9:42 am
#33
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Location: Antalya. Turkey
Posts: 13
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
Ian
Oct 3rd 2007, 5:06 pm
#34
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Joined: Feb 2006
Location: JHB, South Africa
Posts: 18
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
I moved to SA 4 months ago and looked into the driving licence situation when I got here to see where I stood legally.
If you do a search on the SA High Commission website it says you can drive on a UK drivers licence for 12 months only after entry. However you can only apply for a SA driving licence if you have permanent residence.
I am a PR but I don't have the green ID book - I've appllied but apparently it takes 6 -8 months to process. Once it arrives I need to go to the British High Commission in Pretoria to get a letter to say my UK licence is valid - I can then go to the licensing bureau and get a SA licence, they won't issue one without a green ID book.
Incidentally you don't have to give up your UK drivers licence, my husband just had to show it to the licencing centre (he already had an ID book). Although to be honest its no great shakes to give up your UK licence, it's not like a passport if you ever return permanently to the UK just call the DVLA and they will issue you with a new one. Infact they'll do it before you move back, but you need a UK address.
Which insurance company are you with? I'm with Outsurance and told them I had a UK licence and they didn't think it was valid and suggested I get an International one but I checked and assumming the high commission website is correct I'm OK for 12 months. I have no idea what an International licence is, I doubt you can get one in this country - I know they issue them in the UK but thought that was just if you needed your licence translated so you could hire cars in Europe etc.
Did you actually tell your insurance company you had a UK licence? They probably wouldn't ask and you don't have to supply copies to get insurance.
I realise this doesn't help you much, but the rules seem fairly clear to me.
If you do a search on the SA High Commission website it says you can drive on a UK drivers licence for 12 months only after entry. However you can only apply for a SA driving licence if you have permanent residence.
I am a PR but I don't have the green ID book - I've appllied but apparently it takes 6 -8 months to process. Once it arrives I need to go to the British High Commission in Pretoria to get a letter to say my UK licence is valid - I can then go to the licensing bureau and get a SA licence, they won't issue one without a green ID book.
Incidentally you don't have to give up your UK drivers licence, my husband just had to show it to the licencing centre (he already had an ID book). Although to be honest its no great shakes to give up your UK licence, it's not like a passport if you ever return permanently to the UK just call the DVLA and they will issue you with a new one. Infact they'll do it before you move back, but you need a UK address.
Which insurance company are you with? I'm with Outsurance and told them I had a UK licence and they didn't think it was valid and suggested I get an International one but I checked and assumming the high commission website is correct I'm OK for 12 months. I have no idea what an International licence is, I doubt you can get one in this country - I know they issue them in the UK but thought that was just if you needed your licence translated so you could hire cars in Europe etc.
Did you actually tell your insurance company you had a UK licence? They probably wouldn't ask and you don't have to supply copies to get insurance.
I realise this doesn't help you much, but the rules seem fairly clear to me.
Oct 3rd 2007, 6:09 pm
#35
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,881
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
You can get an international licence from a driving organization like the AA or RAC. You have to show your own local licence in order to get one.
I think the only catch is that you need to get it in the country where your local licence was issued. So, for example, if your local licence is a UK one, you need to get the international licence in the UK.
I think the only catch is that you need to get it in the country where your local licence was issued. So, for example, if your local licence is a UK one, you need to get the international licence in the UK.
Oct 14th 2007, 9:25 am
#36
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Joined: Jun 2003
Location: North of Auckland
Posts: 1,996
Re: Car Crash Yesterday 8th sept - Need Urgent Advice
Hi Everyone.
Having spent most of today trying to get the right info, I thought that i should share the outcome.
It is required to have a SA driving licence which can be used to drive in the UK temporarily.
I rang the DVLA in the UK, and they said that once you are no longer living in the UK, they will not issue you with a UK licence - although you can get a temp one when you arrive in the UK. Which to me sounds like a major pain if you are going over for a two week holiday - so how long would it take to get the temp one.??
I also spoke to the British High Commision in Cape Town, and they confirmed having to have a SA licence.
So my remaining question now is whether or not an insurance company / broker must have proof of your driving licence before they can insure you.
My broker says that they don't because they take it on "good faith and assume that you have the correct documentation" So my argument is that my Insurance company should take it on "good faith" that my claim is legit and I will duly get a SA driving licence,m thereby they should give me a hire car in so called "good faith", which under my fully comprehensive insurance, I am entitled to.
My ins.co. now stipulate that i must obtain a letter of confirmation that my Uk licence is valid (because they say that this country is full of fraud ones....yeah, go figure)
Then, I must go to a traffic department, with the "said letter", apply for a SA licence, which will of course take any number of weeks. I will be given a piece of paper with confrimation that I have applied, and then i must submit all this stuff to my insurance co. Then, the ins. co. MAY consider authorising the repairs, and unlikely to grant me car hire.
They say that car hire requires a SA licence which is bollocks because I have hired on my UK licence. I even bought my car, opened a bank account etc using my UK licence.
Does anyone have info on the legalities of what documents and identification requirments like driving licence an Insurance Company must legally obtain to issue the insurance???
Yes I know I'm ranting, but I have reached my limit with all of this. The brokeres and insurance co. all seem to be uncertain of the absolute legalities and it keeps going from dept to dept.
I need a SA Licence fast, by any means.. yeah, I know, not emtirely legal, but what the hell. Even the person I spoke to at the British Commision said that she knows of plenty of people who have aquired (bought) SA Licences.
How is it that insurance companies are allowed to **** us around so much in attempts to not pay out. There should be some law or something to protect us. I have been paying my monthly insurance for all this time, so they can take my money, and then refuse to pay out.
Ok, ranting over!
Thanks everyone.
:curse:
Having spent most of today trying to get the right info, I thought that i should share the outcome.
It is required to have a SA driving licence which can be used to drive in the UK temporarily.
I rang the DVLA in the UK, and they said that once you are no longer living in the UK, they will not issue you with a UK licence - although you can get a temp one when you arrive in the UK. Which to me sounds like a major pain if you are going over for a two week holiday - so how long would it take to get the temp one.??
I also spoke to the British High Commision in Cape Town, and they confirmed having to have a SA licence.
So my remaining question now is whether or not an insurance company / broker must have proof of your driving licence before they can insure you.
My broker says that they don't because they take it on "good faith and assume that you have the correct documentation" So my argument is that my Insurance company should take it on "good faith" that my claim is legit and I will duly get a SA driving licence,m thereby they should give me a hire car in so called "good faith", which under my fully comprehensive insurance, I am entitled to.
My ins.co. now stipulate that i must obtain a letter of confirmation that my Uk licence is valid (because they say that this country is full of fraud ones....yeah, go figure)
Then, I must go to a traffic department, with the "said letter", apply for a SA licence, which will of course take any number of weeks. I will be given a piece of paper with confrimation that I have applied, and then i must submit all this stuff to my insurance co. Then, the ins. co. MAY consider authorising the repairs, and unlikely to grant me car hire.
They say that car hire requires a SA licence which is bollocks because I have hired on my UK licence. I even bought my car, opened a bank account etc using my UK licence.
Does anyone have info on the legalities of what documents and identification requirments like driving licence an Insurance Company must legally obtain to issue the insurance???
Yes I know I'm ranting, but I have reached my limit with all of this. The brokeres and insurance co. all seem to be uncertain of the absolute legalities and it keeps going from dept to dept.
I need a SA Licence fast, by any means.. yeah, I know, not emtirely legal, but what the hell. Even the person I spoke to at the British Commision said that she knows of plenty of people who have aquired (bought) SA Licences.
How is it that insurance companies are allowed to **** us around so much in attempts to not pay out. There should be some law or something to protect us. I have been paying my monthly insurance for all this time, so they can take my money, and then refuse to pay out.
Ok, ranting over!
Thanks everyone.
:curse:
I am impressed with all your energy and determination to take on what you believe is right.
Getting creative, if you can hire a car in SA with your UK licence I would go & do that , make sure that your UK licence is written into the docs that you sign to hire the car. Make an appointment to see on of the top brass at the insurance Co, and explain that you believe that all this confusion is something that the press in SA will enjoy and that the insurance ombudsman are perhaps out to lunch too frequently. Before you say that, I would make an anonymous call to the FSB (In Pretoria) and present your story to them. They are the insurance watchdogs (supposedly).
I believe that the insurance companies will have every gap plugged with small print or their legal departments to engage your lawyer in some costly exercise that you stand to lose even more money.
In essence, the fact that the insurance Co took your money means they should provide a service for the monies they have received and if you are not covered they should be made to at least return all the premiums they took from you.
It is probably a legal battle but I do know that around 2001 the disclosure act went through some pretty challenging changes and insurance companies had to make sure that their client’s FULLY understood the parameters of the contract that they were paying the premiums for.
Ultimately, you should have read the small print but it is worth a try for R36 k.
Good luck
