majorguesty

My 17yr old daughter is visiting the UK for 2 months to be with her Grandma. She is a British Citizen but her UK Child Passport expired Sep 2010, she will enter UK on her Australian passport. She would like to have intensive driving lessons whilst in UK. I have been looking at the DirectGov website and to apply online, she would need a British passport. If she applies in person, once there, what should she put down for her address for the last 3 years? If she puts an Australian address (we've been here 5 years) would they refuse her for a Provisional licence or should she put her Grandma's address? I don't want to lie and I'm also worried they may be able to check this.
Sorry if this sounds a bit involved! Has anyone experienced this recently?

sonlymewalter

I've moved this to the Australia forum mate

The update forum is where members update everyone about their time in Aus.

Someone in the Aus forum may be able to help you

Bermudashorts

I have never before heard that UK intensive driving courses were only available to UK passport holders. Are you absolutely sure about this? I have just googled and so no mention of it either.

And if you don't want to lie on a form ... then don't.

sonlymewalter

If your daughter is a British citizen then I see no reason she can't do the course. If the websight doesn't mention this as a problem then it shouldn't be. I'd state her grandma's address on the form and if anyone asks why at a later date, explain the website is crap and didn't say otherwise.

Hope she passes and don't sweat about the forms

majorguesty

It's the criteria (well one of them) to establish POI and residency in UK, for applying for a UK Provisional Licence. She hasn't got a NI Number either (another example), although she will have automatically been issued with one (left UK when she was 12yrs). I'm sending a 'Request for Written Confirmation' to the HMRC.
SO.... do you think if she applies via Post Office when she gets back to the UK, that showing an Australian Passport, British Birth Certificate and written confirmation of NIN would be satisfactory? If she says she's back in UK indefinitely to look after her Grandma?

sonlymewalter

No idea. To be fair mate you're asking the wrong people here - i'd not like to hazard a guess cos that's all it would be

I suggest you email or call them and ask cos they'd give you the right info

Pollyana

Maybe I'm missing something but I can't see anywhere that says she has to have a British passport. It says "full valid current passport" but not that the passport has to be British, so the Aussie one should be OK. Plus a birth certificate and confirmation of her NI number I can't see that she'd have a problem.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...nce/DG_4022091

And just be honest about the address. She has just moved to the UK and wants to elarn to drive, I wouldn't imagine its that unusual

billymacker

address last 3 years her australian one,
address where she is living now Grandma's this is the one she will use for the licence, she has moved to it from australia, does not need uk passport think of all the Asian people living there that do not have british passport's all driving around on uk licence's. once she has got the provisional licence find a driving school that will do intensive course.

Pollyana

WHy Asians in particular? Plenty of Europeans, Americans, Australians and gawd knows who else there without British passports!

majorguesty

Thanks everyone for your help. It does actually say UK Current passport but I hope that on the basis that she's a British Citizen and can prove it with documentation other than a current UK passport (she does, after all, have an expired UK passport) everything will be OK. It's just a shame we couldn't have done it online and got it all sorted before she arrives in UK.

Pollyana

Underneath that though it says (on the link I posted above)

Other types of identification

DVLA also accepts the following documents as confirmation of your identity. Unlike the digital passport though, you'll need to send your identity document with your application:

* full valid current passport
* biometric residence permit (formerly known as the identity card for foreign nationals)
* UK certificate of naturalisation

There are many many people who learn to drive in the UK who do not have a UK passport, some because they've never got round to getting one and some because they aren't citizens. As you say, its a shame she can't get the paperwork sorted in advance, but she will certainly be able to do it when she gets there.