brian.w

Can someone tell me if say you have a pr visa for australia,do you swap your uk licence over for a oz one or are allowed to keep them both.
I know most people would wait till there are moving for good to oz,but i am going on a validate trip in jan 2009 and if your given an oz one as well i might apply for it and use my aunts address,just one less thing to do after.
If you need to hand over your uk one then no point in doing that if heading back to uk for a little while.
I am more than likely talking about w.a. about the above.Same goes for qld too is there rules,requirements the same?

TrentEnd

Well in NSW you can have both. I kept my English licence and applied for an Aussie one as soon as I got here - it was all very easy, apart from posing for a cheesy photo of course

MattW82

Yeah it depends which state you're in. In SA for example you have to send off your British licence and don't get it back. I don't know the specifics for WA or QLD though.

comet555

When we got ours in QLD they handed me my old Canadian licence back in the exact same condition. So it could still be used if I wanted it to.

I've heard people from the UK have the same experience so you should be able to get a QLD licence and keep your UK one. You could always ask at the front desk to be 100% certain once you get there.

Grayling

Yep...the whole process only takes a few minutes.

As they have to be renewed regularly (5 years max) then it seems pointless to pay for an Australian licence if you are not actually living here.

G

MattW82

Looking at the following:

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/licensing/y...3.asp#overseas

It makes no mention of having to surrender your overseas licence so you probably don't in WA.

dpwilliams

In NSW you can keep both, but you cannot renew your UK license without a UK address.

koalatea

We're in Victoria with permanent residency and were told we had to get Victorian licences within three months. Know others on other visas who can keep using their UK one.

Get to keep UK one, just have to fill in some forms, make an appointment at a Vic Roads office, pop along, have you rpicture taken, get given a card within minutes, off you go.

Wish I'd taken a better photo, mind...

Wendy

My OH got his back when he changed his over. I think the rules changed about 2 years ago just before we got here

comet555

I agree, only takes minutes. However the wait in line to get to someone could take an hour or more!

Not much point in getting it though since it would probably only take you an hour or two once you finally arrive.

MattW82

Really? The SA Transport site still states that you have to surrender your overseas licence when applying for an SA licence:

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/licen..._residents.asp

Downies

In WA you do get your UK licence back, however you do need a letter with your name on to verify your address.

You can drive on a UK licence for up to three months - but a quick thing to change over once you have recieved your tax file number letter or rental confirmation letter to take to dpi.

Might as well wait till here for good.

donovandenese

I got my SA licence last month - they give you the UK one back, but on the SA application form you will have signed something to say you will surrender it (return it to the UK) yourself (they don't do it for you!!)

i sent my uk one back. there didn't seem much point in paying for two licences, and the UK one can only have a UK address. also, if i ever go back permanently to the UK i can just swap my SA one for the UK one. (I know that as my aussie hubby did that when he lived in the UK)

comet555

Good point. I do remember having to show them proof of address, like a rental agreement or bill, etc.

Here's the requirements for QLD:
http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home..._requirements/

moneypenny20

I'm not sure one country is legally allowed to remove or distroy another country's documents. They used to punch a hole in the UK one when you transferred to an Aus one but don't any more. It's got to be illegal surely