MattW82

I understand that whilst on my WHV, I can legally drive in South Australia on my Uk licence as long as I acquire an international driving permit. Regarding insurance then, would I need to declare previous accidents in the UK and the points that I have on my UK licence? Or do I just put down none?

Also, when I get my permanent visa sorted and apply for an SA licence, I assume that the points won't transfer over onto it?

Cheers

Matt

Australia_bound?

I believe points don't carry over to Aus licence. Read a similar post some time ago, so things may have changed

JAJ

Depending on SA law, a. you may not need an international permit, and b. you may be able to get an SA licence before you become permanent (as long as you are living in the state).

SA by all accounts retains overseas licences that it exchanges so you might want to make a copy in advance.

Also check your licence is not due to expire any time soon.

ABCDiamond

Permanent Resident
A Permanent Resident is normally allowed to drive for 3 months before needing an Australian Licence, after that period they would be classed as driving without a valid licence.


Visitors
A person on a Visitors Visa does not have to abide by the same rules, and would be allowed to drive a private vehicle on a valid CURRENT driving licence from their own country, for as long as they have a valid visitors visa.

Visiting motorists are required to carry their licence (and English translation or IDP if applicable) at all times while driving and produce it to Police on request. Production of their temporary visas may also be required as evidence of their temporary residential status.


"International Driving Permits (IDP)" are not normally required for UK licence holders. They are required when your normal licence is in a different language, and must accompany your VALID National licence. An IDP is NOT a licence in itself, but effectively just a Translation of your licence.

source

koalatea

We're in Victoria and realised, almost too late, that as permanent residents we had to get Victorian driving licences to keep driving after three months here. Was a pretty simple and speedy process though. Once we'd set a time to go to the nearest Vic Roads office we were in an out in 15 minutes with our photo licences.

ABCDiamond

I know someone who arrived, as PR, in 1986, and didn't get an Australian licence till 2003. Just paid a few extra fines for driving without a licence !!

Was still able to swap a UK licence to an Australian one, with no tests.

Not a sensible thing to do though, as Insurance may have been invalid after the first 3 months ?

koalatea

That's what we were told. Decided best to get it sorted. Think we were a few days late. A few weeks later someone drove into our car during the night while it was parked. It means we're going to have to pay for the repairs our of our insurance, which could have been stuffed up wen the cops found out we didn't have Vic licences. Bit daft as other friends who've been here far longer on other visas are still on their UK ones.

calNgary

Hi i got stopped for speeding when driving on uk licence in oz payed the fine then 3mth later when i got my qld licence the offence was on it & points

slipshot

When I lived in Melbourne for 2.5 years I kept my UK licence throughout, and got stopped for speeding about 5 times during that period (hardly difficult in Aus particularly with their ridiculous speed limits and OTT enforcement of it) - always had a fine, never received any points and never had an issue with changing my licence.

May not be the right way, but worked for me.

Safin

Within a week of arriving I overshot a stop line right in front of a police car. He was going to write me a ticket til he saw the UK licence - maybe it looked like too much paperwork as he let me off.

That convinced me to drive on the uk licence until we get a PR visa. (on a 457)

sinderelle

We're on 457's also and tried to swap our UK Licences in for ozzy ones and were told we couldn't until we'd been in the country for 6 months (this is NSW btw)

We filled in the applications and he entered some basic details so that we were in the system and have an application number - just in case we got stopped - so driving on UK Licence only (hoping the guy in the RTA is correct)

JAJ

You can get a NSW as soon as you move to the state. Whoever told you about having to be in state for 6 months may have been imagining things.

ABCDiamond

There has been a 'recent' update in NSW:

sinderelle

Like I said, it was the guy in the RTA department who refused us

TY ABC, looks like we're in the clear, should we ever be on the wrong side of the law

Kooky.

Sorry JAJ, ABC Diamond is correct; you can't get one for six months on a 457 and the important word in his C&P is "continuous". Any travelling and you start counting again, which we just have.