Dvla
 

Just been on the DVLA website and the offices are now shut for the day. I am useless at remembering to phone during the day so does anyone know about what you do with your drivers license.

There's bits on there about changing your address but I assume that's just for UK addresses - what do you do for becoming non UK resident?

Any help gratefully recieved although as it is now night-time in OZ guess I might not get many answers.

Thanks anyway!!

Re: Dvla
 

I can only speak for Adelaide, there you just swap your UK licence for a Australian one providing you do it within 3 months of arriving. Other states may differ though

Re: Dvla
 

You would be able to drive in the UK on an Australian license - if you wanted to keep your UK one, have you got a parents address you could change it too?? As far as I am aware you can't have an Oz address on a UK drivers license.

Re: Dvla
 

When you swap your UK license for a Australian one, the Australian licensing authority will send your UK one back to the DVLA. So no need to change your address on it.

Re: Dvla
 

I was looking for that one on the things to do list in the stickys but it doesn't include getting the drivers license converted within 3 months.

As wendy says, most regions of Australia will simply convert Uk to Oz license, some do require a test, but nothing too difficult as far as I have heard.

Re: Dvla
 

Thanks for the replies - I think the gist of it is you don't end up with a UK and an OZ one - you just swap one for the other!

Thanks

Re: Dvla
 

My friend only applied for her licence recently after being in Adelaide for two years and they did away with the test. They did ask for the uk one but she said no in case she drives whilst in uk and they let her keep it.

Ali

Re: Dvla
 

I still have my UK licence and also and Aus licence. Here in Queensland they don't take the UK one off you when they issue the Australian one

Re: Dvla
 

Before we left the UK (may have actually been the day we flew out!) I wrote a letter to the DVLA informing them that we were emigrating to Australia, giving details of OH & my licence, and that they could forward correspondance to my parents address.

About a month later my parents received letter from DVLA confirming this.

I can't remember if I found this out on the website (can't find it now and seem to remember spending ages at the time looking) or I called up to ask.

You can not hold 2 licences at once, and when I got the Australian one (NSW) the Brit was was required as proof of me being a driver and a hole punched in it to make it invalid.

Re: Dvla
 

In WA they don't take your UK licence of you either. I asked the DVLA before I came here what happens now that I'm emigrating? He said basically, "Don't worry about it. You don't really need to tell us where you live if you nik-off out of the UK. We'll never have the need to write to you anyway." I'm paraphrasing of course.

Re: Dvla
 

............. nor here in NSW. Mine has got CANCELLED and a signature all over it!

The NSW one cost me $39 for the one year. Didn't want to pay for 3 years just in case we went back to UK! I was in and out of the Manly RTA inside 30 minutes, new photo license in hand.

Jim

Re: Dvla
 

You need to be careful about how long you drive with your UK licence once you have arrived in Oz. In NSW, for example you have 3 months to get a license. After 3 months your UK licence will not be considered valid. This could mean your insurance company may not pay up in the event of a claim.