ozduffs

Hi all

Reading in the West Australian today, that 1 in 3 drivers are expected to get a speeding fine this year, got me wondering:

Supposing that in a wholly fictitious example, that someone had been living in WA for more than 3 months, and then needed to show a policeman his driving licence for some reason,

Does anyone know if you can get into trouble for only not getting around to having an Australian licence, and only a UK one?

Cheers,

Mike

Luke I Amyofath

you are supposed to carry your passport with you when you use a uk license to drive in oz, therefore it is most likely that youd end up getting a BIG fine, possibly have to go to court for driving without a valid license if you were driving over the 3 month limit of being able to use a foreign license.
Its not worth the risk

Kiwipaul

The bigger risk IMHO is if you are driving with an invalid licience, is that your comprehensive insurance would be invalid, unless you have informed the insurance company in writing that this is what you are doing and then they still might not pay up.

So anyone doing this forget about buying insurance and drive a banger.

bondipom

If you showed your UK license and had an Ausie license you could be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice. Once you have converted your license you are not supposed to use the old license. This includes moving state to state. It depends on how much the policeman wants to look into things and get you.

The insurance company could refuse to pay out and in the event of death could leave you with a large pay out that might mean you losing house and home.

ABCDiamond

Yes, you almost certainly will get fined for driving without a licence, after the 3 months exemption period, and that fine will be on top of any other fine for speeding etc that you get stopped for. But no points!

I know from my own experience But I can't remember how much the fine was. Funny thing was that the police didnt stop me from driving on afterwards.

NoodleSYD

All that said, it's worth repeating that you only must change licence with a permanent visa. People living in Aus on temporary visas can happily tool around with only their British driving licence for the full duration of their visa.

ozduffs

Okay, okay, point taken.

Can anyone answer me this-

If my friend... goes along and takes the test, say next week, 4 -5 months after being granted permanency, do you reckon they will get a fine slapped on them at that stage?

Cheers

Mike

bondipom

I doubt it. Ceri in QLD took 6 years to take her test and had no problems. The authorities could change their minds though. In the 4-5 months the friend runs the very small risk of being caught driving without a license.

MrsDagboy

I doubt it. They cant prove that they have been driving & I think thats the crux of the matter.

shedu

Is that really true - you mean I don't have to worry about the driving test and can happily continue with my UK licence. I have a long stay temp visa. What joy.

NoodleSYD

Yes that's really true.

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/...l_drivers.html

Mind you, for permanent visa holders the conversion process is so easy now (no practical test, just a theory one) there's really no excuse for avoiding it.

This driving licence thing comes up from time to time, anecdotally people only seem to get fined and caught out once they've been pulled over for something else. Ie it's the police who enforce the licence conversion process not the driving registration authorities. However, rules and guidance given to them may change in the future...

ABCDiamond

Just ensure that you can prove to the Police that you are only temporary. The RTA in NSW have a leaflet that says what you need for this. Not sure about other States.

ozduffs

Thanks everyone. I am calling the local licencing centre today.

Cheers