debs1966

Hi

Can anybody throw any light on where we go to re-new our UK licence in Perth please? Do I need to bring both the pink card and paper copy of my licence?

Am I right in saying you can use your UK licence for up to 3 months on a permanent visa?

Also, do your driving points get carried over or do you need to do another test I am hoping not.

Many thanks

Debbie

roaringmouse

The title of the thread is about obtaining an Australian (presumably meaning WA) licence, but this question is about renewing a UK licence (usually referring to the photocard).

Which are you asking about?

northernbird

best get your WA licence as soon as you arrive, it is an excellent form of ID. It is very simple. Just bring your UK licence, have an eye test and bobs your uncle. Your UK history does not transfer.

Still Game

Quick google

all here http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/20669.asp

JAJ

No such thing as a "UK licence". There are Great Britain licences and Northern Ireland licences. Either way, you cannot renew if you are no longer resident in the jurisdiction.

You need to plan to get WA licences and if your GB/NI licence has expired, you may be unable to drive in the meantime.

Voyager 3

Hi Just wondered if anyone could clarify something for me. I've just arrived on a spouse (defacto) visa. Its temporary for 2 years but when I applied for the visa I applied for the temp and permanent visa at the same time. Do I have to wait 6 months before I can apply for a NSW drivers licence? and I can drive on my UK licence in the meantime? Sorry if this has already been answered.

Cheers.

roaringmouse

You can apply to exchange for a NSW licence now if you wanted, but you don't have to until you have a permanent visa (or certainly within a certain period of time once you have a permanent visa - usually 3 months in most states I think).

Dreamy

While you're on a temporary visa in NSW, then yes, you have to have been resident (in Australia) for at least 6 months before you can get a NSW driving licence.

You may want to have a read of this as there are exceptions to the above:

Temporary overseas visitors to NSW

Dreamy

Not on a temporary visa - there's a six month residency period (in Australia) for NSW.

Voyager 3

Ok thanks for that

Brisneyland

I was on a defacto spouse visa. I thought I was doing the right thing to get a QLD licence in my first week in Autralia. I now know that I could have continued to drive on my UK licence until I became a permanent resident. I wish I had done this because you cannot get points put onto a UK licence here you would just have to pay the fine. Now 2 years on I find myself on a 12 month good behavious order due to accumulation of points when I could have merrily carried on using my UK licence.

Now before you all cry HOON and "if you don't want a speeding ticket don't speed" I will tell you a little story. I used the Clem 7 tunnel every day for 3 months with no incident, then I got pretty much 2 tickets per day for 5 consecutive days. Bit of a coincidence? I thought so, but the judge thought not so I now have over $2000 in fines, 12 points and am on a 12 month good behaviour order where if I get another point I get a 6 month disqualification.

So my advice to anyone coming here is to hold off getting a state driving licence for as long as possible. The revenue raising for motoring offences is out of control here in my opinion. It has nothing to do with safety. If it was to do with safety they'd collar all the tailgating idiots but that's harder to prove than doing 71 in a 60 limit. And just to put this in context for those still thinking I am some sort of leadfooted hoon... in the UK I was a driving instructor qualified to examine other driving instructors. That takes a fair bit of training. So yes I have a problem being lectured to about road safety by a police motorcyclist in shirtsleeves and no gloves.

set rant = off

Dreamy

They'd have just saved the points up for when you finally changed over.

Brisneyland

Really? Is that how it works? It doesn't surprise me. I wouldn't mind; I'm 110%in favour of anything pro road safety. Unfortunately the policing of the roads here in QLD has almost nothing to do with road safety.

I also got busted for jaywalking in Brisbane in my first week here. The smirking policeman asked me if I had anything to say. I asked if there was anything I could say that would stop him writing that ticket. He said no. So I asked him why he asked me the question. Then he gave me a lecture about road safety and the dangers of crossing the road. I replied that if it was so dangerous why didn't he stand on the other side of the road and stop me before I did it instead of hiding behind a pillar and jumping out at me after the event. He didn't like that.

Beoz

That got him ..... must remember that when contronted by those mini Hilters.

So how does one go from driving miss daisy to fangio?

roaringmouse

A whole load of tickets from the Clem 7 got cancelled last year, didn't they?