hopalong

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find the answer when I searched.

I noticed on the NSW RTA website that I can just swap my UK driving licence for a NSW one. If I have points on my UK driving licence what happens to these? Do they transfer over to the Australian one?

Thanks
Sarah

gedge

I don't believe they can be carried over or taken in to account. All you need is a valid licence, and to sit a driver knowledge test - actually I think they stopped them at the beginning of this year, have a look here RTA.
When we went to get ours, they were a bit clueless on the UK licence but we got there in the end. Points didn't transfer for us, but they do invalidate your UK licence by punching a hole in it.

leedslad

why do they do that? Its like cutting your UK pasport in half when you get an OZ one

ABCDiamond

It's done so that the NSW police can tell that you have an Australian Driving licence, in case you try to show your UK one to avoid getting points if you get caught doing something wrong.
It doesn't invalidate your UK licence in the UK though.
You can also get a new one from the UK, as long as you have a UK address you can use.

I think that in South Australia, they can take the licence from you.

But here in QLD they don't do anything to it.

gedge

Yeah I used the wrong wording by saying they invalidate it - they just make it unuseable! As you say, you can always apply for another one in the UK. They forgot to to punch mine and I wasn't about to tell them. I've considered whether I could use it for traffic offences but that could end in a heap of trouble.

ABCDiamond

Invalidate was the correct word, but just for Australia, or at least NSW

SydneyStace

We ordered a "replacement" UK drivers license before leaving the UK as they hole punch your one when you swap it over to Aus one.
That way you can have both!

gedge

Top Tip! That should be in one of those 'Things to do befoe you go' lists if it isn't already.

pompeywill

I thought you had to send your old license in before you get a new one.
But of course I could be wrong

gedge

Ah, but what if you 'lost' it? In effect when it gets defaced over here, it might as well be lost. They'd (the DVLA) obviously cancel your old one, but that's alright cos you only need it to get the Oz one then you could bin it.
I still reckon it's a good idea, if slightly irregular in the eyes of the agencies involved and you understand that.

Rockville

Does anyone know what you have to do convert your license from UK to NSW. It is my understanding that you need to sit a written test is this right?

hopalong

Good suggestion about the replacement licence......I wonder if you get better Uk hire car rates with it for return trips to UK?

Sorry to be tedious.......but dragging you back to the points......... (I might e-mail the RTA website to confirm, but of course, don't want to alert them to it either!)...............

Are we all agreed that UK points do not get transferred over to NSW licence? I guess that one concern is that they only started "swapping" licences in January this year and up to that point I believe you had to pass your NSW theory test, so you essentially earned your new licence. I was worried that the new swapping of licences also meant exchanging points.
So if anyone has swapped a UK licence with points on it for a NSW one post Jan2005, could they let me know what happened please?
Many thanks
Sarah

gedge

If it helps, when we sat our thoery test (and passed!) all that was left to do was fill out the paperwork and show them our UK licences to prove that we held a valid one.

Jules and I were dealt with by different people, stood beside each other at the counter. The girl who done Jules' spent a lot longer looking at her licence, and was questioning with her supervisor the meaning of the different vehicle symbols on the back of the photo id bit.

I think they thought she was licenced to drive hgvs and motorbikes! In all the time they spent examingin the licence they never once questioned the points on it. With a bit of explanation by us both they accepted that the licence was just for cars and then punched a hole in it.
The guy doing mine, gave it the once over and then issued me with an nsw one, no probs and no punching!

So it's not really a case of 'swapping', just show and tell

ABCDiamond

That does happen. I have heard of some people who have actually walked out with an Australian HGV licence, due to this confusion

Rockville

Hi Jules and Chris,
Is it just the photo card part you need to show or the paper part as well, with all th epoints info on?
Many thanks Gill