Ceri09 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi, I was just wondering that when we come to buy a car in Oz will we need an Australian Driving licence? I know I can use our uk one for three months but didn't know if that was just for rental cars or does it include when you have purchased one too? Thanks in advance ceri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi Ceri, yes you can buy a car on a UK license although be warned some car salesmen are stumped and may try and tell you otherwise. Just argue with them and tell them to call Queensland Transport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Yes we bought a car with UK licence. .but couple of dealers wouldn't accept UK licence as they didn't understand how it all worked n we werent sure either at that time but was no problem in the end when we found someone who knew what they were doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Simply pay the $150 for the 5 year QLD licence, simplifies nearly everything and can be used for other ID purposes. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceri09 Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Ok great, thank you for your replies. And yes we will apply for an Oz driving licence once we are there and have a house etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToowoombaBlue Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 We bought a car on our UK license but we had to pass the 100 point ID test because we didn't have the Oz license. It's pretty easy, we just took my passport, rental agreement, bank card and our salesman accepted our UK license. We've since changed over to an Oz license and to be honest it is so much easier that way. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croft Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 We also bought with a UK license as we needed cars before our Queensland Licenses came through. It was a bit of a hassle and it would have been far simpler with a local license. The other vital card you must get ASAP is your Medicare card. Be warned though, if you are not on a permanent visa you may not be able to get a local license. We have friends in NSW who were only able to get a 6 month one, and here in Queensland you need one(note the use of the word need - I don't know if you can get one voluntarily if you don't fulfill the criteria) if you have been here for 3 months and hold a resident visa which is classified as "a permanent visa or special category visa under the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth). These visas allow a person to stay indefinitely in Australia. These do not include temporary, business or guardian visas." Can anyone else comment? As we had PR straight off we had no problems getting a license. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceri09 Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 We are going on a regional sponsored visa which is four years. So I will defo need a car for that amount of time. If we can only get 6 months licenses at a time it's ok as long as we can get one. But yeah I have looked into the Medicare card that's on my list of things to do when I arrive. Thanks for you reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToowoombaBlue Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Be warned though, if you are not on a permanent visa you may not be able to get a local license. We have friends in NSW who were only able to get a 6 month one, and here in Queensland you need one(note the use of the word need - I don't know if you can get one voluntarily if you don't fulfill the criteria) if you have been here for 3 months and hold a resident visa which is classified as "a permanent visa or special category visa under the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth). These visas allow a person to stay indefinitely in Australia. These do not include temporary, business or guardian visas." I live in queensland on a 457 temporary visa, i had no trouble getting a 5 year queensland driving licence which is valid to beyond my visa end date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyba Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 How long does it take to get an English license swapped over and whT are the criteria? Do you have to be there a certain amount of time? Me and the Mrs will be on a skilled migrant 189 so that's classed as A permanent visa so is it just a case of applying for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToowoombaBlue Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) How long does it take to get an English license swapped over and whT are the criteria? Do you have to be there a certain amount of time? Me and the Mrs will be on a skilled migrant 189 so that's classed as A permanent visa so is it just a case of applying for it? You can drive on it for up to three months before you have to get your state licence. Obviously you can't change your address on the UK licence as you no longer live in the UK, so now you are an Australian resident, it will be useless. Oh, and the process takes about 30 minutes in the local transport office. Edited July 31, 2015 by ToowoombaBlue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandyBlueMountains Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Do you have to give up your UK license when you take an Australian one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croft Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Do you have to give up your UK license when you take an Australian one? In QLD no. You fill ina single side of A4 form, show your UK Driving License (I don't recall if they took a copy or not), they ask you if you need glasses or not to drive, they take your photo, and you select how long you want the license (up to 5 years - the longer you want it, the more you pay). You keep your UK license, and incidentally you do not need to notify DVLA of a change of address if you are moving abroad. Your mileage may vary in other states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToowoombaBlue Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 In QLD no. You fill ina single side of A4 form, show your UK Driving License (I don't recall if they took a copy or not), they ask you if you need glasses or not to drive, they take your photo, and you select how long you want the license (up to 5 years - the longer you want it, the more you pay). You keep your UK license, and incidentally you do not need to notify DVLA of a change of address if you are moving abroad. Your mileage may vary in other states. So what do you do when your uk licence expires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 So what do you do when your uk licence expires? Renew it if you go back to the UK. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croft Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Renew it if you go back to the UK. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Or not as the case may be. You have an Aussie license now and you're in the Aussie system. Nobody gives two hoots if you have a UK one or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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