fergal007

I think there is a mechanism to retrieve your userid and password. Although they do tend to send codes out in the post, not sure if they would send it overseas.

I will look into it further , thanks again

This mob will be able to help with motorhome insurance http://www.duinsure.com/motor_insurance

Hi Amibovered, I had a look at them today, but their quote website is " under construction" at the moment. Have you used them?

Thank you Marisa , for some reason I seem to be thinking that you can open a basic current account with Lloyds at the counter? I will take your advise though.

Thank you Bristolman, I will make sure I bring back my Proof of NCD from here, I have some old UK ones too.

Hi Bungo,

Thank you for the advise, I did use the Government Gateway in the past for SA tax returns, but I have no idea what my User ID and passwords are now!

Hi everyone,

It has been a few years since I have been on PIO!, I am moving back to the UK after 4 and half (hard but successful) years in Australia. I need any advise on the below issues please.

(1) I am planning on buying a motorhome in the UK on my return and heading across Europe for a few months career break, my problem is that I can not seem to able to change my previous UK address on my driving licence on the DVLA website (to my friends address, who resides in London as I will be residing with him once my break is over). I am an Irish and Australian citizen with a valid UK driving licence, but have not been a resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

(2) Insurance seems to be a problem as I have not been a resident in the UK for 12 months ( or in some cases 185 days) , Can I get my friend to insure the motorhome and be put down on the policy as a named additional driver and still be covered to drive the vehicle?

(3) If i purchase such a vehicle, surly if my name is on the V5 as the registered owner at my friends address, will I be then able to change my current UK driving licence to reflect this?

(4) Can I tax the vehicle using my current UK driving licence , although it currently shows my old rental address? (the DVLA records still show that i have a valid UK driving licence at the old address).

(5) Banking!!! What bank is the best option for someone who has no credit history back in the UK, not that I need credit or want credit, I purely want to just open a simple bank account to allow me to transfer some funds from here to there, and to have it in place when I return from Europe to allow payments from an employer (once I go back to work). Lloyds seem to have some basic accounts, and I can provide payslips from here if they should need any proof of income, has anyone else had this problem?

Any information would be great

Bit torn about what to do here. Just got my 6 month review from the ACT government and trying to decide whther to reply. I've set out my job-search struggles upon arrival and eventual move to Darwin for a job in the NTG in another thread but to cut a long story short, I moved for a job offer due to a lack of work in Canberra. The form itself does ask where i am now living and reasons for moving away from the ACT if i have moved so i could give it to them straight, but should I? As far as i am aware there is nothing the ACT government can actually do to punish me for moving, and my job area is no longer on the wanted list so its not even as though it could affect other people in my position trying to move from the UK, but i find myself hesitating. I really had intended to do the 2 years i committed to, but of course i had no idea how hard it would be to find work before i got here. In some repsects though i was a little embarrassed about how much i struggled to find work so i suppose i would have to admit that, on some level, i failed to do what i came here to do, i.e. survive and thrive in Canberra.

 

 

Grateful for any views frankly

Mate I just done my last one for VIC and I now reside in Sydney, I told them of my job struggles 6 months after i landed in Melbourne. They said I was obliged to remain in the state for 2 years BUT if I had to move for work purposes then so be it.

Just fill it out and state that you reside in Darwin as lack of work opportunities in the ACT has forced you to relocate. They wont say anything. Trust me, I can PM you the e-mail they sent me to give me the nod to leave VIC.

If this is the way you feel, then why bother getting citizenship?

I have spent a lot of time and money to get here, so I need to make it a worth while operation, who knows, I might have kids in the future who might look back and thank dad for their Australian passport? Australia is a great country, but i feel its going down the wrong road, its been an experience and will continue to do so.

Hi, we're a family of four, daughter age 7 and son age 2, and we're undecided as to whether a move to oz is worth the obvious upheaval! My wife and I visited for a month pre kids and loved it, but we're not sure whether a move is better for us than staying in UK.

We have a good life over here with great friends and family but the thought of moving to oz is never far from our minds, now more than ever with all this Isis stuff going on and the British government's inability to see the danger on our doorstep.

Has anyone got any opinions on this either way, we would really appreciate your advice, thank you!

Its just as bad over here with the recent raids on homes. TBH i would just stay put if I was you, your life seems fine there? Just buy a holiday home in Spain! they are quite cheap these days

I have been here 2 and a half years, and will stay for another 2 till i get my citizenship. Its been tough for the most part to get a decent job, Australia in my eyes has become too "Americanized" and regardless of your visa status,immigrants (no matter where they are from) seem to be looked upon as some sort of "second class citizen". The whole "lifestyle" argument is quite debatable, I live a block from the beach, but hardly get down there as I have to work so much

Be warned if your a construction or engineering professional you will be expected to do massive hours on a salary, 6 days a week for the most part 10-12 hour days. The health care system and many other services are being privatized at an accelerated rate (due to the current government)

I am astounded at the open corruption in politics over here, its like its job description! The cost of living is very high, though wages are high, but I know family's that earn 2-3k a week combined, yet after all payments are made don't have much left in the kitty. I am quite lucky that I am single with no debt, but I would think life for an average family would be quite tough? big mortgage repayments, childcare, food etc.

Australia unfortunately is running down the road of unbridled capitalism, with no thought for the social consequences and this will become a major problem in the future.

I am enjoying my time here for the most part, no country is perfect, but my hart tells me Europe is where i belong (eventually) :tongue:

bump!

Hi Sharon

 

No one can really say for sure how it would go,, not even an agent.

To reassure you a little plenty of people with pretty serious medical conditions have succesfully gained a visa.

I have Liver Disease that will probably require a transplant in the future, when i went for my medical i took a letter from my Specialist that stated where my condition was at, when procedures i had under gone and what medication i take. This letter was submitted with my medical report. About 2 weeks later i was asked to go and see a Panel Specialist who basically did what my own specialist had done, and wrote a report on my condition. Another week later and we recieved the visa grant.

 

Lots and lots of luck, and i hope everything will go ok for you.

 

Cal x

Hi guys, i done my Meds last week and contacted the centre today as to my results regarding my X-ray, Blood and Urine tests, all were fine and my Physical too on the day.

But my Blood Pressure was very high on the day and i have to go to my GP to see what's going on with it. Im hoping i wont be refused a visa if i need to take pills to control it???? I am a bit of an anxious person and hope it was just jitters on the day. Has anyone had this problem??? and if so what was the outcome.

Any info would be great cheers

That's very good news. My work will pay for the car to be moved so it's just duties etc for us.

 

If I can ask a cheeky followup: how do you find out what kind of gas is in your AC?

 

THanks again!

Good question

Sorry for the slow replies guys - I run a car show ALL JAPAN DAY and our event is on tomorrow, so I'm a bit snowed under!

 

 

 

You should be fine for parts then. Yo don't need to worry about the LPG, that's not considered an Ozone depleting substance, unlike R134a in your aircon. They're a bit silly not advising you to degas the aircon. It really is something that should be done - you're not legally required to do it at the UK end, but it will save you a stack of money at this end.

 

Have a look at the shipping costs I posted above for a comparison with yours. £1054 doesn't actually sound too bad.

 

In VERY rough terms, work on 20% of your car's value (in the UK) for a ballpark price on customs/GST. It's not a perfect formula by any stretch, but it'll get you in the right area.

 

 

 

I think it's probably worth bringing your Mini over, they still fetch good money here. Have a read in an earlier post, I mentioned customs value v market value for how they calculate the vehicle's value for duty/GST.

 

 

 

The LPG system will need to be signed off here by a licenced installer before it can be registered, but that should be fairly straightforward as the method for converting cars to gas is pretty much universal.

 

Remember that importation and registration are two completely separate processes!

 

 

 

We have enough LPG here to last us something like 2000 years at the current rate of usage, so I suspect any attempts by governments to raise tax on LPG will be fairly unpopular

 

Run down the tank for safety purposes, but the effect on weight is negligible (and your shipping costs are calculated by volume, not by weight)

 

 

 

Hmmm, that's fairly close in terms of price, bring it over if you love it, otherwise I'd say sell it and find one here. Skoda has become quite a popular brand in Australia in the last 12 months or so. The Superb has become the "thinking retirees' car"...

Thanks for all the info Iron chef, much appreciated, I will deffo de-gas the AC unit, will i need to get a certificate for that? , now that we have " Ironed" :biggrin: out some of the import issuses, what does the whole Registration process involve???? Please dont tell me it is a bureaucratic nightmare , just to get the thing registered and road legal over there :mad:

Thanks again for all of your time and advise , reply when ever you can , no dramas , i do understand that you a busy guy:notworthy:

Hi...

 

Interested to hear about the LPG situation. I will be taking my LPG converted Kia Sorento to Melbourne and was going to check as to whether there were any special requirements. I will most likely be sending my cars RORO to Melbourne as well.

 

It sounds like from what you've been told you don't need to do anything special....just leave a 1/4 of tank of fuel in both systems.....

 

Cheers

S

That s what the shipping company said to me Jibbah, 1/4 tank in the Petrol, i will run the LPG tank dry, keeps the weight down and probably a bit of a safer option. (I think) we have to buy a ACME adapter to use their LPG pumps over there as ours in the UK are of the twist and lock "Dutch" Style. These can be purchased off most good LPG stockists or online off BRC website for about £13.

Good news is that LPG is hovering around the 62-65 cent per litre mark in Melbourne at the moment, that's $31 to fill my Volvo , The Oz government are putting a higher tax on LPG over the coming years , but nowhere in line with Petrol, they have an abundance of it off their coast and its widely used out there. , keeps people like us smiling for miles :jiggy:

Hi Iron Chef, having mulled over the paper work for a Personally Imported Vehicle, i assume that when you have all the required documents in order, you send it off to the address enclosed. I assume within a short period of time and having met the criteria for the scheme, they send some sort of certificate that enables you to import the vehicle to Australia. With this in hand you arrange for your transportation of the vehicle, in my case it will be RO-RO from Southampton to Melbourne.

My Car is a Volvo V40 1.6 (2000) , it has Air conditioning and an after market LPG system fitted by an LPGA Approved stockiest in the UK (certificate need for insurance approval). I assume both AC and LPG systems need to be depresssurised and a certificates would need to be presented to the shipping company to prove so before shipping the car??? I have contacted several LPG Garages in Victoria as to the availability of parts and common knowledge of the system fitted to my car, (BRC LPG) and this proves no problems at all as this type of system is fitted in Australia.

You did mention in your reply to my initial post about my car that i may be able to find parts for the 1.6 V40 in New Zealand, having done a bit of research all i seem to come across is the 1.8 and 2.0 for sale and parts. The 1.6 does carry most of the same drive train parts as the 1.8, Brake disks , pads, clutch assemblies etc etc , are you sure the 1.6 model was sold in NZ?. Any information regarding sourcing of parts would be most helpful,

Do you think its a good idea to contact Volvo Australia or Volvo New Zealand with my engine number and see if they can get parts for my engine type : B4162264651

I do realise that plenty of parts can be sourced on the internet and E-bay etc and most companies ship international. But some parts for Volvos can only be bought through Volvo main dealers, as i found out with a brake calliper component before. Do you have any idea as to how much import tax i will pay on the car if it gets to Australia??, and what i may have to change on the vehicle to make it compliment in Victoria, the speedo clock reads in MPH on the outer band , but also has KPH on the inner band. Are there many other requirements i should worry about? like Tyres, headlamp lens etc etc? Sorry for all the questions dude, but i love my car and just want to make the whole procedure as issue free as possible before i start the whole process

I do understand that you are very busy at the moment and if you can answers some of my queries when you get a chance, or even point me in the right direction on the issues , it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your help

Fergal

Dont worry about the parts situation , i talked to Volvo NZ and they said its no probs and should be no probs in Oz either , as all there parts are ordered in Sweden and will take about 4-7 working days to arrive in Oz , my car also shares most parts with the 1.8 and 2.0

I talked to a RO-RO company in Southampton and they said i DON'T need to de- pressurise the AC or the LPG system? for shipping and quoted me £1054 for transport to Melbourne, i just need to present the car at the port and make sure its spotless., and have the Import approval documentation to hand and have a 1/4 tank of fuel in it.

However i would be grateful if you could give me a ball park figure as to how much duty i will pay on the car? (if you can), just a rough guess? Car is Volvo V40, 1.6, 75 thousand miles on the clock, spotless inside and out, mint condition, year of manufacture is 2000.

Also if you could tell me what i may have to do to the car in order to make it road legal for use in Victoria on arrival there.

Cheers mate

Hi Iron Chef, having mulled over the paper work for a Personally Imported Vehicle, i assume that when you have all the required documents in order, you send it off to the address enclosed. I assume within a short period of time and having met the criteria for the scheme, they send some sort of certificate that enables you to import the vehicle to Australia. With this in hand you arrange for your transportation of the vehicle, in my case it will be RO-RO from Southampton to Melbourne.

My Car is a Volvo V40 1.6 (2000) , it has Air conditioning and an after market LPG system fitted by an LPGA Approved stockiest in the UK (certificate need for insurance approval). I assume both AC and LPG systems need to be depresssurised and a certificates would need to be presented to the shipping company to prove so before shipping the car??? I have contacted several LPG Garages in Victoria as to the availability of parts and common knowledge of the system fitted to my car, (BRC LPG) and this proves no problems at all as this type of system is fitted in Australia.

You did mention in your reply to my initial post about my car that i may be able to find parts for the 1.6 V40 in New Zealand, having done a bit of research all i seem to come across is the 1.8 and 2.0 for sale and parts. The 1.6 does carry most of the same drive train parts as the 1.8, Brake disks , pads, clutch assemblies etc etc , are you sure the 1.6 model was sold in NZ?. Any information regarding sourcing of parts would be most helpful,

Do you think its a good idea to contact Volvo Australia or Volvo New Zealand with my engine number and see if they can get parts for my engine type : B4162264651

I do realise that plenty of parts can be sourced on the internet and E-bay etc and most companies ship international. But some parts for Volvos can only be bought through Volvo main dealers, as i found out with a brake calliper component before. Do you have any idea as to how much import tax i will pay on the car if it gets to Australia??, and what i may have to change on the vehicle to make it compliment in Victoria, the speedo clock reads in MPH on the outer band , but also has KPH on the inner band. Are there many other requirements i should worry about? like Tyres, headlamp lens etc etc? Sorry for all the questions dude, but i love my car and just want to make the whole procedure as issue free as possible before i start the whole process

I do understand that you are very busy at the moment and if you can answers some of my queries when you get a chance, or even point me in the right direction on the issues , it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your help

Fergal

Hi Iron C. I'm another person, thinking of bringing my motor over to Oz! surprise surprise! except my car is a Mint X Volvo V40 1.6i with 75k on the clock , full Volvo Service history one previous owner , and an LPG conversion last January. As i have stated the car is Mint inside and outside and the engine is as clean as a whistle and has no leaks anywhere, i have owned this car for 3 years and its never missed a beat. Looking at the Red Book value of my car in Oz from what i can recall it was valued at about 5k over there according to the Red book, but i have seen them advertised from 5-10k online both private and dealers?, its only worth about 2-3k here (looking in the UK Autotrader) .

I'm not sure if the 1.6 V40 was sold in Oz the 1.8 and 2.0 seem to be sold over there, i sent an e-mail to a Volvo Dealer inquiring about availability for parts for the 1.6, and stated that the car would be imported from the UK , but they never replied

Ro-Ro services seem to be the way to go, like 1k to her there, but its all this other Oz compliant MOT stuff and import taxes that's putting me off the idea, But i do love that car and if it does come with me, i will drive it into the ground, being a Volvo that could take a long time! i still see E,F, G and H reg Volvos thundering down the M25 on a daily basis and my motor is deffo good for 200k , as a mate has one with 205k and its still running like a champ!

How much paper work and dramas is really involved in shipping a motor over to Oz, is it a headache or a fairly straight forward affair?

I do realise that your being inundated with questions on this subject and would be grateful if you could answer my queries when you can cheers

Forgot to mention i will hopefully have a 176 state sponsored Visa (PR)