CatMoose Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hi all Im planning on returning to the UK in January. I allowed my UK driving license to expire and have an Aussie license. I also took my motorcycle test here too. My dilemma is returning to the UK with only my Oz license and convert to new UK one as I understand insurance will be crippling (I had a uk driving license for 20 years until it expired). or do I pretend that I've been living in the UK all this time as far as the DVLA is concerned? Those of you returning- have you kept a UK license even though you were no longer legally 'resident'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 You allowed the card to expire, they are only for 10 years anyways. Your actual licence remains valid iirc. Read the DVLA to find out how to apply for a UK card licence once you return. It should be straight forward enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hi all Im planning on returning to the UK in January. I allowed my UK driving license to expire and have an Aussie license. I also took my motorcycle test here too. My dilemma is returning to the UK with only my Oz license and convert to new UK one as I understand insurance will be crippling (I had a uk driving license for 20 years until it expired). or do I pretend that I've been living in the UK all this time as far as the DVLA is concerned? Those of you returning- have you kept a UK license even though you were no longer legally 'resident'? DVLA do not provide insurance, so I am not sure why pretending anything to them would help or hinder perceived crippling insurnaxe costs. Your UK licence was not valid for use whilst you were living overseas but it has never been cancelled, it is still there, all you need to do is apply for a new card. Should be very straightforward. When it comes to insurance you need to be honest about where you have been living, incorrect information on an applciation can lead to problems with them paying out in the event of a claim. But remember the UK insurance marker is far more competitive than the Australian one, which is dominated by two players. We returned to the UK 18 months ago and immediately bought a ten month old Audi Q3 for £30k, the insurances was £350. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMoose Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 That's interesting because my friend has just returned to the UK after 8 years in Australia and her insurance cost her £1000 for a Hyundai i30. Re the DVLA. While shopping around for insurance you get asked how long you've had a license, so that's why I mentioned them. Now I know that only the card goes out of date - that's that problem answered Ta. I find the DVLA site a confusing mess. I've tried to complete an online form for a new license (photo card bit) and the first question is am I a UK resident? For resident status you need to be at a permanent address for over 150 days. So the answer to that will be no, in which case, I will have to use my Oz license for a while. But then how much will the insurance cost on a new car? Agree re being honest - more hassle than it's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMoose Posted September 4, 2016 Author Share Posted September 4, 2016 UPDATE- seems you only need to be a resident to apply online, so I'll do it via mail when I get back to UK. I still need to figure out if I can get my motorcycle qualification on it. And still surprised you got such cheap insurance! Thnaks for the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 4, 2016 Share Posted September 4, 2016 Did your friend have a no claims proof for the past 8 years and find a company that accepted it? Could make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gummygirl Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 DVLA do not provide insurance, so I am not sure why pretending anything to them would help or hinder perceived crippling insurnaxe costs. Your UK licence was not valid for use whilst you were living overseas but it has never been cancelled, it is still there, all you need to do is apply for a new card. Should be very straightforward. When it comes to insurance you need to be honest about where you have been living, incorrect information on an applciation can lead to problems with them paying out in the event of a claim. But remember the UK insurance marker is far more competitive than the Australian one, which is dominated by two players. We returned to the UK 18 months ago and immediately bought a ten month old Audi Q3 for £30k, the insurances was £350. Hi, may I ask who you insured with? Our insurance quotes were pretty outrageous. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMoose Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 Hi, may I ask who you insured with? Our insurance quotes were pretty outrageous. Thanks I'm still in Oz, but I just did a Comparethemarket search and for my one year's NCD I'd get here in Australia and having a UK driving licence for 23 years, I was quoted approx £500 for a 10 year old Mini. In the online questions I was asked if my 'no claims' was from overseas. One of those quote was from Admiral. I've also heard that Aviva accept Australian NCDs. Don't know if that helps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMoose Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 Yeah she did. Perhaps it's because it's a brand new car?? No idea... but I'm personally not spending £1000 on car insurance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gummygirl Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 Thank you. Hubby did end up getting insurance from Admiral based on recommendations from here but was just curious. Think he also looked at Aviva. They were better at accepting NCD than Directline. In the end he didn't have to show Admiral anything although he told them we had it. Maybe they'll only need it if you lodge a claim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted September 5, 2016 Share Posted September 5, 2016 (edited) UPDATE- seems you only need to be a resident to apply online, so I'll do it via mail when I get back to UK. I still need to figure out if I can get my motorcycle qualification on it. And still surprised you got such cheap insurance! Thnaks for the replies. Not really UK insurance is competitive. Later in the year we bought a second car, a little run around this time and then we found an insurer who was able to insure both cars for £500 so I cancelled first policy and switched. It is just about finding the right company, we went for Direct Line and then changed to Admiral. We did not provide any proof of (or claim) no claims as we did not bring it from Australia and I couldn't be bothered to follow up for it. We therefore got this price without a no claims discount. Edited September 5, 2016 by Bungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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