VIC driving licence for non-resident?

[GeoffL]

I know this sounds weird, but I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. My son lives in the Dandenong ranges and we spend as much time as we can there. The massive queue for aged parent visas means that we typically stay over for ten or eleven weeks before returning to UK. I need to renew my UK driving licence when I get to age 70 but because I need to retain my UK C1 category, I have to have a medical and apply to the UK DVLA on paper. DVLA has a massive backlog and people are reporting waiting over a year to get their new licenses. While I'll be able to drive in UK, that doesn't help me in VIC as my licence document will have expired. I need to be able to drive in Oz, and so I'm wondering whether I could 'exchange' my UK licence for a Victorian one and whether Vicroads would accept a photocopy of my UK licence, perhaps along with "share licence details" code from the DVLA. Would this work? All help gratefully received and thanks for looking, Geoff

[Marisawright]

It's a tricky one.  

As a non-resident, you're not entitled to a Victorian licence.   However, if you pretend that you're resident at your son's address,  you should be able to get one.  I'm not recommending it, because it's probably not legal, but here's how you'd do it:

You need proof of your residency in Australia.  You can achieve that by changing your address with your UK bank or credit card to your son's address, and then asking them to send you a statement. You can then use that document as proof of an Australian address in "Category B" below.   Make sure you don't put "c/o".   

A photocopy of your licence won't do. You need either your original licence, a letter from the DVLA or a letter from the British consulate. However they accept an expired licence provided it's only recently expired. 

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/new-to-victoria/overseas-licence-conversion-result

[GeoffL]

Thanks -- the rapid response is appreciated.

Unfortunately, I won't have the original licence document as I have to send that to DVLA with my renewal application. So I'll either have my new licence (in which case, no issues -- I can drive on that in Oz) or just a photocopy of the old one. It's going to be difficult to get a letter from the DVLA both because of the backlog and also because they no longer issue letters, this being replaced by online status sharing. Hence, I would be able to provide Vicroads with my UK driver number and a one-time share code from which they could verify my entitlement -- but I know from when my son exchanged his UK licence for a Victorian one that Vicroads are (or at least were a few years ago) in the dark ages in this regard as they would not accept web-based evidence then. Thinking about it, we'll be on basic e-Visitor visas (which is why no more than 3 months at a time), so it would be relatively easy for Vicroads to discover that we're not residents

Hopefully, DVLA will clear the backlog in time for our next planned visit otherwise I guess I'm shafted. We have Myki cards, but PT won't let us do what we need to.

Thanks again, Geoff

[Marisawright]

29 minutes ago, GeoffL said:

 Thinking about it, we'll be on basic e-Visitor visas (which is why no more than 3 months at a time), so it would be relatively easy for Vicroads to discover that we're not residents

They would, if they checked visa status, but it's not on their checklist, so there's no reason why they would. 

[Tulip1]

5 hours ago, GeoffL said:

Thanks -- the rapid response is appreciated.

Unfortunately, I won't have the original licence document as I have to send that to DVLA with my renewal application. So I'll either have my new licence (in which case, no issues -- I can drive on that in Oz) or just a photocopy of the old one. It's going to be difficult to get a letter from the DVLA both because of the backlog and also because they no longer issue letters, this being replaced by online status sharing. Hence, I would be able to provide Vicroads with my UK driver number and a one-time share code from which they could verify my entitlement -- but I know from when my son exchanged his UK licence for a Victorian one that Vicroads are (or at least were a few years ago) in the dark ages in this regard as they would not accept web-based evidence then. Thinking about it, we'll be on basic e-Visitor visas (which is why no more than 3 months at a time), so it would be relatively easy for Vicroads to discover that we're not residents

Hopefully, DVLA will clear the backlog in time for our next planned visit otherwise I guess I'm shafted. We have Myki cards, but PT won't let us do what we need to.

Thanks again, Geoff

Are you sure the one year wait is correct.  I have heard stories where DVLA are taking a while but nothing like on that scale.  I’ve also heard of people getting their licences back quite quickly.  My son applied for a replacement just before Christmas as he’d lost his and it took about three weeks.  Whether quicker because it was just a replacement I don’t know but I can’t see what difference it would make.  Good luck. 

[GeoffL]

18 minutes ago, Tulip1 said:

Are you sure the one year wait is correct.  I have heard stories where DVLA are taking a while but nothing like on that scale.  I’ve also heard of people getting their licences back quite quickly.  My son applied for a replacement just before Christmas as he’d lost his and it took about three weeks.  Whether quicker because it was just a replacement I don’t know but I can’t see what difference it would make.  Good luck. 

Thanks for the wishes. I'm not sure, but I'm going on a report from the Times that some drivers (including truckers and bus drivers now unable to work) have been waiting over a year, and have also seen reports in a UK motorhome forum of people renewing to retain C1 entitlement (vehicles up to 7500 kg MGW) suffering similarly. The issue here is that the backlog severely affects those who must apply using physical forms (which anyone who needs a medical does). I suspect your son applied online -- and online applications don't seem to be as caught in the log-jam. Coincidentally, we bought a used car in mid January from a dealer who entered my wife's details into the DVLA system online. It should have taken no more than four weeks for us to receive the rego but we had to apply for a replacement after six weeks of no-show and only received the rego from DVLA a couple of days ago: about 10 weeks for something that took less than two before the lurgy...

[unzippy]

PS  It's not an exchange.  You do the paperwork, show the UK licence but then it is returned to you.  You keep it

[GeoffL]

Just a quick note to tidy things up and also to help anyone now finding this thread. The DVLA backlog seems to have now cleared. At least, both my wife and I managed to renew our UK licences and got the new licences back within ten days of posting our applications. UK licences for the over 70s last a maximum of three years -- so we're both good until some time in 2025. Thanks for the comments and help.

[Ausvisitor]

On 06/04/2022 at 11:36, Marisawright said:

They would, if they checked visa status, but it's not on their checklist, so there's no reason why they would. 

They don't check the visa status directly that's true, but the documentation they use for proof of residency all need a valid AUS visa or citizenship to obtain (Medicare / full bank account etc). The only exception is the utility bill but that would require switching your kids utility bill to your name (and many of them do ID checks too).

That said they won't switch it without the original or a letter (sent directly to them) from the DVLA

(I do a lot of work for Vic Roads so asked their chief of registrations this directly)

[rammygirl]

The thought also occurred that if you managed to get one and we’re not actually entitled to it you would invalidate any insurance in the case if an accident. 

[GeoffL]

21 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

They don't check the visa status directly that's true, but the documentation they use for proof of residency all need a valid AUS visa or citizenship to obtain (Medicare / full bank account etc). The only exception is the utility bill but that would require switching your kids utility bill to your name (and many of them do ID checks too).

FWIW, I already have access to the required 'proof of residence' in the form of a bank account, together with a letter from the main utility accounts holder to say I am part of his household. The sticking point was always that VICRoads require something that I wouldn't have access to: i.e. my actual UK licence as (when I wrote the OP) that would be at DVLA, who won't provide a letter because they now provide that via a one-time share code [and it's not DVLA's fault that VICRoads remain in the dark ages]. Thankfully, I've now managed to renew my licence and so can drive on that while in Aus.

9 hours ago, rammygirl said:

The thought also occurred that if you managed to get one and we’re not actually entitled to it you would invalidate any insurance in the case if an accident.

I can see how that might apply in NSW, but not in VIC or the UK. In VIC, your compulsory insurance is included with rego and every insurance policy I've seen says the driver must hold, or be entitled to hold, a valid licence. In any case, I would be entitled to hold a valid licence, and could prove that entitlement. In UK, I could drive for up to a year under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act (which provides that licence holders can continue to drive while their licence is being renewed). That said, it's moot for me since DVLA actually turned round my application fairly quickly.

[rammygirl]

1 hour ago, GeoffL said:

FWIW, I already have access to the required 'proof of residence' in the form of a bank account, together with a letter from the main utility accounts holder to say I am part of his household. The sticking point was always that VICRoads require something that I wouldn't have access to: i.e. my actual UK licence as (when I wrote the OP) that would be at DVLA, who won't provide a letter because they now provide that via a one-time share code [and it's not DVLA's fault that VICRoads remain in the dark ages]. Thankfully, I've now managed to renew my licence and so can drive on that while in Aus.

I can see how that might apply in NSW, but not in VIC or the UK. In VIC, your compulsory insurance is included with rego and every insurance policy I've seen says the driver must hold, or be entitled to hold, a valid licence. In any case, I would be entitled to hold a valid licence, and could prove that entitlement. In UK, I could drive for up to a year under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act (which provides that licence holders can continue to drive while their licence is being renewed). That said, it's moot for me since DVLA actually turned round my application fairly quickly.

Check that third party. Not the same as in UK. REGO covers third party injury to other people and civic property only.  So if you are responsible for an accident and another car is damaged REGO does not cover it. Nor any personal injury to you or your passengers. 

[GeoffL]

4 hours ago, rammygirl said:

Check that third party. Not the same as in UK. REGO covers third party injury to other people and civic property only.  So if you are responsible for an accident and another car is damaged REGO does not cover it. Nor any personal injury to you or your passengers. 

... but the insurance T&Cs would almost certainly say something along the lines of, "holds, or is entitled to hold, a valid driving licence ..." That is, rego covers the compulsory insurance (i.e. third party injury), so not "driving without insurance" and being entitled to hold a valid UK driving licence means the 'optional' vehicle insurance is also valid.

[Ken]

13 hours ago, GeoffL said:

... but the insurance T&Cs would almost certainly say something along the lines of, "holds, or is entitled to hold, a valid driving licence ..." That is, rego covers the compulsory insurance (i.e. third party injury), so not "driving without insurance" and being entitled to hold a valid UK driving licence means the 'optional' vehicle insurance is also valid.

The driving laws in Australia (which also vary by state) are very different from those in the UK, so you familiarise yourself with them before driving. "Driving without insurance" is a UK offence. In Australia it doesn't exists because the law requires the compulsory insurance as part of registration and driving an unregistered vehicle is the offence. In Australia driving without a licence means (in most states) not having the license on your person. The computer age is finally catching up, so a digital version on your phone is already an option in some states, but it's still the case that just being on the state's computer isn't enough.