christopher Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Hi Does anyone know if you can drive in England on a red P license from Sydney? I cant seem to see any mention of it on the DVLA site and a search on the net brings up mixed answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepywombat Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Hi If you have passed your test and have a full licence then yes, you will be able to drive in the UK. If you haven't passed your test (and your licence is a probationary one) then you won't. Regardless, I would advise you to invest in a couple of lessons in the UK as the driving style (not to mention speeds) are very different to Oz!! HTH Cx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Hi, I've driven in the UK for longer than I have I'm Australia TBH. I just failed ny test there a couple of times. I actually find driving in Sydney a real chore as the standard seems really bad. The thing is you have to pass the driving test to get a Probationary license in NSW and I've heard reports that people have driven on a P license in the UK and then I've heard rports that you can't so I'm unsure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 If you on your P plates, you have passed your driving test, so it should be fine. This is just my thoughts so double check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest31881 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 If you on your P plates, you have passed your driving test, so it should be fine.This is just my thoughts so double check. I would agree with parleycross, you have passed your test, the "P" plate is a local restriction. So should be fine to drive. But I not have a clue who you could ask for an official answer, the UK, DVLC site just states if passed test, nothing about any other restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ok, I have some answers about this as I went through something similar (my other half is on her P2s NSW). Renting a car from a UK hire place If you want to rent a car from the UK, it will be really difficult to do because most rental companies stipulate "full license". If you mention the word "Provisional" (NSW) then they assume Provisional = Learners (as it does in the UK) and will automatically deny you and move on to the next person. When we went back for a holiday I had to write to all of the rental companies explaining the complete mechanics of the australian licensing system and also get an IDP (International Drivers Permit) purely to prove that she was actually licensed to drive a car on her own, and had been for 3 years. In the end Europcar said it was fine, just bring along her IDP too. The parallel I had to draw was that if she had passed her test in the UK, she would have been a full license holder for nearly 3 years, and would be more than eligible to hire a car. Driving on UK Roads I made an enquiry with the DVLA in respect to moving back and driving on UK roads using an Australian P license (p2, but the logic applies to p1 too). Their response was that the UK licensing system is based on the completion of a written test and a practical exam. As long as these have been undertaken (even though they relate to another country) then you are able to drive on UK roads for up to 12 months using your Australian provisional/probationary license. It can also be exchanged for a UK one by sending it to the DVLA with the appropriate forms. CAVEAT: This is the advice I received in regard to personal emails to the relevant companies. There is seemingly no information available about Australian exceptions to the 'Full license' criteria. I would highly recommend you approach the relevant parties yourself to get the same level of response. The Australian learner driving system is so fundamentally screwed up and nannied, compared to the rest of the work, that it really does present an issue for drivers wanting to drive in other countries.. Having said that I'll try and avoid getting into a massive rant about the useless licensing system here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Well I wrote to the DVLA, below is the reply. Looks like I can just swap it for a UK licence. If you have passed all three elements of the driving test in Australia, we would recognise that entitlement regardless of whether you hold a probationary or full licence. This licence would be valid for driving and exchange purposes in Great Britain (GB). * You can drive in GB on your valid licence for up to 12 months from the day you became resident in GB. If you have not exchanged your licence for a British one before the end of the first 12 months of becoming resident you will need to stop driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinl Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I was wondering if anyone can help. I found this tread below but when I called DVLA they said that driving on a P2 license unaccompanied is not allowed. Does anyone know anymore that can help?! We had a family member come over and crash our car. Could be very expensive if not! Well I wrote to the DVLA, below is the reply. Looks like I can just swap it for a UK licence. If you have passed all three elements of the driving test in Australia, we would recognise that entitlement regardless of whether you hold a probationary or full licence. This licence would be valid for driving and exchange purposes in Great Britain (GB). * You can drive in GB on your valid licence for up to 12 months from the day you became resident in GB. If you have not exchanged your licence for a British one before the end of the first 12 months of becoming resident you will need to stop driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frozen Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I am afraid that the DVLA is correct. P2 unaccompanied is not allowed in the UK. When my husband first came to the UK (many moons ago) he had to take a test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 If you get an international licence, you can just wave that around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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