NZ Driving Licences

[ag28com]

I understand that you can drive for a year in NZ with a full UK driving licence, before you have to apply for a NZ driving licence.

Do you have to take a full driving test (theory & practical) to get a NZ licence, or is proof of long-term driving in the UK enough to be granted a full licence?

Friends of ours from NZ who have settled in the UK, just exchanged their NZ licences for UK ones, without any testing. :icon_question:

[Daisyspop]

You will only need to take a written test and satisfy the usual requirements regarding age, health and eyesight. No big deal. Whilst it is true that a UK license is good for 12 months my wife was told by a cop who stopped her for sppeding the other day that a NZ licence should be obtained as soon as possible if you are a permanent resident. As usual she got off with a caution.

[Glenda]

You have to take a theory test and eye test.

Not wanting the risk of getting any traffic offence, we obtained our NZ driving licences within two months of being here.

It was quite simple - we bought a highway code book from a bookshop (you can get one from the library to save money). Read the book through cover to cover and made an appointment at our local AA office.
There they took a photo, sample of signature, tested eyesight (more to do with flashing lights than long distance reading) and we took our theory test which was 35 questions of which 32 had to be correct. You have a choice of A-C or D and you scratch the box of the correct answer. Don't expect questions just to do with your own circumstances, there are questions on other modes of transport and towing too.

As I said it was quite simple.
::):

[ag28com]

What happens with penalty points on the UK licence?

You keep your UK license, you are just issued with a new clean NZ license!

[nattydread]

if the kids in NZ can drive at 15 ...
can they then drive here in the UK before they are 17?

Is their licence restricted somehow or is it a full blown international effort??

Their licenses are restricted until a certain age I believe. Think it may be 21, but not sure on that.

[Daisyspop]

[quote:547e6ce00b="ag28com"]What happens with penalty points on the UK licence?[/quote:547e6ce00b]

Did my test today, nobody wanted to see anything but the photocard so we all get a clean start it seems. Shame, my endorsement had run out after 4 years anyway.

[moggy]

if anyone wants a copy of the road code so that they can print it out, send me a pm with you email address, I copied the stuff from the website into a word document because there are too many pages to print out to swot up offline.

btw another reason to take your test is that your insurance will be a lot cheaper with a NZ license.

Also if you have a bike license as well, you have to take an additional theory test to get your NZ bike license.

Also it used to be that you could only drive for one single 12 month period on a UK license, so if you had been on holiday previously, you could never drive in NZ on a Uk license again, however this has changed in the last couple of months.

[Daisyspop]

[quote:52da219512]btw another reason to take your test is that your insurance will be a lot cheaper with a NZ license.[/quote:52da219512]

Tell me more. I didn't know that