What Happens If You Miss The Driver's Licence Deadline

[GottaGo]

Hi,

Just enquiring for a South African friend who is about to do her driver's licence in WA and is in a panic.

What happens if one does not pass one's driver's licence within the 3 month deadline. Surely it is a nonsense to have to revert to being a P-plater???

I have just seen this on the immi.gov.au website:

"In Western Australia, the three month period begins when you are granted your permanent residency visa, not when you arrive in Australia."

We always assumed one had 3 months to get the licence from date of landing...

(http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/settle-in-australia/to-do-first/apply-drivers.htm)

Has anyone in WA not passed their driver's in time and if so, what happened??

Thanks,

Sally

[Chal]

sorry I don't know about WA, but here in Qld you also have 3 months to get yours after getting PR. I only went at 4 months, and when I phoned to book it, and told them i was a month over they told me I should put L plates on when driving around before I go for the test!

Also some of my friends' SA licences expired before they could apply for a new Qld one, and she could not apply for an Open licence at all, had to do P plates, and she had that for about 2 years before she could apply for Open licence.

[GottaGo]

You see that I don't understand. Making someone with 20 years driving experience revert to being a "learner driver:. Absolutely Insane.

[Danie]

Best tip - contact the local authority and get the correct answer as each state has own rules & regulations. I am under the impression that most of them has addapted the rule of 3 months since you moved to the state and not when you receive your PR. But check!

D

*edited to change teh to the... thick fingers...

[cornelvisagie]

Hi Sally,

We arrived in Perth, 11 months after receiving our PR 175 visa. We also thought we had 3 months after arrival to get our driver's licences. Unfortunately told it was 3 months after your PR visa was granted. The Licencing Office in Joondalup told us we may not drive, even with International Licences, until we passed our driver's licence. If we do, we need to have a person with a WA Driver's Licence in the vehicle with us, and display the L or P-plate.

You are recognised for your experience as a driver, and thus don't need to do the P-plates route. We did the theory test, and then scheduled a time for the practical test. After passing you receive your WA Driver's Licence. If you do not pass the first time, you can reschedule after 7 days.

We found it beneficial to have an 1hr lesson (30min for me, 30min for my husband) with a driving school instructor. He showed us the small things that could mean the difference between passing or failing the driver's licence test. It was worth spending the $50.

If you have a driver's licence of certain countries such as the UK or New Zealand, you do not have to do any practical tests. Your licence is just converted.

Hope it helps.

Kind Regards

Cornel

[21yearsoutofrsa]

http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/20669.asp

has a lot about licenses and moving to Western Australia.

A quick read says you have 3 months after arrival. Looks like this has been a recent change.

There are lots of implications for driving without a license, insurance probably been the biggest.

[Tsunabi]

Did mine a year after arriving in Oz and 5 months after my RSA license expired. When I passed they wanted to give me P plates but I just said it takes 6 months to renew a license in RSA (blush....kinda true isnt it??) and they said its fine, no P plates.