Coping with an overseas move

The Voice said:
I've slacked. Almost been here for 2 years and still haven't done it.

The back-dating: for the date your license was first issued, or the date of the renewal?
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On that I'm not sure, does the licence still show the date you passed your test (first issue date)? If so, it should be that date rather than just card issue date.
 
The Voice said:
I've slacked. Almost been here for 2 years and still haven't done it.
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Hope you aren't driving now.

You can continue to drive in the UK without exchanging your licence for 12 months after becoming resident.

After 12 months you must exchange your licence to keep driving. You can exchange it up to 5 years after becoming resident, if it hasn’t expired.
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Dave said:
Should save you on insurance as well, they backdate the Brit licence to the date you passed ZA licence.
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tbh won't ever use it except maybe for car hire. What I'll use even less though is a ZA license.

Plus I'm sick of people looking at my ZA license as photo ID weirdly. :(
 
Dave said:
On that I'm not sure, does the licence still show the date you passed your test (first issue date)? If so, it should be that date rather than just card issue date.
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Yes it does.

Speaking of insurance - reminds me of mildly funny story: My dad's friend (45 years old at the time) emigrated to US...and being a clever china he renewed his license & passport just before. End result car hire refused to give him a car since he got the license "last week". They were OK with giving his 16 year old daughter one though (she got her US license a couple months before that). So you can't always count on people accepting first issue date.
 
HavocXphere said:
Yes it does.

Speaking of insurance - reminds me of mildly funny story: My dad's friend (45 years old at the time) emigrated to US...and being a clever china he renewed his license & passport just before. End result car hire refused to give him a car since he got the license "last week". They were OK with giving his 16 year old daughter one though (she got her US license a couple months before that). So you can't always count on people accepting first issue date.
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I was thinking more of DVLA having a record of the first issue date to carry over to the new UK licence ;)
 
Dave said:
I was thinking more of DVLA having a record of the first issue date to carry over to the new UK licence ;)
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Yup. Got that part. 2005 for me so I can see it being an insurance advantage as you say
 
curbs2012 said:
At what age would you guys consider it too late to make a move to another country from SA?

I am 35, have 2 kids, about to embark on a huge opportunity to Gauteng, at a big corporate, that will, hopefully, provide me with an opportunity to move abroad. However, time is an issue. So, at what point do you sit and think, at age xxxx, it just is too late, financially and from a viability perspective.
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For Australian permanent residency you must be under 45 at the time of invitation to apply for a visa. Visa is also points based and age is one of the factors.
 
Dave said:
Hope you aren't driving now.
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Nah, don't really need a car living in Londinium. But I'll eventually get one when I move further out, and may take a few trips with the Mrs soon and will probably need a rental.

Mine dates back to 1999, so hopefully my insurance quote won't be that bad.
 
tilt said:
Meh, I let my SA drivers license expire and had to do eveytyhing from scratch. Was funny doing the leaners with people half my age.
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Must have been fun, couldn't have done insurance costs too much good either.
 
One of the issues I've had is on the car insurance they ask is how long have you have your UK drivers license for.

I've had my SA drivers licence to 20+ years but my UK one for only 4. My SA license was converted to a UK one but does that mean I have had my UK license for 20+ years.

Tricky because if you say 20+ years and you are in an accident they could refuse to pay. Techinally you have only had a UK drivers license for 4 years, so based on that the car insurance is high.
 
gregmcc said:
One of the issues I've had is on the car insurance they ask is how long have you have your UK drivers license for.

I've had my SA drivers licence to 20+ years but my UK one for only 4. My SA license was converted to a UK one but does that mean I have had my UK license for 20+ years.

Tricky because if you say 20+ years and you are in an accident they could refuse to pay. Techinally you have only had a UK drivers license for 4 years, so based on that the car insurance is high.
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No, you've had your UK licence from the date it says on the licence, mine says 1984 (date I passed my SA licence) and it's been accepted as such in both accidents I've had.

Look on the back, the date is in block 10.

catagory-12-code.jpg
 
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Dave said:
No, you've had your UK licence from the date it says on the licence, mine says 1984 (date I passed my SA licence) and it's been accepted as such in both accidents I've had.
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Well bugger me! I've been doing it wrong for the past few years :( Next renewal will be a lot cheaper. :)

Thanks, I owe you a pint!
 
Really the dvla exchange thing is very easy. I got mine within a week of applying. Worth it.
 
gregmcc said:
Well bugger me! I've been doing it wrong for the past few years :( Next renewal will be a lot cheaper. :)

Thanks, I owe you a pint!
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No problem.

On my first accident I had an woman come through a yield and hit me so it was her insurance company that handled the claim and they set up a 3 way call with the DVLA to confirm details, they put the DVLA guy on the phone and you confirm who you are for DPA and then the insurance agent comes on and asks the DVLA guy about convictions and licence details and the DVLA don't even mention it's a swapped licence, he just states the licence categories held, date passed test (which was the SA date on the licence) and confirmed no points (unless you have points ;)).

So straight from the DVLA horse's mouth :p
 
Dave said:
No problem.

On my first accident I had an woman come through a yield and hit me so it was her insurance company that handled the claim and they set up a 3 way call with the DVLA to confirm details, they put the DVLA guy on the phone and you confirm who you are for DPA and then the insurance agent comes on and asks the DVLA guy about convictions and licence details and the DVLA don't even mention it's a swapped licence, he just states the licence categories held, date passed test (which was the SA date on the licence) and confirmed no points (unless you have points ;)).

So straight from the DVLA horse's mouth :p
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I have a feeling the rest of the world won't do a direct swop of our licenses soon. I'd be surprised if the EU even recognizes ours given the constant carnage on our roads and the number of dodgy drivers no?
 
Hosehead said:
I have a feeling the rest of the world won't do a direct swop of our licenses soon. I'd be surprised if the EU even recognizes ours given the constant carnage on our roads and the number of dodgy drivers no?
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I had heard rumours around a year or so ago that the DVLA was going to re-evaluate the process, but it doesn't seem to have come to much. They'll still swap a Zimbabwean licence so there must still be hope for SA ones ;)
 
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