License application proof of address [Archive]

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jono035

20th February 2010, 21:25

Got my full license yesterday and just figured I'd make a note of something that very nearly caught me out.

When you bring some form of Proof of Address, make sure that it isn't too old. I was sure that it needed to be less than a year old, so just grabbed any old power bill. This turned out to be a huge pain in the ass when it was 8 months old (2 months 'expired'! gasp!) and I was told to go home and get something else. Luckily I found the invoice for my eyesight cert and it had my address on it. I don't know if this would actually stop them from letting you do the practical part, but given that the woman acted like I should be hung for this grievous offense, I wouldn't want to put money either way.

Phone and Electricity bills etc. are valid for 6 months.
Bank statements are valid for 1 year.

Info here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/20/identification-for-driver-licensing.html

Edit: Edited to clarify that I grabbed a power bill instead of a bank statement.

YellowDog

20th February 2010, 21:28

Useful info. It would have been a shame to have failed due to a numpty trying to look important.

pc220

20th February 2010, 21:40

jono035

20th February 2010, 21:54

When I did mine in Tokoroa they didnt care what it was or how old it was. Mind you they have always been good to deal with, they actually try to help and make the process easy.Who would have thunked such a thing still existed ?

That sounds pretty good to me. One of the two women I dealt with was extremely helpful for the most part and went well out of her way to help me. The other woman (the one who was actually processing the license application) was the reason that I needed all the extra help. Both of them flatly said that I would have to come back tomorrow with the proper papers.

All in all it was a pretty horrific experience. Even with the 3 hour ride to Tokoroa, I probably would have been done quicker down there!

jimichelle

21st February 2010, 06:33

got sick of all the junk mail and our letterbox was damaged a couple of times so try doing that with only a post office box

Ratti

21st February 2010, 08:09

oldrider

21st February 2010, 08:48

That sounds pretty good to me. One of the two women I dealt with was extremely helpful for the most part and went well out of her way to help me. The other woman (the one who was actually processing the license application) was the reason that I needed all the extra help. Both of them flatly said that I would have to come back tomorrow with the proper papers.

All in all it was a pretty horrific experience. Even with the 3 hour ride to Tokoroa, I probably would have been done quicker down there!

That was one of the positives of Hitler's regime,!

The detention camps gave appropriate employment for women like that! :eek5:

jono035

21st February 2010, 10:06

believe it or not, i had the same problem when I applied for a library card. I'd only just moved here, all the utilities were in my husbands name...wtf was I meant to do?
The nice man behind the counter offered to send me an empty envelope so that I had some thing that had been officially delivered by NZPost. It worked tho', and we now have library cards..sheesh..

Yeah, I remember my girlfriend going through the same process. Someone who is willing to go out of their way to help out can really make all the difference.

Oldrider: Yeah, she would have fit right in.

kwaka_crasher

22nd February 2010, 09:18

I question why they need PROOF. It used to be you just gave them the address and they noted it.

That was one of the positives of Hitler's regime!

Speaking of Hitler's regime... :whistle:

jono035

22nd February 2010, 20:14

I question why they need PROOF. It used to be you just gave them the address and they noted it.

Yeah, that's a good point actually... It's used as a proof of ID and age, not as a proof of address... It can't even be so they know where to send the speeding tickets, because that's done by license plate number...

Bastards, the lot of em!

IdunBrokdItAgin

22nd February 2010, 21:20

If caught out with no proof of address then a trick that I found out is that you can walk into any branch of your bank and ask them to print your name and address on their letter head.

Takes about 30 seconds and you can ask for it to be done at the reception - you just have to prove you are you (bank card and personal details confirmed). This is the equivalent of a bank statement for proof of address purposes.

I forgot to take a bank statement along when I went to book my first test and this is what they told me to do - AA accepted it.

kwaka_crasher

23rd February 2010, 15:14

Yeah, that's a good point actually... It's used as a proof of ID and age, not as a proof of address... It can't even be so they know where to send the speeding tickets, because that's done by license plate number...

Bastards, the lot of em!

Your drivers license is linked to your vehicle registrations yet they never seem to be able to send you anything helpful, like vehicle license renewal or drivers license expiry reminders...

davereid

2nd March 2010, 06:47

... It's used as a proof of ID and age, not as a proof of address...

Yeah, I always thought it was a qualification - you know "you have passed the test now you can drive..." but its well morphed into ID, demanded by all with whom you wish to do business.

BMWST?

2nd March 2010, 07:06

I question why they need PROOF. It used to be you just gave them the address and they noted it.

Speaking of Hitler's regime... :whistle:

its is to to try to ascertain you are who you say you are.Its reasonable imho

kwaka_crasher

2nd March 2010, 08:34

its is to to try to ascertain you are who you say you are.Its reasonable imho

Reasonable? Bullshit. How does having a piece of paper with a name and address identify you any more than the photo they already have?

BMWST?

2nd March 2010, 08:41

Reasonable? Bullshit. How does having a piece of paper with a name and address identify you any more than the photo they already have?

I dont know why you are attacking me.The Drivers photo license IS also a identity card so it is reasonable to try to ascertain you are who you say you are.There was a proposal for identity cards at the time the new photo drivers license were introduced.

jono035

2nd March 2010, 08:47

I shouldn't have to carry proof of who I am just to appease the police (the only people who would want to know). I don't mind having to carry a drivers license to prove that I am qualified to drive a car. I don't mind having to carry ID to prove that I am old enough to buy alcohol. I don't know of any laws that say I must be identifiable at all other times.

gw555

2nd March 2010, 11:32

You want to try supplying "the info" when the only form of address is a box number!!!

Because the Post Office don't deliver mail to the area I live in we have a box number which is at a Post Office 35km away.

The AA accepted my AA card as proof last time for license renewal. When I tried to apply for a library card they turned me down - I left it went back 3 weeks later when somebody else was on explained the situation and she lived up the road from me so no problem!!!

kwaka_crasher

2nd March 2010, 14:43

I dont know why you are attacking me.The Drivers photo license IS also a identity card so it is reasonable to try to ascertain you are who you say you are.There was a proposal for identity cards at the time the new photo drivers license were introduced.

Sorry. I 'attack' all unthinking lemmings who fail to see any implications beyond what is currently being proposed.

The drivers license is NOT an identity card because most people who want to use it as such have no way if verifying it's authenticity. It's become a defacto ID card but that is actually more dangerous than not having one at all as it is so open to abuse. I don't have my address on mine for that very reason.

At the end of the day a driver's license is just that - a drivers's license. Nothing more.

Back to the original subject though - why do they need your address verified?

Sentox

16th March 2010, 11:24

I'm confused. If bank statements last for a year, how was your 8 month old one 'expired' by 2 months?

jono035

16th March 2010, 14:07

I'm confused. If bank statements last for a year, how was your 8 month old one 'expired' by 2 months?

Just edited the original post, it was a power bill that I took in, not a bank statement. My bad.

red mermaid

16th March 2010, 14:49

Because like it or not, a drivers licence is now accepted as a form of identity, and in the real world there is these big bad people who don't aspire to your level of personal responsibility and therefore want to use a drivers licence to steal another persons identity and do naughty things.

So if you show proof of residence it creates another hurdle for them to jump.

So don't blame police, NZTA or other similiar bodies, blame the crooks that use knuckle head civil liberterians and the silly ideas they try to make us choose to protect their rights.

Sorry. I 'attack' all unthinking lemmings who fail to see any implications beyond what is currently being proposed.

The drivers license is NOT an identity card because most people who want to use it as such have no way if verifying it's authenticity. It's become a defacto ID card but that is actually more dangerous than not having one at all as it is so open to abuse. I don't have my address on mine for that very reason.

At the end of the day a driver's license is just that - a drivers's license. Nothing more.

Back to the original subject though - why do they need your address verified?

kwaka_crasher

16th March 2010, 15:59

Because like it or not, a drivers licence is now accepted as a form of identity

Not if I don't let it be. "I don't drive" I say, jiggling my vehicle keys in my hand.

...and in the real world there is these big bad people who don't aspire to your level of personal responsibility and therefore want to use a drivers licence to steal another persons identity and do naughty things.

Which is the very reason a drivers license should never be used as ID - most people that accept it as such have no way whatsoever of verifying it's authenticity.

So if you show proof of residence it creates another hurdle for them to jump.

I can whip up a fake bank statement with any damned address I want and print it on my colour laser and they'll be none the wiser. The fact anyone thinks that such a piece of paper is proof of anything is what makes fraud so bloody easy.

So don't blame police, NZTA or other similiar bodies, blame the crooks that use knuckle head civil liberterians and the silly ideas they try to make us choose to protect their rights.

I do blame the NZTA. The measures they take are actually easily circumvented and lull people into a false sense of security.