Have they closed the Raro license loophole?

[Retep5]

Cheers guys for the info.

I'm getting the feel that it's very much dodge, miss and mostly miss now due to the change in 2009.

I may just give it a shot anyway if I'm over there anyways. Then report back exactly how it went or didn't go .

[psykonosis]

The Rarotonga loophole is closed. For Raratongan residents coming into New Zealand they can get a letter from the local police which they bring to NZ and can get their license converted to a New Zealand licence. However, that still requires the rider to sit both the theory and the Full practical test. For New Zealanders visiting Rarotonga on holiday and obtaining a Rarotonga bike licence and bringing it back to New Zealand you will not be able to convert it directly to a full as you would also need to obtain the letter from the Rarotonga police. They are very aware of what people try to do when they request these letters and you will get a continual no. There are a few people in the Police station that used to work for NZTA so good luck trying to reason with those ones. ie. you could apply for the conversion in NZ, but the NZ transport will ask for this letter. You won't get this letter from the Rarotonga police thereby you won't be able to sit the tests.

[psykonosis]

Has anyone gone or been through this process of late.
If so what happened?

Since I may be going to Raro for holiday and while I'm there I may as well get my raro license.
So I can cut off some of my time waiting to pass my full motorcycle test.

Refer to my previous post but I would just enjoy your holiday and save the $$ and time. I'm back and forth to Raro quite frequently so always get a good update on what things are going on over there.

[90s]

The Rarotonga loophole is closed. For Raratongan residents coming into New Zealand they can get a letter from the local police which they bring to NZ and can get their license converted to a New Zealand licence. However, that still requires the rider to sit both the theory and the Full practical test. For New Zealanders visiting Rarotonga on holiday and obtaining a Rarotonga bike licence and bringing it back to New Zealand you will not be able to convert it directly to a full as you would also need to obtain the letter from the Rarotonga police. They are very aware of what people try to do when they request these letters and you will get a continual no. There are a few people in the Police station that used to work for NZTA so good luck trying to reason with those ones. ie. you could apply for the conversion in NZ, but the NZ transport will ask for this letter. You won't get this letter from the Rarotonga police thereby you won't be able to sit the tests.

There is no "dodge" and there never has been. Refer to my post here from several years ago. Follow the links peopel have posted recently to the law. There is no requirement for a letter from the Cook Islands Police or any other country. You still need to fulfil the requirements to convert your licence and take the theory and practical tests - you always have (conditions vary for some countires where you would not have to sit the theory etc).

The one "dodge" for a rider is that you can convert a full CI licence to a full NZ licence after passing both tests without having done NZ resticted etc. I am not saying this is a good or bad thing, but this is simply the law and there have been no "2009 changes."

Whoever told you this is incorrect. As I have posted here before there is no "loophole", just the usual process of overseas licence conversion. But the confusion might be over the fact that you cannot "exchange" one for the other.

If you have a full Cook Islands motorbike licence you can convert this to a full NZ licence, but will need to take both the NZ practical and theory. The benefit to a new rider (no preaching) is you skip waiting however long with just your learners / no licence / restricted and jump straight to full testing.

You can still fail these tests.

[davereid]

The loophole is closed as the NZTA require a letter from the Raro Police before they will even consider a conversion.

However, if you dont hold a NZ licence, and you never apply for one, you can drive on your Cook Is licence as long as it remains valid, and you leave the country at least once a year.

Heres the law..

Recognition of overseas licences and licensing of drivers from overseas
88

Recognition of overseas driver licence or permit

(1)

A person, on arrival in New Zealand, is deemed to hold a New Zealand driver licence of a class that entitles the person to drive the motor vehicles that the person is entitled to drive under—

(a)

a valid and current driver licence or permit issued overseas to the person, after the person has produced proof of the person's driving competence, by an overseas authority, or an agent of that authority, authorised to issue a driver licence or permit; or

(b)

an international driving permit.

(2)

However,—

(a)

subclause (1)(a) does not apply unless—

(i)

the overseas driver licence or permit is written in English; or

(ii)

the person who holds the overseas driver licence or permit also carries an accurate English translation of the licence or permit:

(b)

subclause (1)(b) does not apply unless the person who holds the international driving permit also carries the overseas driver licence on which the permit is based.

(3)

A person who is deemed by subclause (1) to hold a New Zealand driver licence may continue to drive under that driver licence until the first of the following situations occurs:

(a)

the person has remained in New Zealand for a continuous period of 12 months; or

(b)

the document that enabled that person to be deemed to hold a New Zealand driver licence under subclause (1) expires, is suspended, or is revoked; or

(c)

an order is made disqualifying the person from holding or obtaining a driver licence, either in New Zealand or in the jurisdiction that granted the overseas driver licence or permit; or

(d)

the person obtains or renews a New Zealand driver licence.

(4)

In this clause, international driving permit means a valid and current international driving permit as specified in Annex 10 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic signed at Geneva on 19 September 1949 or Annex 7 of the United Nations Convention on Road Traffic signed at Vienna on 8 November 1968 and issued overseas in accordance with the provisions of the appropriate convention.

Clause 88: substituted, on 1 October 2011, by clause 36 of the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Amendment Rule 2011 (SR 2011/306).