UK "L"'s

[Zebedee]

To add to what I said above ... and after re-reading it I must have been having a bad day when I posted it

When we contacted LTSA, they did say that they do give credit for the length of time that a person has been driving on L plates in the UK, as long as you cross their palm with silver. Unfortunately, I can't remember how much they charged for this “assessment”, but it was probably around the $40 mark.

What that meant was that it speeded up the transition from NZ Learner to NZ Restricted, because she didn't need to wait the six months before applying for the Restricted.

From that point of view it's certainly worthwhile using your UK L or restricted to speed the NZ licence process up.

However, I think that you would be chancing it a bit to ride a bike over here on a UK L licence without starting the NZ licensing process ... 10c

[Dart]

Heh, anyway if she don't break the rules, she won't be stopped just for license check, I think...

[RantyDave]

Blimey, this still going?

It was only, like, an afternoon jaunt on my 250. Following SPman's directions and the hope that discretion and common sense would somehow infect any police officer she may encouter, Liz went and had a /very/ pleasant afternoon trundling round the bays. All good stuff.

It may have been worth her picking up a NZ learners license since she has been known to have bursts of living in NZ. However, having just bought a house in the UK may well put the dampners on that one....

Dave

[gixermike]

Basically the two countries licence routes aren't equivalent anymore.

Ok. NZ full licence route
basic handling, then lerarner (250cc), then retricted licence (250cc with some limits on time / pillions etc), then full licence (test taken on anything below 250CC) AFAIK

uk, basic handling (CBT) then a learner (13bhp = 125cc max, no time or speed restriction, but no pillion), then full test.

Both full tests are the same content, standards etc and are equivalent to NZ full test. If you take it on a bike below 33bhp you can only ride up to 33bhp for two years (after which you can ride anything without retesting). if you take it on a bike above 33bhp you can ride what you like striaght away. she would struggle to u turn a bike above 33bhp as she has midget legs, so took it on a 125.
so she has a full licence as far as LTSA are concerend, and has done a test equivalent to the NZ full licence so can convert to NZ by doing the normal full test (only has to do practical coz she hasn't held it for more than two years). The power limit being neither here nor there for taking the full test.

However, the international driving agreement says she has to ride within the limits of her current licence. If the uk bit of paper says she has to have a pink helmet on in the uk, she would have to in NZ regardless of what the normal NZ restriction is.
I think you're mistaking uk 'restricted' (i.e UK full test) as being same as NZ restricted (CC limit, night time, speed?, pillions). UK you take either direct Access course (full test on big bike, or progressive route...full test on smaller bike) no one does one then ther other, unles they want to jump the 2 year wait.

bit longwinded, but she has full uk, so can take NZ full within the year. that should confuse a few policemen if she gets stopped, hence the letter from LTSA.