Complicated question about weird stuff.

[MementoMori]

OK right. Well, I arrived in NZ on the 28th Oct. last year so I had a year to sort out all my license stuff. So naturally I left it till the last minute and went in for my theory test today and some weird stuff happened and now I'm confused so I'm hoping someone here will have a better idea than me.

OK, in the book it says if you come to NZ with a current international driving license then you can drive/ride for up to 12 months on that license.

But if you intend on staying for longer than 12 months then you must apply for an NZ license as soon as possible after your arrival.

Does this mean as soon as possible 'within the first year' as first stated, or does that one year time period not count any more?

Basically, if you haven't had your full overseas license for two years then you have to take a practical and a theory, and my license's two years are up in December, whereas my one year to do all this stuff is up on Saturday.

So should I have done my theory and practical during the year? Or can I still do it at any time seeing as the book only says 'as soon as possible' although it had just mentioned one year in the section above?

It has been suggested to me that I gamble and wait until December when my two years are up, depending on whether they check what date I arrived here. My passport is one of those electronic ones so would my arrival date be stored on that?

Oh god, so many questions. So confusing. I went into the AA today. Twice. These are the last things that I need clearing up now but it's too late to go back in a third time which is why I am spamming here.

Hope you can help, if I made any sense at all.

Ta very muchly.

[Conquiztador]

I came to NZ and had a International License. (Got a new one sent now and then sporadically to me) Took me 12 years before I got caught and they put the squeeze on me re getting a NZ license. (Had always managed to get by by putting on a heavy accent and telling them I was just visiting. But this last time a cop that I had told the story to a year ago had a good memory, so...)

Who is to know if you are visiting for 12 months or staying? And you have the right to change your mind at any time! Say some nice NZ'er takes your fancy a week before you were to leave and you decide to stay?

I would use the International one until it runs out, then either get another one or get a NZ one then. But thats me...

[pritch]

Does this mean as soon as possible 'within the first year' as first stated,

That bit at least would seem simple.

I had to check this up for someone else recently.

On the first anniversary of your arrival any foreign national or international permits expire. To keep driving legally in this country you must have a New Zealand licence prior to that date.

On the 28th the only licence that is valid here is whatever class of NZ licence that you hold at that date.

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/56.html

[Mikkel]

Go on a trip to Sydney/Melbourne/Fiji/etc. - it's 12 months from your last date of entry.

And it doesn't matter if you wait 5 mins or 11 months and 30 days before you go in to do your test. The only reason whatsoever for getting your Kiwi license would be insurance. I'm gutted that I decided to get one since I could have driven my car without fear of demerit points... just one little booze trip across the Tasman every year and I would have been sweet. (That being said, I wouldn't get comprehensive cover for the GT-B at the same premium and excess without the kiwi plastic).

[FROSTY:Me]

SORRY mikkel--you are wrong. You have one year from the date YOU FIRST ARRIVED in New zealand to get a kiwi licence.
Some folk have tried to flaunt the law but in my line of business I get to hear all the sob stories "ohh I diddn't know" and variations on the theme.
To answer the origonal question--You have no choice but to get your licence now

[Gubb]

Is it true that you can't rack up demerits on an international license?

That's madness!

[fredie]

can i rack up points on my aussie licence

[Mikkel]

SORRY mikkel--you are wrong. You have one year from the date YOU FIRST ARRIVED in New zealand to get a kiwi licence.
Some folk have tried to flaunt the law but in my line of business I get to hear all the sob stories "ohh I diddn't know" and variations on the theme.
To answer the origonal question--You have no choice but to get your licence now

That is quite funny seeing as my girlfriend looked into this back in september and was told what I put forward in my above post.

Also, I was in NZ back 4 years ago - I didn't have any trouble when I moved down here a year ago. I went for my kiwi license for the insurance... But my international would still have been valid.

I'd still say take a trip out of the country. If you want to be entirely sure, go to your home country and get a new international license issued. That way you can't go wrong. Otherwise, if the difference is just to do the practical test and you don't have to suffer learners and restricted license restrictions I wouldn't be too bothered.

Edit: And of course they can't put demerits on an overseas license - it's not in their system. Dunno what they would do if you sped enough to receive an immediate suspension of your license. Ultimately a formal document issued by a sovereign coutry belongs to that country IIRC, but they wouldn't be able to registrer you in their system as a visitor and thus they wouldn't be able to impound your vehicle... It's a grey area I think.

[Sanx]

SORRY mikkel--you are wrong. You have one year from the date YOU FIRST ARRIVED in New zealand to get a kiwi licence.
Some folk have tried to flaunt the law but in my line of business I get to hear all the sob stories "ohh I diddn't know" and variations on the theme.
To answer the origonal question--You have no choice but to get your licence now

Not sure that's correct, Frosty.

From the LTSA site: New residents and visitors - driving in New Zealand

If you do have a current overseas driver licence or international driving permit, you can drive using that for a maximum of 12 months from the date you arrive in New Zealand.
Each time you visit New Zealand, you can drive for a further 12-month period on a valid overseas licence or international driving permit.

That would tend to indicate that you have twelve months from the last time you entered the country, not the first time.

[Sanx]

Is it true that you can't rack up demerits on an international license?

That's madness!

It would be madness, yes. And despite the government currently in power, it's also not true. You can rack up points on an international licence. Actually, what happens is the first time you get given a ticket, you get 'allocated' an NZ driver licence number. The points you accumulate get put onto that. Should you then apply for and receive your kiwi licence, it'll come pre-loaded with all your points as a little bonus.

[Mikkel]

It would be madness, yes. And despite the government currently in power, it's also not true. You can rack up points on an international licence. Actually, what happens is the first time you get given a ticket, you get 'allocated' an NZ driver licence number. The points you accumulate get put onto that. Should you then apply for and receive your kiwi licence, it'll come pre-loaded with all your points as a little bonus.

Seeing as how inefficient the NZ bureacracy is I'm pretty sure there would be an easy way around that. Always drive using your international driver's license and then use your original national driver's license if you choose to apply for a kiwi one.

Since NZ doesn't allocate a social security number/central population registration number or any other unique identifier to any member of the public they can only trace you on name, birthday and address. And if you haven't got an address because you're a visitor... that pretty much screws that system.

[90s]

Lets get this straight - when you come to live in NZ you have 12 months from arriving to convert your licence.
I converted my UK licence within the year by taking the NZ full theory. End of story. Without having the correct licence your insurance etc. may be invalid, and 'fooling' the police is just fooling yourself should you get into any bother. You would be driving without a licence, whatever your fevered imagination might say.
My motorbike licence was a Belgian one, which I had misplaced, and not on my UK (learners only on UK). As I could not find it to convert within a year of arriving I had to start again on a 6L here.
(Now, having had a motorbike licence since 1988 I could write to LTNZ and ask for an exemption and to convert my 'expired' licence, something I'm told they can be reasonable about. However, I had a Raro licence from a holiday and converted that instead - very quick and easy)

OK the grey area.
You can wiggle about in the loopholes. Why bother? The conditions for being able to go overseas and then have a 'fresh' year count is not intended for permament residents but travellers / holiday makers etc. If you are a permament resident your initial point of entry will be clear and your one year clock starts from there.
Wiggle around in the grey areas and you are only fooling yourself.
You may get away with it - the bureaucracy may not catch up with ... unless you do something wrong or something happens to you.
If NZ is your home take the test. It is a joke. Then insurance and your legality are very clear.
End.

[magicfairy]

Not sure that's correct, Frosty.

From the LTSA site: New residents and visitors - driving in New Zealand

If you do have a current overseas driver licence or international driving permit, you can drive using that for a maximum of 12 months from the date you arrive in New Zealand.
Each time you visit New Zealand, you can drive for a further 12-month period on a valid overseas licence or international driving permit.

That would tend to indicate that you have twelve months from the last time you entered the country, not the first time.

I believe this change came in recently, within the last year. Until then, yes it was dated from when you first came to NZ. But too many tourists who come say every 2 years for 2 weeks were caught out, cos they couldn't use overseas license the subsequent visits, so it was changed.

[90s]

I believe this change came in recently, within the last year. Until then, yes it was dated from when you first came to NZ. But too many tourists who come say every 2 years for 2 weeks were caught out, cos they couldn't use overseas license the subsequent visits, so it was changed.

No, this is an incorrect intepretation I believe, based on the idea of 'residency'.

First, from the LTSA link: "If you do not apply for a New Zealand driver licence within one year of arriving, you'll be considered unlicensed and you must not drive. You could be charged by the Police if you are caught driving and you may not be able to get car insurance. If you are unlicensed, are told by the Police not to drive, and are then caught driving by the Police, the vehicle you are driving will be seized at the roadside and impounded for 28 days."

and more pertinently from:
http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/overseasdriv...oad-rules.html

"If you are planning to stay and drive in New Zealand for more than one year, you should apply for a New Zealand driver licence as soon as possible after your arrival."

Now I repeat: you may be able to 'fool' the system by arguing that you have been overseas, but if you are plainly resident - ie. NZ is your permament home - this 'loophole' will not exist. There is no loophole in the law here, just in the phrasing and understanding of 'resident'.
And residency laws are fairly clear.

Finally again, if NZ is your home why not simply get it over with?

[MementoMori]

So I see it's not just me that's unclear on this matter! There seems to be a fair bit of debate about it.

OK, so assuming that I can't get around this, and my year is up, do I have to start from the very beginning? Going through Basic Handling and everything. Or do I need to take the theory and practical for the highest class (which would be full)? Which is what I would have had to do during the year anyway.

Do the theory test people check electronic passports for dates of entry?

Interestingly, the AA person asked me if I had left the country recently. So they seemed to be under the impression that the year resets when you leave and enter again.

Thanks for helping me out!