New Zealand Driving Licences

[Jakarta]

Don't forget I am not UK licence so fall slightly outside the remit.

[JandM]

Yes, but once you've got your Kiwi licence, it looks as if you'd be able to drive in most places with it, plus the IDP. This doesn't look as if it will arise, anyway, since you'll keep your original in any case.

[RJLink]

Where does it say that you need to have held your overseas license for at least two years? I could not find that requirement on the website or anywhere else, and was not asked about it at AA. Or maybe when they saw the issue date of my overseas license they saw it was OK, and would have said something only if it were too recent.

[dilanium]

They would only have said something if it was too recent.

Practical test

You do not have to sit the practical test if:

you have a licence from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States of America, and
your licence is current (or has expired less than 12 months), and
you have held that licence for more than two years.

You do have to sit the practical test if:

you have a licence from a country not listed above, or
you have a licence from a country which is listed above but you have held that licence for less than two years.

bolding mine.
from: http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/56.html

[RJLink]

Thanks. It's as plain as day on the website - I skipped over it, thinking the exemption for the practical test was the same as for the theory test.

[GreenMeansGo]

They would only have said something if it was too recent.


bolding mine.
from: http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/56.html

my license is up for renewal here in Alaska- I have to get it done by sept... best case scenario we're in NZ by beginning of 2010, add one year for needing an NZ license and my license still won't be 2 years old.

Has anyone been allowed to keep their old US license after they renewed for a new US license? And if not, how can we prove that we've held valid licenses?? I haven't had to sit a drivers test since I was 16!! I'm sure I'd hit the windshield wipers instead of my blinkers and it'd all go down hill from there

[BkyMonster]

Maybe you can get a certified copy of your license before they take it from you during renewal? Either that or ask the DMV for a history stating how long you have had a driving record.
I don't know about Alaska licenses but some of the states have a line on the license that says something like: 'record created' with your original issue date in that state. As long as that is 2+ years old shouldn't be an issue.

[dilanium]

The DMV history status should be fine to prove your driving history. Most places will not let you keep your old license once you get your new one, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

[GreenMeansGo]

i will try those ideas! thanks