Changing driver's licence back to Australia after living overseas

[Warks]

This might not be the exact place for this but it will do to kick things off.

My sister has just moved back to Australia after more than 20 years in Canada. She had a QLD licence when she got her British Columbia licence back then when she first moved. She'd had a NSW licence before that. Because she had a NSW licence she was still in the system here (in NSW) so they had to trace back her history in QLD first. Her husband got a licence straight off as he had a BC (British Columbia) licence. So she was told to wait a week and go back to Service NSW to work it out once they had the info from QLD.

Fast forward and now they are saying they can't re-issue a NSW licence as the QLD licence was cancelled when the BC licence was taken up all those years ago. She's been told she has to take a test.

This can't be right. Why can someone who has never had a licence here be handed a NSW licence? And someone who did their test here has to do it again - especially seeing as they have the same licence as the non-citizen.

I'm sure there are people on here who've done the move away and back again who can offer some of their experiences. Thanks in advance.

 

[TomVexille]

Doesn't sound right to me if she has a valid BC license which sounds like it's one of the ones eligible for transfer. Silly red tape IMO

 

[SL21]

Sounds odd. I had a NSW license before I moved to the US. I then had a Florida drivers license and lived there for 8 years. Our family moved back here in 2009 and we just went to the Queensland RTA and got a QLD license as did my husband. Neither had ever held a QLD license before.

 

[BAM1748]

Does she still have her original (one of) Australian licenses? If she does she should take it with her and all should be fine.

I find the RMS in NSW one of the most useless organisations when it comes to customer service. I once physically lost my license so turned up with my original birth certificate, a certified copy of same plus my current passport, medicare card, rates notice. You know what, they said it wasn't enough ID ! I proceed to point out all the flaws in their ID processes and counter staff came back with the manger, they asked me to have a seat while they checked, I refused and said I would wait at the counter while they checked and within 2 mins they could after all accept a passport and birth certificate as ID.

What a bunch of losers.