Bike Insurance - UK licence

[lukemillar]

Hey all,

I have moved to Australia (NSW) in the past 3 weeks and would like to get a motorcycle for transport. I am on a temporary visa and will be here less than a year so an unable to convert my licence to an Australian one. I spoke to the RTA in NSW and they said that my licence is valid providing I keep a copy of my passport and visa with me when riding the bike. I have a full unrestricted cateogory A licence from the UK. Looking at various insurance companies, none will allow me to insure and ride a bike on a non-Australian licence.

Does anyone have any experience with this, or am I screwed?

Please let me know your thoughts as I am pretty much out of options

Thanks
Luke

[jasonbw]

PM me your email address, theres a mate I know who came out form the UK and would have been in the same situation.. he'll hopefully have some good info.

[jasonbw]

Here was the info from Rog, just in case of future searches.


Hi Luke,
I was in the same circumstance in 2001.

At that stage, the license was fully portable, and the RTA handbook had a section about what to do in case of coming from abroad. I carried a copy of the RTA handbook on the bike with me – but not a copy of my passport and visa. If the RTA say that’s the go, I’d suggest phoning them again and asking again (sometimes the second answer is different!)

Insurancewise, there were several companies who wouldn’t insure non-Australian licensees back in 2001, but NRMA were fine with me – usual questions: how long have you been driving?, any accidents in the last 5 years?, etc etc…but they insured me immediately. They aren’t the cheapest, and the situation regarding drivers with UK licenses MAY have changed. I had a quick look at the PDS (product disclosure statement – attached) but couldn’t find anything relevant to overseas, Australian or UK licenses. Again, I’d suggest contacting them to ask, and if they say “No”, call and ask again – you may get a different answer!

There are several sites that come up after a google search on “overseas license motorcycle insurance” to do with self-ride tours, and motorcycle tours, so it MUST be possible – so keep looking!

Good luck – hope this helps,
Rog.

[slowbike]

insurance companies will do it,they just will not pass on any no claim bonus unless you have proof of insurance from other seas. I know because i set one up for a guy who only been in Australia for a few week

[lukemillar]

Ok, 6 months later, I thought I would post an update in case anyone else wants the info :)

Turned out to be waayyy simpler than I thought. At first NRMA were the only company that would insure me on a UK licence, but they were quite expensive. A friend of mine said that he just walked into the RTA and got a license with a copy of his home license and proof of address in Australia - simple as that! So I did the same and now have a Full Australian licence :)

The also let me keep my UK licence, which means I now have 2 licences - which may prove quite handy ;)

I have now bought a Daytona 675 and have booked EC on the 12th April (not with RATS) and will book Oran Park on th 4th May with RATS, so hopefully meet some of you soon. :)

Luke

[Marcus]

If your UK license doesnt have photo ID can I have a copy ;-)

[zenodamper]

It does Marcus - since about 5 yrs ago...

Which RTA was this - each branch seems to have different knowledge in my experience - so can you let me know the address plz? (seriously, those scenes in Fat Pizza are really not that exaggerated!!)

Cheers

[holdontight]

Mite sound dumb but could you just insure your ride with a UK based insurer if you only have a UK licence. You are a UK resident so the property is UK owned so to speak.

[tazkenny]

e-bike insurance are fine with UK licence.

[lukemillar]

Mite sound dumb but could you just insure your ride with a UK based insurer if you only have a UK licence. You are a UK resident so the property is UK owned so to speak.

No - Bike needs to be registered in the UK - plus al of their systems are base quotes on UK addresses i.e where the bike kept etc. (plus it's cheaper here ;))


e-bike insurance are fine with UK licence.

When I rang them up originally, they weren't. I was with eBike in the UK before moving here, so they even had my insurance records and no-claims, but was still a no. They let you do it when insuring a car - just not bikes

Maybe they have changed it now? Either way - doesn't really matter now :)