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Driving with a Foreign licence in Singapore

Discuss how you can convert your foreign drivers' licence and other topics relating to drivers' licence.
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aargon
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Driving with a Foreign licence in Singapore

Post by aargon » Thu, 15 Oct 2009 5:50 pm

Anyone know if i have to convert to a singaporean license or have an international drivers license to be able to drive in Singapore? basically i want to rent a car during our first week in Singapore but dont know whether or not I will be able to (I have a Japanese drivers license).

Any help and reference appreciated.

Thanks

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Post by durain » Thu, 15 Oct 2009 6:08 pm


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Post by econoMIC » Thu, 15 Oct 2009 6:13 pm

You have to convert your license within one year, otherwise you can do the Singapore license from scratch afterwards. No way around it, so don't even try to argue :wink: So during the first year you can still drive around using your Japanese License.
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Post by aargon » Thu, 15 Oct 2009 6:23 pm

excellent!

Thanks guys.

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Re: Driving with a Foreign licence in Singapore

Post by x9200 » Thu, 15 Oct 2009 7:33 pm

aargon wrote:Anyone know if i have to convert to a singaporean license or have an international drivers license to be able to drive in Singapore? basically i want to rent a car during our first week in Singapore but dont know whether or not I will be able to (I have a Japanese drivers license).
Any help and reference appreciated.
Thanks
You can drive for one year using your foreign DL and within this period you have to pass the basic theory test to get it converted. As far as I remember if you fail to convert within one year you should enrol in one of the driving centres and complete the full driving course and pass all the relevant tests. But from my and some other people experience this is not necessarily true.

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Post by John McM » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 2:19 pm

When you convert your foreign licence, does this mean that you actually lose your foreignm licence? Or does it mean that you have licences in 2 countries?

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Post by Strong Eagle » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 2:33 pm

John McM wrote:When you convert your foreign licence, does this mean that you actually lose your foreignm licence? Or does it mean that you have licences in 2 countries?
You retain your foreign license.

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Post by ScoobyDoes » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 2:50 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:
John McM wrote:When you convert your foreign licence, does this mean that you actually lose your foreignm licence? Or does it mean that you have licences in 2 countries?
You retain your foreign license.

That's just so funny too. There was a time i had three driving licenses from three countries and i went to the UK (home country) one year and hired a car at Heathrow for a steady drive North of the border.

I walked up to the EuropCar counter and blah, blah, blah until he asked "Can i see your driving license, please?"

I didn't think anything of it and said "Which one?" as a joke because obviously he heard my accent.

"Huh? How many have you got?" :o
"Three. UK, Hong Kong and Malaysia."
"Well, um, okay, well then. Is there perhaps, possibly, theoretically a slight improbable chance that perhaps, possibly you might break the speed limit?"
"Perhaps. :wink:"
"Then give me your HK one. :twisted:"

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Post by econoMIC » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 3:06 pm

In Singapore you will be issued your new license and get to keep your old one. Not so on the European continent though. They will usually take your existing license and send it back to issuing authority. That way it is quite easy to amass foreign licenses. I currently hold four, actually five if you consider my second Ontario license with my name being Steve Nash :wink:

Funny thing that might come in handy some day for someone here. My wife converted her Singapore license to the UK one and they sent it back to Singapore. We then stumbled across the traffic police website over a year later where you can check the status of your license and the result is that her Singapore license is still valid. So all she had to do was go to the traffic police at Ubi and get a new one issued. Problem solved.
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Post by carteki » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 5:16 pm

econoMIC wrote:You have to convert your license within one year, otherwise you can do the Singapore license from scratch afterwards. No way around it, so don't even try to argue :wink: So during the first year you can still drive around using your Japanese License.
I agree with the above, but... A colleague who has lived in Singapore for more than 2 years has just passed her basic theory test and received her SG license. She is also currently renting a car on her US license so no problems there.
john McM wrote:When you convert your foreign licence, does this mean that you actually lose your foreignm licence? Or does it mean that you have licences in 2 countries?
When renting/driving a car you want to use a foreign license as they cannot put points on it and it won't affect your insurance premiums if you decide to buy a car in that country at a later date.
econoMIC wrote:Funny thing that might come in handy some day for someone here. My wife converted her Singapore license to the UK one and they sent it back to Singapore. We then stumbled across the traffic police website over a year later where you can check the status of your license and the result is that her Singapore license is still valid. So all she had to do was go to the traffic police at Ubi and get a new one issued. Problem solved.
I had an amazing argument with the people at the AA in SG when I wanted an international driving licence. They wouldn't give me one as I only had 2 months left on my work permit. They were correct is saying that your Sing driving licence is only valid as long as your residence in SG is valid. But you still have the card and as long as it hasn't reached the exipry date, no-one else is any the wiser.

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Post by John McM » Wed, 11 Nov 2009 5:49 pm

Thanks, all.

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Post by revhappy » Sat, 19 Jun 2010 10:31 pm

@Economic & @X9200, Even if you have crossed the 1 yr mark you can still convert your foreign license, by passing the BTT as long as the foreign DL is valid.

Read the rules again. All it says is that you will need to convert your foreign license to SG license if you are staying here for more than 1 year. No mention that you HAVE to do it before 1 yr.

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Post by Strong Eagle » Sat, 19 Jun 2010 10:38 pm

revhappy wrote:@Economic & @X9200, Even if you have crossed the 1 yr mark you can still convert your foreign license, by passing the BTT as long as the foreign DL is valid.

Read the rules again. All it says is that you will need to convert your foreign license to SG license if you are staying here for more than 1 year. No mention that you HAVE to do it before 1 yr.
You are not correct. Read the rules yourself. You must convert your license withing one year of arriving... generally the date that you came in to get your EP. You get some leeway if you sign up and cannot get a test until after the year has expired.

But please do not mislead people, the statutes are clear.

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Post by revhappy » Sat, 19 Jun 2010 10:49 pm

@Strong Eagle: So lets take a case where a guy comes to SG and is here for 2 years and has a foreign DL, but never rode a bike in SG. So are you saying that his Foreign DL will not be converted? I dont think so. Coz I have colleagues from India who have exactly done that. Also after reading the this link again, I am confident that I am not wrong.

http://driving-in-singapore.spf.gov.sg/ ... ersion.htm

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Post by Strong Eagle » Sat, 19 Jun 2010 10:52 pm

What part of
A foreigner above 18 years of age and holding a Work Pass/Dependent Pass/Student Pass may drive in Singapore with a valid class 3, 3A or 2B foreign licence, for a period of not more than 12 months. A Singapore driving licence is required after 12 months.
Are you missing?

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