Overseas licence conversion

Converting an overseas licence in Australia

Two things decide whether you can swap your licence straight over or have to sit a driving test: the country that issued it, and the state you live in now. Both are below, taken from what each transport authority publishes.

Check your situation Or jump to your state

Sources last checked 6 August 2026. These rules change. Confirm with your state authority before you book anything.

Does this apply to you yet?

Your visa decides when the clock starts

Almost every guide to this topic assumes you're a permanent resident. If you're here on a student or temporary work visa, your trigger is a different one, and the states don't agree on what it should be.

Permanent resident or Australian citizen

You must convert, and in most states the clock starts at the visa grant.

Three months from the visa grant in NSW, SA, WA and the ACT, and six months in Tasmania (the date on the grant notice is the one that matters, not the day you landed). Queensland counts three months from when you take up residence there; the grant date only starts the clock if the visa was granted after you had already moved. Victoria and the NT don't look at the visa at all: Victoria gives you six months of living there and the NT three.

Temporary visa: student, graduate, skilled or working

It depends on the state, and two of them measure it differently.

NSW gives you six months. Live there continuously for longer than that and keep driving on the overseas licence and you count as unlicensed, which a court can penalise up to $2,200. Transport for NSW has published proposed on-the-spot fines of $603 for a first offence and $924 for a second, so check the current figure before you rely on it. Victoria works the same way. Queensland doesn't count months at all. It asks what visa you hold, and only a resident visa (permanent or special category) triggers the requirement, so temporary, business and guardian visas aren't required to transfer and can keep driving on a valid overseas licence. That's Queensland's transfer rule specifically, not a blanket exemption, and it can change. Check your own state before you assume.

Visitor or tourist

Drive on your overseas licence for the length of the visit.

Keep the licence current and carry an official English translation or an International Driving Permit alongside it if the licence is not in English. You can't convert on a visitor visa, and hiring a car is a separate commercial decision by the rental company.

The distinction that catches people: NSW and Victoria measure how long you have actually lived there, so six months of study is enough to require a local licence. Queensland measures your visa type, so a temporary visa isn't given a transfer deadline at all. That's no deadline, not a free pass: the overseas licence still has to stay valid, and Queensland can withdraw your authority to drive regardless. Same person, same licence, opposite answers.

Check your situation

Your licence, your state, your actual requirement

Two questions. The answer tells you which tests apply, how long you have, and links you straight to the authority that decides it.

Not listed? Any country absent from a state's recognised list means both tests apply.

The state you live in sets the rules, not the state you first landed in.

What changed

The straight-swap shortcut for 16 jurisdictions is gone

Australia used to run a category called Experienced Driver Recognition. Hold a licence from one of 16 listed jurisdictions, be 25 or older, and your years behind the wheel stood in for the tests. You converted without sitting either one. Austroads, the body the state authorities set this policy through, retired the category on 30 April 2025.

Each state then ran its own transition period. That's why you'll still find advice online telling you no test is needed. It's out of date everywhere now. The last transition finished in New South Wales on 1 February 2026. Hold a licence from any of these and you sit a knowledge test and a practical driving test, anywhere in Australia, whatever your age and however long you've driven:

  • Bulgaria
  • Czech Republic
  • Estonia
  • Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China)
  • Hungary
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Poland
  • Republic of Cyprus
  • Republic of Korea (South Korea)
  • Republic of Serbia
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Africa
  • Taiwan

Your driving didn't change on that date. The paperwork did. But the practical test is a marked assessment of specifically Australian habits: mirror and head checks the assessor can see, our give-way and roundabout rules, low-speed manoeuvres to a local standard. Confident drivers fail it first time for exactly that reason.

How recognition works

Three tiers, and only the first one skips the tests

Every state works from the same national scheme, so the country lists barely differ. The deadline, the paperwork and the licence you walk out with are another matter.

Tier 1 · Recognised

No knowledge test, no driving test

Hold a full car or motorcycle licence from one of the 28 recognised jurisdictions and it's paperwork only: identity documents, an eyesight test, the fee. You still have to do it inside your state's deadline.

Tier 2 · Recognition withdrawn

Both tests, and nobody told you

The 16 former Experienced Driver Recognition jurisdictions. What you have to do is now identical to tier 3. It's a separate group because the advice you're working from is probably wrong: a colleague who converted in 2024 and a guide written before your state's cutoff will both tell you no test is needed.

Tier 3 · Not recognised

Both tests, and sometimes a P-plate

Every other country, India, Nepal, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan and Sri Lanka among them. The ACT issues you a provisional licence rather than a full one, and SA and the NT can do the same.

The 28 recognised jurisdictions

Taken from the lists NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory publish, which agree almost exactly. Tap anything marked with an asterisk for the condition attached to it. New Zealand is the one to watch: several states run it through their own conversion path rather than treating it as an overseas licence.

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Canada — conditions apply Any province or territory. An Ontario licence must be surrendered when you transfer it in South Australia.
  • Croatia
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Guernsey
  • Ireland — conditions apply A full Irish licence only. An Irish provisional licence counts as a learner permit, not a full licence. WA verifies Irish licences with the Irish road safety authority, which can add up to 10 business days.
  • Isle of Man — conditions apply Tasmania recognises Isle of Man licences only if the licence was first issued after 1 April 1991.
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Jersey
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta — conditions apply Tasmania recognises Maltese licences only if issued on or after 2 January 2004.
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand — conditions apply Handled as its own conversion path in some states rather than as an overseas licence. In SA, all classes transfer except MC (road trains and B-doubles).
  • Norway
  • Portugal
  • Singapore — conditions apply WA requires you to log in to your Singpass account using biometrics at the service centre so staff can validate the licence.
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom — conditions apply A full UK licence only. A UK provisional licence counts as a learner permit. English, Scottish and Welsh licences must be surrendered when you transfer them in South Australia.
  • United States of America — conditions apply Any state. External territories aren't included.

A provisional licence from the UK or Ireland doesn't count. It's treated as a learner permit, not a full licence. Heavy vehicle classes are excluded from these exemptions in most states.

State by state

The rules where you live

Deadlines, tests and the local quirks that trip people up. Each block links to the authority that publishes the rule so you can verify it yourself before you commit to anything.

A recognised licence converts with no tests in every state. Only the deadline changes. What follows is what happens if yours isn't.

Overseas licence conversion deadline and test requirements by Australian state and territory, for licences that aren't recognised
State Deadline to convert Tests you'll sit Licensing authority
NSW New South Wales 3 months Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) + driving test Transport for NSW (apply at Service NSW)
VIC Victoria 6 months Learner Permit Knowledge Test + driving test VicRoads
QLD Queensland 3 months Road rules test (or the PrepL course) + driving test Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)
WA Western Australia 3 months Theory test + driving test Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI)
SA South Australia 3 months Learner's Theory Test + driving test Department for Infrastructure and Transport (apply at Service SA)
TAS Tasmania 6 months Driver Knowledge Test + driving test Department of State Growth (apply at Service Tasmania)
ACT Australian Capital Territory 3 months ACT Road Rules test + driving test Access Canberra
NT Northern Territory 3 months Theory test + driving test Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR)
New South Wales 3-month deadline · Transport for NSW (apply at Service NSW)

Converting an overseas licence in New South Wales

Australian citizens and permanent residents, and New Zealand licence holders, have 3 months to transfer.

Recognised licence
No knowledge test and no driving test, provided the licence is current or expired within the last 5 years and is not a learner licence.
One of the 16 that lost recognition
Driver Knowledge Test and a driving test. NSW was the last jurisdiction to end Experienced Driver Recognition, on 1 February 2026.
Any other country
Driver Knowledge Test and a driving test.

Worth knowing in NSW

  • NSW accepts translations only from Multicultural NSW, the Department of Home Affairs, the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea, or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. It must be the original document, because photocopies are refused.
  • Your application receipt lets you keep driving for 2 months while the card is produced.
  • Applicants aged 75 and over need a medical review and may be asked to sit a practical driving test.
  • Temporary visa holders who have lived in NSW for 6 continuous months or more can be penalised for continuing to drive on an overseas licence.

Heavy vehicle licences: No exemptions. Heavy vehicle classes always require testing.

Transport for NSW (apply at Service NSW) — official conversion page Recognised countries and test exemptions

Find a driving instructor in NSW

Victoria 6-month deadline · VicRoads

Converting an overseas licence in Victoria

If you're staying in Victoria longer than 6 months you must convert. Under 6 months you may keep driving on a valid overseas licence.

Recognised licence
No knowledge test and no driving test.
Everyone else, including the 16 that lost recognition
Knowledge test and a driving test.

Worth knowing in VIC

  • Once you hold a Victorian licence it's an offence to keep driving on your overseas licence.
  • A NAATI-approved English translation or an International Driving Permit is required only if your licence is not in English.
  • VicRoads publishes an online checker that returns the exact Victorian licence you can convert to. Use it before booking anything.

Heavy vehicle licences: Heavy vehicle classes are assessed separately and generally require testing.

VicRoads — official conversion page

Find a driving instructor in VIC

Queensland 3-month deadline · Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)

Converting an overseas licence in Queensland

Permanent residents must transfer within 3 months of becoming a resident.

Recognised licence
No road rules test and no practical driving test, provided you hold or have held a corresponding class C, RE or R licence within the last 5 years.
One of the 16 that lost recognition
Road rules test and a practical driving test, regardless of your age.
Any other country
Road rules test (written, or the PrepL online course) and a practical driving test.

Worth knowing in QLD

  • A learner licence from a recognised country also exempts you from the road rules test, but not from the practical test.
  • Most Queensland learners now complete PrepL online rather than sitting a written test at a centre.

Heavy vehicle licences: Classes LR, MR, HR, HC and MC require both a road rules test and a practical driving test even if your country is recognised.

Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) — official conversion page Recognised countries and test exemptions

Find a driving instructor in QLD

Western Australia 3-month deadline · Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI)

Converting an overseas licence in Western Australia

Citizens and permanent residents have 3 months. After that you can't legally drive on the overseas licence even if it's still current.

Recognised licence
No theory test and no Practical Driving Assessment, provided the licence is current or has not expired in the last 12 months.
One of the 16 that lost recognition
Theory test and a Practical Driving Assessment. WA's transition period ended 31 October 2025.
Any other country
Theory test and a Practical Driving Assessment (PDA).

Worth knowing in WA

  • WA's recognition window is tighter than most: your licence must not have expired more than 12 months ago, where NSW and QLD allow 5 years.
  • Irish licences are verified directly with the Irish road safety authority, which can take up to 10 business days.
  • Singapore licence holders must log in to Singpass with biometrics at the service centre.
  • No translation is needed for Irish or Maltese EU plasticised cards, or UK cards printed in both English and Welsh.
  • NAATI translations dated after 1 January 2018 aren't accepted unless the translator holds Permanent Pre-2007 NAATI accreditation listed with the Office of Multicultural Interests.

Heavy vehicle licences: A Light Rigid equivalent needs a PDA but no theory test. Other heavy classes need the Heavy Vehicle Theory Test and a PDA.

Fees: Transfer application $63.50. Licence renewal $49.40 for 1 year or $172.00 for 5 years.

Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) — official conversion page Recognised countries and test exemptions

Find a driving instructor in WA

South Australia 3-month deadline · Department for Infrastructure and Transport (apply at Service SA)

Converting an overseas licence in South Australia

Permanent residents must transfer within 3 months.

Recognised licence
No driving tests, if you hold or have held a recognised car or motorbike licence within the last 5 years.
One of the 16 that lost recognition
Theory test and a practical driving test. SA began applying stricter recognition rules from 1 May 2025.
Any other country
Theory test and a practical driving test.

What you end up holding: Drivers who have to test may be issued a provisional licence rather than a full one.

Worth knowing in SA

  • You only have to surrender your overseas licence if it was issued in England, Scotland, Wales, or Ontario, Canada. Every other licence can be kept.
  • A provisional licence from the UK or Republic of Ireland is treated as a South Australian learner's permit and can't be transferred.
  • New Zealand licences transfer for every class except MC (road trains and B-doubles).
  • Translations must be originals: NAATI (stamped, signed, or with a digital QR stamp), an Australian consulate on official letterhead, or the SA Government's Interpreting and Translating Centre.

Heavy vehicle licences: Overseas heavy vehicle licences follow a separate process; MC has its own pathway.

Department for Infrastructure and Transport (apply at Service SA) — official conversion page

Find a driving instructor in SA

Tasmania 6-month deadline · Department of State Growth (apply at Service Tasmania)

Converting an overseas licence in Tasmania

You must convert within 6 months of the date you're granted permanent residency.

Recognised licence
No knowledge test and no driving assessment, as long as your licence is current.
Everyone else, including the 16 that lost recognition
Tasmanian road rules knowledge test, an online Hazard Perception Test, and an overseas conversion driving assessment.

Worth knowing in TAS

  • Tasmania is one of the few states that adds a Hazard Perception Test to the conversion path.
  • Isle of Man licences are recognised only if first issued after 1 April 1991; Maltese licences only if issued on or after 2 January 2004.
  • The overseas conversion driving assessment is booked through Service Tasmania.

Heavy vehicle licences: Heavy vehicle conversions are assessed separately.

Department of State Growth (apply at Service Tasmania) — official conversion page

Find a driving instructor in TAS

Australian Capital Territory 3-month deadline · Access Canberra

Converting an overseas licence in Australian Capital Territory

Permanent visa holders may use the overseas licence for 3 months, then must hold an ACT licence to drive.

Recognised licence
No extra training and no tests. You're issued a full ACT licence.
Everyone else, including the 16 that lost recognition
A learner course, the ACT Road Rules test, and a practical driving examination.

What you end up holding: Since 1 July 2025, drivers from non-recognised countries are issued a provisional licence, not a full licence, after passing the practical exam.

Worth knowing in ACT

  • The ACT is the clearest example of why the deadline matters: if you don't pass the practical test within 3 months of getting your permanent resident visa, you're driving unlicensed and police can act.
  • Overseas learner or provisional licence holders go through the ACT's Graduated Licensing Scheme instead of converting.
  • Your card is mailed to you and can take up to 21 business days, so you drive on a temporary licence in the meantime.

Heavy vehicle licences: Heavy vehicle classes are assessed separately.

Access Canberra — official conversion page

Find a driving instructor in ACT

Northern Territory 3-month deadline · Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR)

Converting an overseas licence in Northern Territory

You must transfer within 3 months of living in the NT.

Recognised licence
No theory test and no practical test.
Everyone else, including the 16 that lost recognition
Theory test, then an interim licence, then a practical driving test.

What you end up holding: You're issued a provisional licence after passing: 2 years of provisional if you're under 25, 1 year if you're 25 or older.

Worth knowing in NT

  • The NT interim licence carries real restrictions for a full year: for class C you may only drive with a full NT licence holder in the front passenger seat, must stay under 80 km/h, and must have a zero blood alcohol reading.
  • If your interim licence expires before you pass the practical test, you drop back to being eligible for a learner licence only.
  • Your overseas licence becomes invalid for use in the NT as soon as you apply, so carry the receipt at all times.
  • An overseas heavy vehicle licence can't be transferred until you hold an NT driver licence.

Heavy vehicle licences: Get your NT car licence first, then apply for the heavy vehicle class.

Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) — official conversion page

Find a driving instructor in NT

The process

What actually happens, in order

Five steps if your licence is recognised, seven if it isn't. The fork is at step three, and everything expensive sits after it.

  1. Find out when your clock started

    In most states the deadline runs from permanent residency rather than from arrival, so dig out the visa grant notice and count forward: 3 months in most places, 6 in Victoria and Tasmania. Victoria and the NT count from how long you've lived there instead, and if you're on a temporary visa your trigger is a different one again. Everything else is easier once you know your date.

  2. Get your documents in order

    The original overseas licence, an approved English translation if it isn't in English, proof of residency, and identity documents. Order the translation early: only specific translators are accepted and it's the step most likely to add a week.

  3. Check which tier your licence falls into

    This decides whether you're finished in one visit or looking at two tests. Use the checker or read your state's block above. If you're from one of the 16 jurisdictions that lost recognition, don't rely on what a friend did in 2024. The answer changed.

  4. Sit the knowledge test, if you need one

    A road-rules test at a service centre or online, depending on the state. Queensland mostly uses the PrepL course now. It's free to practise and cheap to pass, and it usually has to be done before you can book the driving test. Practise with your state's real questions.

  5. Sit the practical driving test, if you need one

    Booked through your state authority, and often weeks out, so book it as soon as you pass the knowledge test. In the NT you drive on a restricted interim licence in between; in Tasmania there's a hazard perception test as well.

  6. Apply in person and pass the eyesight test

    At a service centre, with your documents, your glasses if you wear them, and the fee. Declare any medical condition that could affect your driving, because you may be asked for a report before the licence is issued.

  7. Drive on the receipt until the card arrives

    You're issued a receipt or temporary licence to drive on: 2 months' validity in NSW, up to 21 business days for the card in the ACT. Carry it. In several states your overseas licence stops being valid for driving there the moment you apply.

Before you go in

What to take to the counter

Every authority asks for the same five things. The detail that catches people out is the translation: most states accept only specific translators, and only originals.

  • Your overseas licence. The original card, not a photocopy or a photo of it.
  • An English translation, if the licence isn't in English. From NAATI, an approved government translating service, or a consulate. An International Driving Permit is accepted instead in some states, but it isn't a licence and won't convert on its own.
  • Proof of your residency status. This is what starts your deadline, so bring the visa grant.
  • Identity documents. Each state publishes its own points-based list; check it rather than guessing.
  • Your glasses or contact lenses. There's an eyesight test on the spot, and if you need lenses to pass it, that becomes a condition on your licence.

Two specifics worth checking before you pay a translator: NSW accepts translations only from Multicultural NSW, Home Affairs, the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea, or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. WA refuses NAATI translations dated after 1 January 2018 unless the translator holds Permanent Pre-2007 accreditation.

What it costs

The bill, broken down

There's no single conversion fee. You pay for the transfer, for the licence term, and for each test you have to sit. Licence fees are re-set on 1 July every year, so rather than publish an eight-state table that quietly goes stale, here are the components with the figures we could verify and where they came from.

Knowledge test
$58 in NSW. Booked online it covers unlimited attempts; sat in person it's $58 every time, which is a good reason to practise first. Source: Transport for NSW fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026
Practical driving test
$72 including GST in NSW, per attempt. Every re-sit is charged again, so the cost of failing is roughly one test plus one lesson. Source: Transport for NSW fee schedule, effective 1 July 2026
Transfer application
$63.50 in WA, separate from the licence fee itself. Source: Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, WA
The licence itself
Charged by term, not by transfer. It's $49.40 for one year or $172.00 for five in WA. Longer terms are cheaper per year everywhere. Source: Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure, WA
NAATI translation
Roughly $39 to $90 for a single-page licence, usually back in one to two business days, with same-day express available. Only needed if your licence is not in English. Source: Range across NAATI-certified translation providers, August 2026
Lessons, if you have to test
Set by each instructor. Live rates on DriveBuddy are shown per suburb, and most experienced drivers book one assessment hour rather than a package. Source: Live marketplace rates

Check your own state's fee page for the current figures. Each one is linked from the state sections above. The pattern that holds everywhere: passing the knowledge test online where that's offered, and passing the practical first time, is where the real money is saved.

If you have to sit the test

Why experienced drivers fail an Australian driving test

The assessor isn't really testing whether you can drive. They're testing whether you drive the way the marking sheet expects, and after years abroad those two things drift apart.

Checks the assessor can't see don't count

Twenty years of glancing at a mirror scores nothing if the assessor can't see it happen. Head checks over the shoulder, before every lane change, merge and pull-out, have to be deliberate enough to be observed and written down.

Give way and roundabouts are local rules

Right-hand drive is the easy part. The rules that catch people are ours specifically: giving way at unmarked intersections, roundabout signalling on exit, and the T-intersection rule where the continuing road has priority.

Manoeuvres are marked to a standard

Reverse parallel parking, three-point turns and hill starts are scored on observation, control and position, not just on the end result. Most experienced drivers have quietly drifted from the textbook method.

Speed tolerance is tighter than you think

Drifting a few km/h over the limit is an immediate fail item in several states, and so is being so far under it that you impede traffic. Both are habits, and habits need a couple of sessions to reset.

Book one assessment lesson before you book the test

Buy one hour with an instructor who tests at your centre and ask them to mark you the way an assessor would. You'll either be told you're ready, which is worth the hour on its own, or you'll get a short list of things to fix. Either way you stop guessing.

21 verified instructors on DriveBuddy · rates average $80/hr · 726 suburbs covered

Find an instructor near you

Compare real rates, reviews and availability. Instructors supply a dual-control car, including manual if you need to shed an automatic-only condition.

Sitting a knowledge test too? Our free state-by-state practice tests use real road-rules questions with the reasoning explained. No signup, no email.

Questions people actually ask

Frequently asked questions

These are the questions Australians search for on this topic, answered directly.

How long can I drive in Australia on my overseas licence?

It depends on your visa and your state, not on your licence. As a permanent resident or citizen you get 3 months in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT, and 6 months in Victoria and Tasmania, but the states start the clock differently: most count from the visa grant, Queensland counts from when you take up residence there, and Victoria and the NT count how long you have been living there. On a temporary visa it varies. NSW and Victoria both cut you off after 6 months of living there continuously, and driving past that in NSW counts as unlicensed (Transport for NSW has proposed on-the-spot fines of $603, so check the current figure), while Queensland only requires a transfer once you hold a resident visa.

Do I actually have to convert my overseas licence?

If you're a permanent resident or citizen living in the state, yes. Permanent residency is what triggers the deadline. In most states the day your visa is granted is the day to start, though Queensland counts from when you take up residence and Victoria and the NT count how long you have lived there. If you're on a temporary visa and driving on a valid overseas licence you usually don't have to convert, but you also can't build Australian driving history or hold a full local licence until you do.

Which countries can convert an overseas licence without a driving test?

Twenty-eight jurisdictions are recognised across Australia, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and most of Western Europe. Hold a full car or motorcycle licence from one of them and you can generally convert with no knowledge test and no driving test. Every other country now requires both tests.

Why does my South Korean, Taiwanese, Hong Kong or South African licence suddenly need a driving test?

Austroads retired the Experienced Driver Recognition category on 30 April 2025. It used to let drivers aged 25 and over from 16 jurisdictions skip both tests. Every state and territory has now finished phasing it out, with NSW last on 1 February 2026. If your licence is from Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea or Taiwan, you now sit a knowledge test and a practical driving test anywhere in Australia, no matter how long you've been driving.

How do I convert an Indian driving licence to an Australian one?

India isn't on any state's recognised list, so you'll need to pass your state's road rules knowledge test and a practical driving test, then meet the usual identity, eyesight and residency requirements. The same applies to licences from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and mainland China. It's the full local test, marked to Australian criteria, which is where a few targeted lessons with an instructor who knows your test route earns its keep.

What happens if I miss the conversion deadline?

Two different things happen, and it helps to keep them apart. First, you lose the right to drive: once the window closes your overseas licence is no longer valid for driving in that state, whatever else is true. Second, and separately, you may lose the conversion shortcut, because most states only recognise a licence that is current or recently expired. WA is the clearest example of the two coming apart, since driving becomes illegal after three months but a recognised licence can still be transferred if it expired less than 12 months ago. In the ACT, failing to pass the practical test within 3 months of your permanent resident visa means you're driving unlicensed and police can act. Don't let the date pass.

Do I have to hand in my overseas licence?

Usually no, but check. South Australia is explicit: only licences issued in England, Scotland, Wales, or Ontario, Canada have to be surrendered, and every other licence can be kept. NSW requires you to present the original at the counter. In the Northern Territory your overseas licence becomes invalid for driving in the NT the moment you apply, and in Victoria it's an offence to keep using it once you hold a Victorian licence.

Do overseas licences carry demerit points in Australia?

Yes, and you can lose the right to drive here without ever holding an Australian licence. While you drive on an overseas licence you're subject to Australian road rules, fines and demerit points. Transport for NSW permanently withdraws visiting driver privileges at 13 demerit points, or on a serious driving offence, or a drink or drug driving conviction. Victoria can disqualify an overseas licence holder who reaches 12 or more points. Treat the period before you convert exactly as if you already held a local licence.

Can I drive for Uber, or do food delivery, on an overseas licence?

Not on the overseas licence alone. Rideshare and other passenger-transport work requires a full local driver licence plus a separate driver authorisation or accreditation from your state, along with vehicle and insurance checks. Each state also sets its own minimum holding period before you qualify. Learner and provisional licences don't count, which matters if your conversion path ends in a provisional licence, as it now does in the ACT and can in SA and the NT. Check your state's passenger-transport authority, not just the platform's own onboarding page.

Can I supervise a learner driver on my overseas licence?

No, in NSW, and generally not elsewhere. NSW is explicit: a supervisor must hold a current full Australian licence, and both the supervisor and the learner can be fined if they don't. An overseas licence, an International Driving Permit, and a provisional licence all fail that test. So if you have moved here with a teenager who is learning to drive, converting your own licence is the thing that unlocks practice in the family car. Until then their logged hours have to come from someone who holds a full Australian licence, or from a professional instructor.

My licence is automatic-only. Will my Australian licence be restricted too?

Yes. If your overseas licence is automatic-only that condition carries across, and if you have to sit a practical test, taking it in an automatic gets you an automatic-only licence. WA says so directly. The condition appears as a code on your card. Removing it later means sitting a driving assessment in a manual, and some states add a waiting period first: Tasmania only lifts it without a test once the condition has been held for three years. If you need to drive manual here, it's usually cheaper to sit the test in a manual from the outset. Instructors supply a dual-control manual for exactly this.

Can I convert an overseas motorcycle licence into a car licence?

No. Classes convert like for like: a motorcycle licence becomes a motorcycle licence, and a car licence becomes a car licence. If you only hold a motorcycle licence overseas you start the car pathway as a local learner: knowledge test, supervised hours, then a practical test. Heavy vehicle classes are stricter again and require testing in most states even when your country is recognised.

Do I need an International Driving Permit to convert my licence?

An IDP isn't a licence, and it won't convert. It's only a recognised translation of the licence you already hold, and it must be carried with that licence. For a conversion application most states want either a licence in English or an official English translation from NAATI, an approved government translating service, or a consulate. Some states accept an IDP in place of a translation, and WA additionally refuses NAATI translations dated after 1 January 2018 unless the translator holds Permanent Pre-2007 accreditation. Check your state's list before you pay a translator.

Is my licence still recognised if it has expired?

Sometimes, and this is where states differ most. NSW and Queensland let you convert on a recognised licence you held within the last 5 years. Western Australia is far tighter: the licence must be current or have expired no more than 12 months ago. Tasmania requires the licence to be current. If yours has lapsed, check your state's rule before assuming you still qualify for the exemption.

How many driving lessons will I need before the conversion test?

There's no set number, and anyone quoting one without meeting you is guessing. Experienced overseas drivers usually need fewer lessons than a first-timer but fail on the same specific things: mirror and head-check routines that assessors want to see performed visibly, our give-way and roundabout rules, low-speed manoeuvres marked to a local standard, and the test route itself. Most experienced drivers book a short assessment lesson, then target whatever it exposes. An instructor who tests at your centre is the cheapest way to find that out.

Do car rental companies accept an overseas licence?

Most do, provided the licence is current, in English or accompanied by an official translation or IDP, and you meet the minimum age and any young-driver surcharge. That's a commercial decision by the rental company and is separate from whether you're legally allowed to drive: if your conversion deadline has passed, a rental desk handing you keys doesn't make you licensed.

Where this information comes from

Every rule on this page was read off the issuing authority's own page, listed below. All links were last checked on 6 August 2026. Licensing rules change, and only the authority can tell you what applies to your specific licence and visa. Treat this page as the map and theirs as the territory.

How we put this page together

Who: the DriveBuddy editorial team. DriveBuddy is an Australian marketplace for booking verified driving instructors, so we deal daily with people who have moved here and need to pass a local driving test.

How: we read the conversion rules on each of the eight state and territory licensing sites, plus the Austroads policy that sits behind them, and recorded each fact against the page it came from, which is the list above. Where two states genuinely differ, we say so instead of averaging them into a single national claim. The section on why experienced drivers fail the practical test comes from what instructors on the platform report seeing most often.

Why: the rules changed substantially across 2025 and 2026, and most pages on this topic still describe the old ones. Someone who reads outdated advice can miss their conversion deadline and lose years of driving seniority, so we would rather send you to the authority with the right questions than keep you on our page.

DriveBuddy is a marketplace for booking driving instructors, not a licensing authority, and this guide is general information rather than legal advice. Only your state authority can confirm what applies to your particular licence, visa and circumstances.