Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Austroads is introducing revised arrangements for transitioning overseas-issued car and motorcycle licences to Australian licences. These updated arrangements will streamline the conversion process for licences from certain countries, in some cases eliminating the need for additional testing.
These changes do not apply to visitors to Australia, who will still be able to drive with a valid overseas licence, provided they comply with the conditions of their licence.
Under the new arrangements, the Experienced Driver Recognition status will end on 30 April 2025 for all states and territories except Western Australia. The deadline for Western Australia is 31 October 2025.
The new arrangements will be in place for the following countries and jurisdictions: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China), Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Republic of Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan.
If you are from any of the above countries or jurisdictions, you hold an overseas issued licence and wish to transition to an Australian licence, please contact your state or territory licensing authority as soon as possible.
- Australian Capital Territory | Phone 13 22 81
- New South Wales | Phone 13 22 13
- Northern Territory | Phone 08 8999 5511
- Queensland | Phone 13 74 68
- South Australia | Phone 13 10 84
- Tasmania | Phone 1300 135 513
- Victoria | Phone 13 11 71
- Western Australia | Phone 13 11 71
After 30 April 2025 (31 October 2025 for Western Australia), people who wish to apply for an Australian licence and who hold a licence issued by a country that does not hold a Recognition Status will likely need to complete additional training and testing before being granted an Australian licence.
Background
Austroads, the association of the Australian and New Zealand transport agencies, manages overseas-issued licences through its Recognised Country Scheme, which has been updated to reflect changes in the global licensing environment. The new process includes strengthened assessment criteria, greater clarity on mandatory requirements, and a focus on a Safe System approach. Additionally, measures will be introduced for applicant countries to confirm the validity and currency of their licences, addressing growing concerns about identity theft and document fraud.
Find out more about the changes and the reassessment process.