Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Australian driver licensing authorities have agreed to recognise driver licences issued by Cyprus and Hungary, expanding Australia’s Recognised Overseas Licences Scheme to include a further two overseas jurisdictions.
The addition of Cyprus and Hungary follows the recent announcement that licences issued by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea and Taiwan will also be recognised.
Once implemented by individual Australian jurisdictions, eligible licence holders from these countries will be able to transfer to an Australian driver licence without undertaking further testing.
Implementation of the changes will occur progressively across Australia, with each state and territory introducing the arrangements according to its own legislative and operational requirements.
Current implementation plans include:
- Western Australia and Queensland: recognition expected to commence from 31 October 2026
- New South Wales and South Australia: recognition expected to commence from 1 January 2027.
Licence holders should check with the licensing authority in their state or territory to confirm when the changes take effect before applying for a licence transfer.
With the addition of Cyprus and Hungary, Australia will recognise licences from 42 overseas jurisdictions, in addition to New Zealand, which is covered under separate trans-Tasman licensing arrangements.
Drivers from jurisdictions that are not recognised can still apply for an Australian licence, although they may need to complete additional testing or meet other licensing requirements set by the relevant Australian state or territory.
These changes do not affect temporary visitors to Australia, who can continue to drive using a valid overseas licence, provided they comply with the relevant licensing conditions.
“Australian licensing authorities are committed to maintaining a nationally consistent, evidence-informed approach to overseas licence recognition,” said Dr Geoff Allan, Chief Executive of Austroads.
“The assessment framework enables jurisdictions to evaluate both licence integrity and road safety outcomes, ensuring recognition decisions support road safety while providing an efficient pathway for eligible drivers to transition to an Australian licence.”
The framework was developed by road safety and licensing experts from Australian licensing authorities and independent specialists. It assesses a range of factors, including licence integrity, road safety performance, driver licensing requirements, and evidence relating to the safety performance of overseas drivers after they obtain an Australian licence.
Assessments draw on international road safety data, Australian crash analysis, and information provided by the jurisdiction being assessed.
“Austroads remains committed to supporting road safety and maintaining the integrity of driver licensing across Austroads,” Dr Allan said.
More information is available here.