British Expats Driving Licence in Australia

An information site for British Migrants to Australia, providing information since October 2005. Post Content follows this advert.

Driving Licences in Australia

Each STATE is responsible for licensing its residents for driving
motor vehicles in its own State. Whilst visiting other States, an
Australian licensed driver is allowed to use their State issued Driving
Licence anywhere in the country.Ā  On becoming a resident of another
State, they must however have their licence transferred to that State.

Permanent Visa Holders

As an overseas licence holder A Permanent Resident is normally
allowed to drive for 3 months before needing an Australian Licence. If
they have not obtained a valid Australian licence after that period,
they would be classed as driving without a valid licence, and will
incur police fines if stopped for any reason.

Temporary Visa Holders

If you do not intend to stay in NSW and do not hold a permanent visa, you will be regarded as a visitingĀ driver. If you hold a current overseas driver licence you are not required toĀ get a NSW licence even if your stay is longer than three months. If the licenceĀ is not written in English, an International Driving Permit, or an English translationĀ must also be carried with the licence when driving.

If you do not have resident/immigrant status, and are visitingĀ Queensland on a visa, there is no requirement for you to change over yourĀ licence.

As a visitor toĀ WA you can drive on your overseas licence for up to 12 months from yourĀ arrival or until the licence expires (whichever comes first). If you intend stayingĀ longer than 12 months or your overseas licence expires within that time, you shouldĀ apply for a WA licence.

If you are inĀ Victoria on a temporary visa, you can drive on your overseas licence (providedĀ it is a current, valid licence) for an indefinite period provided your overseasĀ licence is in English (or you have an English translation), or you have an InternationalĀ Driving Permit.

Students, tourists and persons who are working in South Australia on current temporary visas areĀ permitted to drive on their foreign licences, only while theĀ foreign licence is current. Temporary visas usually do not exceed 4 years.
If the foreign licence expires obtain a South Australian driver’s licence.

Persons holding a temporary visa, ie student/working/holiday
visas, do not need to obtain aĀ Tasmanian Licence for the duration of their visa provided their foreignĀ driver licence remains current.

Visiting motorists are required to carry theirĀ licence (and English translation if applicable) at all times while driving and produceĀ it to Police on request. Production of their temporary visas may also be requiredĀ as evidence of their temporary residential status.

See individual STATE based links, shown in the top menus, for more information relating to your chosen State.

International Driving Permits or
International Driving Licences

Most British drivers can ignore any references to “International
Driving Permits (IDP)”, as these are not required for UK licence
holders. They are required when your normal licence is in a different
language, and must accompany your VALID National licence. An IDP is NOTĀ a licence in itself, but effectively just a Translation of your licence.

If your overseas licence is not in English, it is advisable to carry
an International Driving Permit or an approved English translation of
your licence with you when you drive.

http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/licensing/yourlicence/1365.asp



0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x