If you’re moving to NSW from another part of Australia or another country, you’ll need to get a NSW driver or rider licence. You can use your existing licence for up to three months, but after that you must have a NSW licence.
Interstate drivers and riders
If you move to NSW from any Australian state or territory and hold a current licence you can be issued a NSW equivalent licence. NSW will match the expiry date of your licence for no fee up to a maximum of ten years.
The 10-year driver licence option is restricted to the 21 to 44 year age group to minimise the risks of misidentification due to facial changes in young adults under 21. Additionally, the 21 to 44 year age group is currently not required to undertake an eyesight test every five years (see Eyesight tests for more information).
If you have an expired licence of no more than five years, you can be issued a NSW equivalent, fees may apply. If your licence has expired more than five years, licence tests are required and fees may apply.
You need to meet age requirements to be issued with a NSW licence. You must be at least 16 years for a learner driver licence, 16 years and 9 months for a learner rider licence and 17 years for a provisional driver or rider licence.
Your licence will be converted in line with the NSW Graduated Licensing Scheme. You will need to meet the requirements to progress through each stage.
NSW equivalents for interstate driver and rider licences
First issue date
We use the first issue date of your interstate licence to work out an equivalent NSW licence. If your interstate licence does not show this date, you may wish to obtain a letter from the interstate licence issuing authority (on their letterhead), confirming your licence details.
Service centres and registries can obtain this information for you, however it can take several days to receive this information from the interstate authority.
What you need to do
To convert your interstate licence, you need to attend a service centre or registry in person, and:
- Take your interstate licence with you
- Provide proof of your identity
- Complete a Licence Application form
- Pass an eyesight test
- Have your photo taken
If your interstate licence is expired, you will also need to pay the relevant licence fee.
Your NSW licence card will be posted to you and you’ll receive a temporary paper licence to drive or ride with until your new card arrives.
As you cannot hold more than one Australian licence at a time, we will invalidate your interstate licence, and provide you with a receipt for it. We will also notify the issuing state or territory to cancel the licence in their system.
International drivers and riders
If you’re a permanent Australian resident, or hold a permanent visa under the Commonwealth Migration Act 1958, and you intend to stay in NSW, you are not considered to be a visitor. You can drive in NSW on a current overseas licence for a maximum of three months. Then you will need to apply for a NSW licence to continue driving or riding.
If you do not hold permanent Australian residency, but will be in NSW for more than 3 months, you can apply for a Temporary Overseas Visitor licence.
New Zealand licence holders, regardless of whether you are a permanent or temporary resident, must obtain a NSW licence within three months of living in NSW or stop driving.
You need to meet age requirements to be issued with a NSW licence. You must be at least 16 years for a learner driver licence, 16 years and 9 months for a learner rider licence and 17 years for a provisional driver or rider licence.
Your overseas licence will be taken into account when you apply for a NSW licence and you may be required to pass medical and driving tests. Licences issued in line with the NSW Graduated Licensing Scheme will need to progress through each stage as required.
Important:
Roads and Maritime reserves the right to require applicants undertake a knowledge test or driving/riding test and may not issue a NSW licence unless we are satisfied an overseas licence is valid.
NSW equivalents for overseas driver and rider licences
First issue date
We use the first issue date of your overseas licence to work out the equivalent NSW licence. When your overseas licence does not show an issue date, check with a customer service representative to determine if you will need a letter from the licence issuing authority (on their letterhead), or a relevant consulate or diplomatic office, (based on information received from the overseas licence issuing authority) confirming your licence details. If the letter is not in English, you will need to provide an official translation
What you need to do
To apply for a NSW licence, you must attend a service centre or registry in person and:
- Bring your overseas licence with you
Note: In some circumstances or if you can’t provide your overseas licence, you may be requested to provide confirmation of your overseas licence details and status. A letter from the licence issuing authority (on their letterhead) or a relevant consulate or diplomatic office, (based on information received from the overseas licence issuing authority) confirming your licence details may be accepted. If the letter is not in English, you will need to provide an official translation. You will be advised by a customer service representative if further confirmation of your overseas licence is required.
- Provide proof of your identity
- Provide proof of your Australian permanent residency
- If you can’t provide this, you will be issued with a Temporary Overseas Visitor licence
- Complete the Licence Application form (PDF)
- Pass an eyesight test
- Pass a knowledge test for each class of licence you require, unless you are exempt
- Pass a driving or riding test for each class of licence you require, unless you are exempt
- Pay the relevant licence fee
Your NSW licence card will be posted to you and you’ll receive a temporary paper licence to drive or ride with until your new card arrives.
As you cannot, by law, hold more than one licence at a time in Australia, the details of your overseas licence will be recorded in our system. When you’ve been issued with a NSW licence, including a learner licence, it becomes the licence of authority for you to drive or ride on NSW roads. Your overseas licence is no longer recognised and has no authority while you hold a NSW licence.
When driving or riding in NSW, you must comply with all the conditions, restrictions or limitations applied to your NSW licence. If the Police ask you to produce your licence in relation to a driving matter, you must provide your NSW licence.
If you fail a driving or riding test, your visiting driving/riding privileges will be withdrawn. If you want to continue driving/riding in NSW, you will need to apply for a learner driver licence or learner rider licence and comply with all of the conditions that apply to learners in NSW.
You can re-attempt the driving test provided at least a week has passed since the last driving test. If you held an overseas learner rider licence and failed the riding test, you must obtain a NSW learner rider licence and complete the pre-learner and pre-provisional courses before you can attempt another riding test.
Proof of permanent residency
Roads and Maritime Services accept the following documents as proof of Australian permanent residency:
- Australian full Birth Certificate showing parental details. Commemorative certificates are not acceptable (except for 1987 and 1988 NSW Historic Birth Certificates). See the Births, Deaths and Marriages website for information
- Australian passport
- Certificate of Australian Citizenship
- Australian Naturalisation Document
- Certificate of Aboriginality
- Permanent Resident Evidence (PRE) ImmiCard – Issued before 1 July 2017
- Evidence of Immigration Status (EIS) ImmiCard (permanent residency status only)
- Current ID document from Australian Passport Office
- Current Australian Defence Force photo ID
- Overseas passport or travel document which includes a valid Australian permanent residency visa
Note: Roads and Maritime may verify your permanent residency status online with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. We may also use the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) Service to verify permanent residency.
Documents not written in English
If your overseas licence or confirmation letter is not written in English, you must provide an official translation.
Translations are only acceptable if they are from:
- Multicultural NSW (previously Community Relations Commission of NSW) Visit the MNSW website for more information
- The Free Translating Service provided by the Department of Social Services (DSS). The free translation service is only available to eligible people. Visit the DSS website for more information.
- For South Korean (Republic of Korea) licences only, we accept translations from the Consulate-General of the Republic of Korea, as the Consulate verifies the licence details with the relevant South Korean (Republic of Korea) issuing authority
- For China’s Taiwan Province (Taiwan) licences only, we accept translations from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Sydney, as TECO verifies the licence details with the relevant issuing authority.
Translations obtained through any other means are not acceptable.
Exemptions from knowledge and driving tests
You may be exempt from knowledge and/or driving tests if:
- You have held an Australian driver licence expired within the last five years, and this can be verified with the issuing authority
- You hold a current New Zealand licence (not a learner or paper licence)
- You hold a current foreign driver licence (not a learner), or one expired within the last five years, issued by a recognised foreign licensing authority.
Recognised foreign driver licences
Roads and Maritime Services recognises car and rider licences issued by certain foreign licensing authorities. There are two categories of recognised foreign licensing authorities – A and B.
If you are applying for a heavy vehicle licence (classes LR, MR, HR, HC or MC) you must pass the relevant knowledge and driving tests, even if you hold an equivalent class licence from a recognised foreign licensing authority.
Recognised Foreign Licensing Authority A: If you hold a licence issued by a licensing authority in one these places, you do not have to pass knowledge and driving tests when applying for a NSW car (class C) or rider (class R) licence:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Canada (any State)
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guernsey
- Ireland
- Isle of Man (licences issued since 1 April 1991)
- Italy
- Japan
- Jersey
- Luxembourg
- Malta (licences issued or renewed since 2 January 2004)
- Netherlands
- New Zealand, (except for paper licences)
- Norway
- Portugal
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States of America (any State).
Recognised Foreign Licensing Authority B: If you hold a licence issued by a licensing authority in one of these places and are 25 years or older, you do not have to pass knowledge and driving tests when applying for a car (class C) or rider (class R) NSW licence:
- Bulgaria
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Hong Kong (Important: Hong Kong licence holders must have held a Hong Kong licence for a minimum period of 12 months)
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Poland
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea (Republic of Korea)
- Taiwan
If you hold a licence issued by a licensing authority on List B and are under 25, you must pass the relevant knowledge and driving tests.
Non-recognised licensing authorities: If you hold a licence issued by any other licensing authority, you will need to pass knowledge and driving tests when applying for an equivalent NSW licence.
Important: In some cases, the recognised licensing authority exemption may not apply, for example:
- If you hold a licence from an external territory of a place on List A or List B, you must pass knowledge and driving/riding tests
- If you failed a NSW knowledge test before 17 January 2005, you must re-sit and pass the relevant knowledge test
- If you failed a driving or riding test before 20 May 2002, you must re-take and pass the relevant driving or riding test
- If you hold a licence issued by a licensing authority on List B, and you failed a knowledge test and/or driving test before 18 February 2013 you must re-take and pass the relevant test
- If a Hong Kong licence has been issued for less than 12 months.
Call us on 13 22 13 or visit any service centre or registry to discuss your personal situation.
If you do hold a licence issued by a recognised licensing authority and are exempt from licensing tests, you should read the Road Users Handbook and/or the Motorcycle Riders’ Handbook to learn the current road rules in NSW.
Information in other languages
If you’d like to talk to us in your own language, the Translating and Interpreting Service is available at service centres and registries. Ask at the counter.
