Navigating the roads in Australia is about to become more complex for foreign drivers seeking to call this sunburnt country home.

New national guidelines that came into effect this week will significantly overhaul the driver's licence conversion process, impacting every Australian state and territory.

This change is not just a minor tweak; it's being hailed as the most substantial shift in the Recognised Country Scheme in two decades, and both locals and international residents need to be aware of it.

Austroads, the government-funded agency responsible for managing international licences on behalf of the states and territories, has introduced these changes to 'streamline conversions' from a select list of countries.

The aim is to ensure that drivers from overseas meet the high standards expected on Australian roads, and the new process reflects a commitment to a Safe System approach to road safety.

Foreign drivers seeking an Australian licence may face new training measures and tests under updated national guidelines. Credit: Shutterstock

Previously, overseas drivers could navigate Australian roads with a valid licence from their home country.

However, those planning to live here permanently were categorised into two groups to convert their international licence to an Australian one.

The Recognised Country status included many Western countries such as the US, UK, France, Canada, and Italy, where motorists could fill in paperwork to make the switch.

The second category, the Experienced Driver Recognition Status, encompassed countries like South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, and Poland.

But here's the kicker: this category will be no more from 30 April 2025.

This means licence holders from these countries will likely need additional training and testing to secure an Australian licence.

Geoff Allan, Austroads Chief Executive, has emphasised that the changes are designed to ensure a more rigorous assessment process and to address concerns such as identity theft and document fraud.

The new system will require applicant countries to confirm the validity and currency of their licences, adding an extra layer of security.

However, for overseas licence holders who only transition to an Australian licence after the Experienced Driver Recognition Scheme ends, further training and testing await.

The process for converting an overseas licence to an Australian one varies from state to state, and those affected are encouraged to visit the AustRoads website for specific information.

In most parts of Australia, a driver with a full licence from their home country can legally drive for up to three months after arrival—except in Victoria, where the period extends to six months.

New South Wales has already set a deadline for international drivers living permanently in the state to apply for local credentials.

The new laws, announced in March, aim to close a significant loophole that allowed international drivers to accumulate demerit points without facing the same consequences as local licence holders.

Two main changes affect drivers with overseas licences, so it's crucial for all parties involved to stay informed and prepared.

Key Takeaways

• Foreign drivers seeking an Australian licence may face new training measures and tests under updated national guidelines.
• The changes are intended to streamline conversions and introduce strengthened assessment criteria for licence recognition.
• The Recognised Country status and Experienced Driver Recognition Status have different requirements for international drivers converting their licences.
• The Experienced Driver Recognition Status will be abolished from April 30, 2025, prompting drivers from those countries to undertake further training and testing.

Do you have a story tip or personal experience related to the changes in the new driver's licence? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

[Sasha St James]

There should be much stricter testing before overseas drivers can get an Australian driver's licence here, you just have to watch 'Dash cam Australia' on-line to realise the current system is no good. All the drivers driving on the wrong side of the road, wrong ways around roundabouts etc, endangering themselves and others is just not acceptable. They should have to pass a drivers test here, written and practical, just like all of us here.

 

[Gunpark]

This can't come soon enough and being able to understand and speak English should be part of the change. There was a classic case on RBT last night. An Asian man was pulled over for running a red light. The poor copper spent ages trying to make the driver understand what he had done. Now, whether he was trying to BS the copper or not, as soon as he could not understand the problem, he should have had his licence removed. He would have immediately understood the problem, or a menace would have been off the road.

 

[CliffE]

This can't come soon enough and being able to understand and speak English should be part of the change. There was a classic case on RBT last night. An Asian man was pulled over for running a red light. The poor copper spent ages trying to make the driver understand what he had done. Now, whether he was trying to BS the copper or not, as soon as he could not understand the problem, he should have had his licence removed. He would have immediately understood the problem, or a menace would have been off the road.

No speaky Engrish is a good excuse, I should try it next time when a cop finally catches me.

 

[Viellarde]

This can't come soon enough and being able to understand and speak English should be part of the change. There was a classic case on RBT last night. An Asian man was pulled over for running a red light. The poor copper spent ages trying to make the driver understand what he had done. Now, whether he was trying to BS the copper or not, as soon as he could not understand the problem, he should have had his licence removed. He would have immediately understood the problem, or a menace would have been off the road.

Agree.

 

[Choff5]

Overseas drivers should not use their friends to answer the questions for them

 

[Ronloby]

Any overseas driver who drives on the right-hand side of the road in their own country should have a test before driving in Australia. Too many accidents happen with these drivers as they forget which side of the road to drive on when they arrive here.

 

[Clancieblue]

Why has this taken so long to show up as an issue?

 

[PattiB]

We have encountered a few problems here in Tasmania with overseas drivers especially with some of our lovely Asian visitors. It’s not unusual to find them stopped in the middle of the road because they’ve seen a cow that must be photographed, or else they are standing on the road to get selfies. I followed one very inexperienced driver on a very bendy country road travelling at about 20 Kph, following her was frustrating, I couldn’t overtake as road was terrible & (St.Marys Pass for anyone familiar with NE Tasmania), it wasn’t long before there was a line of cars all creeping along. She finally pulled over in tears so I actually felt sorry for her. Doubt whether she drove here again.

 

[Valerie Pollock]

My husband and I immigrated from South Africa to Australia to join our families here. We both speak fluent English, our home language. We had to do the written and practical tests here- we passed both the tests. Having driven for many years - no accidents we still went to a driving school before taking the tests to brush up on our driving. My husband was 76 and I was 70 years old. I was not tested on how well I could speak English which I feel is essential but I think we were well tested on our driving skills. A lot of times immigrants are confused with refugees. As an immigrants we applied and had to conform to many rules and my son-in-law whose home language was Afrikaans had to pass an oral and written English Exam as part of his immigration application. I don’t know if this applies to all immigrants from different countries. It took us two years to be granted permanent residency and join our families. We have all become Australian citizens and are grateful to be living in this country.

 

[Gazman]

about time.

 

[PattiB]

My husband and I immigrated from South Africa to Australia to join our families here. We both speak fluent English, our home language. We had to do the written and practical tests here- we passed both the tests. Having driven for many years - no accidents we still went to a driving school before taking the tests to brush up on our driving. My husband was 76 and I was 70 years old. I was not tested on how well I could speak English which I feel is essential but I think we were well tested on our driving skills. A lot of times immigrants are confused with refugees. As an immigrants we applied and had to conform to many rules and my son-in-law whose home language was Afrikaans had to pass an oral and written English Exam as part of his immigration application. I don’t know if this applies to all immigrants from different countries. It took us two years to be granted permanent residency and join our families. We have all become Australian citizens and are grateful to be living in this country.

I’m glad you & your family have settled in Australia & I hope you feel welcome. It must’ve been quite a challenge at the age you and your husband were. I think the major problem is with people who don’t speak or understand English. We have a scheme here to teach refugees, mainly women, to drive. One of my friends witnessed one lady doing her written test to pass her drivers license but she was accompanied by her husband who was telling her the answers. Rather disturbing!

 

[Mark@Home]

Australia has some of the worst drivers ANYWHERE. Having driven in more countries than most Australians qualifies my comment.

Australian road rules differ from one state to another. If you are about to ask: "what about Europe?" Stop right there. There is FAR greater cohesion in road rules across states whose languages and cultures differ, than between an allegedly homogenous single country continent like Australia.

My greatest bugbears:

1. Middle lane hoggers are dangerous and must be removed. You would be in court in the good old Mother Country!

2. Imbeciles who slow down or stop on joining a motorway or dual carriageway.

2a 4r5e holes who won't let others in.

3. Signage. Australia is one of the worst countries for signage and the 50kph no-sign rule is arrant nonsense. If you want safety, put up signs. I personally don't care how expensive unambiguity is. It is the safer option, BY FAR!

4. School zones are inadequately marked. They must ALL be painted red on the road throughout the zone - not least because many roads and even school access roads have no markings to say motorists are entering a school zone. Do you want safety or do you need money?

5. Schools have different holidays. I've been out of school for 40-odd years. What do I know which is a school day or not? A teacher I know was pinged by a copper in Queensland in a school zone. She had gone in to work DURING her school holiday but another nearby school was NOT on holiday and she got pinged by a copper who thought he needed a medal. It was Easter. The teacher assumed everywhere was on holiday but the school that was not on holiday only had a long weekend for Easter itself. If you think this is reasonable, you are thick and you do not deserve to be granted a licence!

 

[Janet g]

Why has this taken so long to show up as an issue?

Exactly

 

[Towing]

I think there needs to be something done about drivers who normally drive left hand drive cars because they drive on the other side of the road.

 

[Ebby]

My husband and I immigrated from South Africa to Australia to join our families here. We both speak fluent English, our home language. We had to do the written and practical tests here- we passed both the tests. Having driven for many years - no accidents we still went to a driving school before taking the tests to brush up on our driving. My husband was 76 and I was 70 years old. I was not tested on how well I could speak English which I feel is essential but I think we were well tested on our driving skills. A lot of times immigrants are confused with refugees. As an immigrants we applied and had to conform to many rules and my son-in-law whose home language was Afrikaans had to pass an oral and written English Exam as part of his immigration application. I don’t know if this applies to all immigrants from different countries. It took us two years to be granted permanent residency and join our families. We have all become Australian citizens and are grateful to be living in this country.

Welcome to Australia .lt takes a lot to learn another language English is especially hard also writing it down must have been hard.Hope you are happy and settled here.

 

[HelenFB]

Will this new Law be legal in Western Australia?
Seems unlikely !!

They are a country on their own…. or so they think they are. We lived there for 10 years & always felt like outsiders once they knew we were from the “Eastern State”.

If you have a legal prescription from a legal doctor from any other state in Australia, it will NOT be recognised in Western Australia. This could be a life or death case.

The Australian Government can change that Law if it wanted to but is too weak to do so.

 

[Schisma]

I am currently training a new (Kurdish) student through his "L' experience. The number of signs he has to observe (I had never noticed how many until starting his instruction) is immense. There are the red (compulsory) signs, advisory and cautionary signs (yellow and black) - and I am appalled at the number of Australian drivers who do not know the difference! The problem is that they are not always on signposts, often being displayed on walls, pillars (as in exits from car parks) or even overhead - "Eyes everywhere, fella!"

Many cautionary signs need rapid reading - not easy and requiring considerable familiarity for foreign-language speakers: "High impact zone" ... "Concealed entrances" ... "Trucks turning" ..."Diversion. Alternate route indicated" ... Let's bypass the "P" Parking signs with multiple time restrictions!

Then, there are the road markings: lanes, painted numbers (red with a speed restriction limit number painted in white), white solid lines for Compulsory stops, broken lines for Give Way ones, broken lines for passing, solid lines for crossing (but not passing) and double ones for no overtaking, aaaaand ...

There is a Queensland peculiarity that no one in the town I live in can explain (and these are people who have lived here all their life!) and cannot recall ever having seen them! I happen to know there are over 50 of them in our city: I have driven my student over 70 hours, plus my own navigation of the town's roads in my own driving, which I have noted.
(For Queenslanders, I will describe it as a narrow bar with vertical black/white chevrons - like arrowheads pointing upwards - like the T-intersection arrows on their side. Look it up in "road code signs Queensland" - you'll never stop noticing them after reading this!
Incidentally, how come no driving instructor has even taught their students about these signs, seeing no one knows what they are? I really must ask a Learning school instructor when I get a chance!

And don't get me started on major parking complexes: the level of understanding of conventions of signage (from the green lights for empty spots to the plethora of sites - and signage - for "Way Out" signs) ... yet do any instructors take students (and foreign licence holders) through these110%-concentration zones?

Simply put, the complexities of Australian signage demands more than a cursory, "Do you hold a foreign licence?"

 

[Viellarde]

I am currently training a new (Kurdish) student through his "L' experience. The number of signs he has to observe (I had never noticed how many until starting his instruction) is immense. There are the red (compulsory) signs, advisory and cautionary signs (yellow and black) - and I am appalled at the number of Australian drivers who do not know the difference! The problem is that they are not always on signposts, often being displayed on walls, pillars (as in exits from car parks) or even overhead - "Eyes everywhere, fella!"

Many cautionary signs need rapid reading - not easy and requiring considerable familiarity for foreign-language speakers: "High impact zone" ... "Concealed entrances" ... "Trucks turning" ..."Diversion. Alternate route indicated" ... Let's bypass the "P" Parking signs with multiple time restrictions!

Then, there are the road markings: lanes, painted numbers (red with a speed restriction limit number painted in white), white solid lines for Compulsory stops, broken lines for Give Way ones, broken lines for passing, solid lines for crossing (but not passing) and double ones for no overtaking, aaaaand ...

There is a Queensland peculiarity that no one in the town I live in can explain (and these are people who have lived here all their life!) and cannot recall ever having seen them! I happen to know there are over 50 of them in our city: I have driven my student over 70 hours, plus my own navigation of the town's roads in my own driving, which I have noted.
(For Queenslanders, I will describe it as a narrow bar with vertical black/white chevrons - like arrowheads pointing upwards - like the T-intersection arrows on their side. Look it up in "road code signs Queensland" - you'll never stop noticing them after reading this!
Incidentally, how come no driving instructor has even taught their students about these signs, seeing no one knows what they are? I really must ask a Learning school instructor when I get a chance!

And don't get me started on major parking complexes: the level of understanding of conventions of signage (from the green lights for empty spots to the plethora of sites - and signage - for "Way Out" signs) ... yet do any instructors take students (and foreign licence holders) through these110%-concentration zones?

Simply put, the complexities of Australian signage demands more than a cursory, "Do you hold a foreign licence?"

Too many signs? Not enough signs? See comment #13 item 3.

 

[tomtom]

I totally agree with all the correspondents on this subject, however, the drivers generally here in Victoria are a bloody disgrace - they don't care about anyone, they just do as they please and get away with it - why? I will tell you why - there are virtually NO mobile Police in Victoria, except in the Metro area - they don't patrol in the country like they used to - why? because we have the most useless bunch of senior officers in Australia - we have a pussy cat leading the force so what else do you expect. Current migrants can tell new arrivals not to worry - you will be OK, our police are too busy doing office work to worry about the general public - and before everyone jumps down my throat - I am referring only to the subject of driving.