Who to hire for an overseas licence to convert

Short answer

Start with your state transport authority rather than an instructor: whether you can transfer directly, or must sit a knowledge test, a practical test, or both, depends on the country that issued your licence and on how long you have been in Australia. Book lessons once you know which test you are sitting.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a Driving School.

  • your state transport authority

    first, always. There is usually a deadline — a period after becoming a permanent resident within which you must convert — and missing it makes the process harder.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Check your state's recognised-country list and the timeframe for converting after you become a resident.
  2. Get a certified translation of your licence if it is not in English. Most authorities require one.
  3. Learn the local road rules properly rather than assuming they map from home. Roundabout rules, school zones, keep-left rules and mobile phone laws are the usual surprises.
  4. Book a lesson with an instructor to assess habits from driving on the other side of the road, if that applies.

What to ask when you book

  • Do you work with drivers converting overseas licences?
  • Can you assess where I am against the local test criteria before we book lessons?
  • Do you know the test routes for the centre I am booked at?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Whether a practical test is required.
  • How many lessons are needed.
  • Test car hire.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Licence conversion is administered by each state's transport or licensing authority, and the categories of recognised countries differ between states. Driving instruction is accredited in every state.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for an overseas licence to convert
Start with your state transport authority rather than an instructor: whether you can transfer directly, or must sit a knowledge test, a practical test, or both, depends on the country that issued your licence and on how long you have been in Australia. Book lessons once you know which test you are sitting.
Do I have to sit a driving test to convert my overseas licence?
It depends on which country issued it and which state you are converting in. Each state maintains categories of recognised countries: some licences transfer with no test, some require a knowledge test, and others require both a knowledge and a practical test. Because the lists and the rules differ between states, the only correct answer comes from the authority in the state where you live.

Find a Driving School near you

1,541 driving schools in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.