Overseas Licence Conversion (Full Guide- 2023)

So you already have a driving licence from overseas and you want to get your Australian driver licence, but not quite sure how to go about it?

Here it is the step by step process on how to get Australian driver licence!

STEP 1:
PASS THE WRITTEN TEST

What to read?

You have two options for that:

1) You can prepare for the test by reading the ‘Your keys to driving in Queensland’ book

• You can buy the hard copy of this book from any QLD transport office or some news agencies or simply download the PDF versions of it for FREE here
• The actual paper book costs $15.25
• You can practice the test online on QLD Transport website or RACQ website
  
  
• 2) You can register for the 'Prep L' online course
• The cost for this course is $26.20.

Where to do the test?

• For this test, you need to go to a ‘Queensland Transport Office’ in person and let them know that you are there for the ‘written road rules test’
• You don’t need to make any appointments for this test, if you don’t need an interpreter. Just turn up at any QLD transport office
• If you need an interpreter for this test, you need to go to one of  the QLD transport centres and let them know that you need an interpreter. They will book your written test for you, providing you with an interpreter.
  

  Note: The interpreting services does not cost you anything. It’s FREE, and Because they need to book an interpreter, you can’t take your test on the same day.

• Here it is the list of Department of Transport and Main Roads Office locations in Brisbane
• Make sure you go to these centres before 4:00pm as after that they may not let you take the test

What documents to bring?

• The original & the English translation of your overseas driver licence
• Your passport
• Your debit or credit card
• Medicare card (If you have one)
• A document that shows your proof of address, eg. a bank statement or a current lease/rental document, electricity/gas/telephone bill, your tax assessment/tax file number notice, Queensland vehicle registration certificate or an official letter from Centrelink

How is the test?

• The test consists of 30 multiple choice questions (3 choices)
• 10 questions are ‘give way rules’ questions. At least 9 must be correct. If you get 2 of these questions wrong, you will fail the test
• 20 questions are about traffic signs and general road rules questions. At least 18 must be correct. If you get 3 of these questions wrong, you will fail the test
• There is no specific time limitation for the test

How much does it cost?

• The written test costs $24.75 which you must pay at the office at the time of your test
• You can pay this amount by either cash or eftpos

What happens next?

• If you pass the written test:
  • You will receive a driver licence receipt with your licence number (which is called CRN too, short for ‘Customer Reference Number’) at the bottom of it. This number is your Australian driver licence number. You are now ready to proceed to step 2.

• If you fail the test:
  • Repeat step 1 again. You have to wait until the next working day to take the test again. You must pay the test fee every time you take the test.

STEP 2:
PASS THE PRACTICAL TEST

How is the test?

• The test goes for 30 minutes
• It is on the actual roads at different traffic situations with a variety of speed limits
• You can either take your own car or hire our car. If you take your own car, make sure your car is functioning well. If you hire our car, we need to have one hour lesson before the test as well.

How to book the test?

• Practical test needs to be booked in advance. You can book it by:
  
  • Booking online on the Department of Transport and Main Roads website on your own
  • paying the booking fee at a Department of Transport and Main Roads customer service centre and then booking your test by calling 13 23 80
  • Booking by calling 13 23 80. You will then receive an email with the link for paying online.
    

    Note: If you need an interpreter for your practical test, you can go to the centre that you book your driving test at and take all your IDs with you and let them know that you need to book an interpreter. You need to do this as soon as you can at least a week before your test. The interpreting services provided by QLD transport does not cost you anything. At the time of the test, the interpreter, who is a person who speaks your mother tongue language, sits at the back of the car and interprets the driving examiner’s instructions for you.

How Much does it cost?

A practical driving test in QLD costs $60.25.

Where to go for the test?

The centres that you can go to for your practical driving test in Brisbane are as follows:

• Greenslopes (we recommend this centre)
• Toowong
• Sherwood
• Carseldine
• Wynnum
• Logan Central
• Cleveland
• Ipswich
• Redcliffe
• Caboolture
• Strathpine
  

  Note: Here it is the contact details of all the QLD Transport Office Locations in and around Brisbane. Please see which centres do the practical tests, as not all of them do.

What documents are needed for booking the test?

• Your current Australian driver licence, If you have one.
• Your foreign driver licence with an English translation of it (If you don’t have the English translation of your licence, you can find a translator on NAATI website and get it done ASAP.
• Your passport
• Your debit or credit card
• Your medicare card, if you have one
• If you don’t have an Australian driver licence, you need to present a document which shows your proof of address, eg. a bank statement or a current lease/rental document, electricity/gas/telephone bill, your tax assessment/tax file number notice, Queensland vehicle registration certificate or an official letter from Centrelink.
  

  Note: If you are unable to provide any of these documents, see what more acceptable documents you can bring

How to prepare for the test?

• Go to a driving school in Brisbane and take some driving lessons
• After every driving lesson, put everything you learned into practice
• Drive around the test centre and in different traffic situations A LOT, if you already have a car
• Make sure you watch the video of the ‘car controls you need to know for your driving test in Australia
• Definitely know about four reasons why people fail their driving test in Australia
• if your test is at Greenslopes driver test centre, read this to know how to pass your driving test at Greenslopes first try. The driving test tips on the mentioned link are applicable to any driving test centre in Brisbane.

What happens after the test?

• If you pass the test:
  • Your photo is taken to go on your driver licence
  • You will be asked to pay for your licence:
    • 1 year licence:  $78.90
    • 2 year licence:  $110.00
    • 3 year licence:  $136.15
    • 4 year licence:  $157.55
    • 5 year licence:  $176.75
  • You will be issued an interim driver licence which you can use to drive legally until you get your actual licence in the mail within 2 weeks.
    

    Note: If your test is on a Saturday and you pass the test, you will be given the test report indicating that you passed the test. You, then need to take that document to any QLD transport office and present it to them. Then, they will issue you with the interim licence which you can use to legally drive in Australia until you receive the actual driver licence in mail within maximum two weeks. Note that you cannot use the test report document to drive in Australia. That is NOT a driver licence.

• If you fail the test:
  • You will be given a ‘Notice of Withdrawal of Authority to Drive- Failed Practical Driving Test’ paper
  • Your overseas driver licence becomes instantly invalid and you are not allowed to drive using it anymore
  • If you want to drive, you must purchase a QLD learners licence (issued for 3 years, $171.90) and someone with an open licence needs to sit next to you anytime you drive
  • You can decide not to purchase the QLD learner licence. If you don’t buy this licence, you can only drive solo to the centre when you have your next practical test
  • If you drive in Queensland without a driver licence, you will be charged with unlicenced driving and you will be required to appear in court. If the charge is proven, the court will disqualify you from obtaining a Queensland driver licence for six months and may impose a fine of more than $4000 or one year imprisonment.
  • If you fail the test for the first time, you can book the test for the next day, provided you can get an appointment in the centre you have in mind.
  • If you fail the test for the second time, you can only take the test again after 7 days from the date of failure.
  • If you fail the test for the third time, you can only take the test 28 days after the date of your last fail.
    

    Note: In order to make sure everything runs smoothly and you can get your licence easily without any interruption to your work and social life, it’s best to take some driving lessons from a professional driving instructor, where they can correct your mistakes and make you ready for the test. Failing even just once will only ruin your self-confidence and adds to your stress for the subsequent tries of the test.

    Remember that driving in Australia and getting your Australian driver licence is easy when you know the rules and you know how to do all the manoeuvres properly.

    To your success,

    Emu Driving School