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Applying for an Australian Licence

If your overseas licence ceases to be valid, you may be eligible to apply for an Australian licence.

A person who enters Australia on a permanent visa or who is a permanent resident may drive on their current overseas licence for a maximum of three months after arriving in Australia. If they wish to continue to drive after three months, an Australian issued driver’s licence must be obtained in the state or territory in which the person is residing.

Learner Licence

Persons may apply for their Fake Learne Licence at 16 years of age, passing a written Road Rules Test. Learners under 25 must hold a licence for at least one year and log a total of 100hrs on-road driving experience (including 10hrs night driving) in the issued logbook. However, a logbook exemption can be applied for, meaning the learner will not need to submit a logbook with 100 hours of driving, but will need to hold a Learner Licence for a minimum of 12 months before going for the provisional licence. Learners over 25 years of age are not required to complete a log book of 100 logged driving hours; however, they may voluntarily do so. Learners must display yellow L-plates and are not speed restricted by the licence. Learners must be accompanied by an open licence holder who has held the relevant class open licence for at least 1 year. The drinking level must be 0.00 for a learner and instructor must be under 0.049.

Provisional licence 1

P1 is a transitional licence for applicants 25 years old or younger. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age, held a Learner Licence for a minimum of twelve months, recorded a minimum of 100 hours driving experience in the learner logbook with a supervisor who has held an open licence for twelve months for the class of vehicle used or an accredited driving instructor, and has passed a practical driving test. P1 drivers must at all times display red P-plates. P1 licence holders may upgrade to P2 licences after holding their P1 licences for one year and passing the hazard perception test. There are restrictions to the power of the vehicles and the number of passengers allowed in relation to P1 drivers. Drivers over 25 years of age who successfully pass their practical driving test are able to skip the P1 licence stage and progress directly to the P2 licence stage.

Provisional licence 2

If not upgraded from P1, applicants must have held a Learner Licence for a minimum of twelve months. P2 drivers must display green P-plates. P2 licence holders may upgrade to an open licence after holding their P2 licence for two years (one year for P2 licence holders over 25 years of age). As with P1 licences, there are restrictions to power and passengers but they are less restrictive than P1 licences.

Driver LicenceThe Queensland Government is replacing the current laminate Driver Licence & Heavy Vehicle Driver Licence with a more secure, durable and reliable licence. All licensing and personal information that is currently on the face of the laminated licence will remain on the face of the new card, and the address on the back. From 2005, Queensland licences have been called a “Driver Licence” (as opposed to the traditional “Driver’s Licence” or the variant “Driving Licence”), and no longer carry information about the holder’s organ donor status. The Australian Organ Donor Register  is now used for national registration of tissue donation status. Elderly drivers are required to have their licences renewed more often and are required to have compulsory eye tests, which does not include colour vision. For more information on driver’s licences in Queensland, see Department of Transport and Main Roads and click on Licensing.Work LicenceA Queensland Driver charged with a drink driving offence may apply for a work licence that if granted by the Magistrates Court would entitle the driver to drive for work purposes whilst their licence is suspended.UD Class LicenceQueensland had a special class UD licence which allows operation of heavy agricultural or purpose-built vehicles without an MC or HC licence. No new licences of this type will be issued after 1 January 2014, but existing licences remain valid.