One of the questions we hear more often when getting ready to move to Australia is: Do I need an international driver’s licence to drive in Australia?
Yes. If you wish to drive in Australia, you must hold a valid international driving permit accompanied by the driver’s licence issued in the country you live in.
Driving in Australia – State by State
You can drive with your foreign or different Australian state driving license for the first three months, then you need to get an ACT license.
In New South Wales – while holding a temporary visa – you can drive with your international driving license as long as you have a NATI translation.
You can drive with your foreign or different Australian state driving license for the first three months, then you need to get a NT license.
In Queensland è possibile utilizzare la propria patente estera finché si risulta ‘visitatori’ dello stato, ma una volta residenti stabili é necessario ottenere una patente dello Stato.
In South Australia – while holding a temporary visa – you can drive with your international driving license as long as you have a NATI translation.
In Tasmania – while holding a temporary visa – you can drive with your international driving license as long as you have a NATI translation.
In Victoria you can drive with your foreign or different Australian state driving license for the first six months, then you need to get a Victoria license.
In Western Australia – while holding a temporary visa – you can drive with your international driving license as long as you have a NATI translation.
Driving in Australia – road safety and regulations
- School Zones: watch out for school zones and for the fines you can get in these areas! What are the school zones? “A school zone refers to an area on a street near a school or near a crosswalk leading to a school that has a likely presence of younger pedestrians. School zones generally have a reduced speed limit during certain hours”.
- Drive on the left hand side: di Australia you need to drive on the left hand side which means you overtake on the right. If you are not used to this pay special attention to leaving car parks or secondary roads especially in remote areas where the traffic is super light.
- Speed limits: speed limits in Australia can be a bit odd, make sure you comply with them to avoid penalties.
- Drink driving: “you’re breaking the law if you drive and your blood alcohol concentration equal to or more than 0.05. If you’re on a learners or provisional licence, your BAC must be zero.”
Do you need to translate your driving licence? buy it in our shop.