overseas licence holders

For overseas licence holders from a non-approved country, you must complete the full Pre-Learner Licence Course before you can book in for the Government Driving Assessment with a government licence examiner.

 

To undertake a practice knowledge assessment please visit the Safe Plates Testing website.

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If you are attempting the one-off driving assessment for the first time, you do not need to complete the Hazard Perception Test.

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If you have failed your one-off driving assessment on either your overseas or interstate licence, you will need to apply for an ACT Learners licence in an Access Canberra Service Centre.

To meet the Hazard Perception Test requirement of holding your ACT Learners licence for at least 3 months, Access Canberra may take into consideration your previous driving experience. If you are eligible, Access Canberra will activate your ACT Learners licence to be accepted by the HPT website after 3 business days from the date of issue.

For overseas licence holders

If you are successful and not from an approved country:

• You will need all your relevant paperwork and identity documents outlined under Step 3 – Prepare for your driver licence test

• Attend an Access Canberra Service Centre in person and provide:

  • a passed Pre-Learner Licence Course and Knowledge Test certificate from an approved training provider;

  • your foreign driver licence and an international driving permit, or

  • if the foreign driver licence is not written in English, it must be accompanied by an official English translation issued by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters or an Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators accredited translator; and

  • proof of identity and proof of residency.

• You will be issued an ACT Driver Licence equivalent to your overseas driver licence.

Your ACT licence will be mailed to your nominated postal address.

 

If you are unsuccessful:

• The driving examiner will provide you with verbal feedback after your assessment and email you the assessment report which will detail the reasons for deeming you ‘not yet competent’

• The driving examiners will not be able to provide comprehensive face-to-face feedback to you or your family/friends due to time constraints and safety concern

• You will then need to attend an Access Canberra Service Centre to be issued with an ACT Learner Licence and provide:

  • a passed Pre-Learner Licence Course and Knowledge Test certificate from an approved training provider; 

  • your foreign driver licence and an international driving permit, or

  • if the foreign driver licence is not written in English, it must be accompanied by an official English translation issued by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters or an Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators accredited translator; and 

  • proof of identity and proof of residency. 

Your ACT licence will be mailed to your nominated postal address.

Once you have been issued with an ACT Learner Licence, you will be required to complete all the requirements of the Graduated Licensing Scheme. This includes:

• Mandatory practice driving hours dependant on your age.

  • Clients under the age of 25 are required to complete 100 hours of driving practice with at least 10 hours during night-time conditions; and

  • Clients aged 25 or above are required to complete 50 hours of driving practice with at least 5 hours during night-time conditions.

• Hazard Perception Test

• Hold an ACT Learner Driver Licence for the required tenure dependant on your age (your overseas driver licence tenure is honoured in this scenario):

  • Clients under the age of 25 are required to hold their ACT Learner Licence for a minimum of 12 months; and

  • Clients aged 25 or above are required to hold their ACT Learner Licence for a minimum of 6 months.

Once the above requirements are met you must pass either a Government Driving Assessment or the Competency Based Training and Assessment before you can upgrade your ACT Learner Licence to an ACT Provisional Licence and must hold this for a period of 3 years.

Approved countries and jurisdictions for mutual recognition of overseas driver licence

A national agreement for driver licence purposes separates overseas licence holders into three categories. Those from approved countries and jurisdictions, those from experienced driver recognised countries and jurisdictions and those from non-approved countries and jurisdictions.

Applicants from the following approved countries and jurisdictions who hold a full driver licence are exempt from the knowledge test and the practical driving assessment when applying for a full licence in the ACT.

• Austria

• Belgium

• Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Canada

• Croatia

• Denmark

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Greece

• Italy

• Ireland

• Japan

• Luxembourg

• Malta

• Netherlands

• New Zealand

• Norway

• Portugal

• Singapore

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• United Kingdom

• United States of America

Applicants from the following experienced driver recognised countries and jurisdictions who hold a full driver licence and are 25 years of age or older are exempt from the knowledge test and the practical driving assessment when applying for a full licence in the ACT.

• Bulgaria

• Cyprus

• Czech Republic

• Estonia

• Hong Kong*

• Hungary

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Poland

• Republic of Korea

• Romania

• Serbia

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• South Africa

• Taiwan

*Hong Kong licences must be held for at least 12 months to qualify for mutual recognition.