The three-month clock
Three of the four states this guide checked put a number on the licence swap.
- 3 monthsWestern Australia
You have 3 months from becoming a WA resident to apply for a WA driver’s licence.
- 3 monthsQueensland
An Australian citizen needs a Queensland licence once they have been living in Queensland for 3 months.
- 3 monthsThe ACT
If you intend to drive in the ACT, get an ACT licence within 3 months of moving there.
The old licence does not stay live beside the new one. NSW says you cannot hold more than one Australian licence at a time; Queensland withdraws your authority to drive on the interstate licence once it issues yours, and the ACT notifies the state that issued your licence so it can cancel it.
State by state
New South Wales
Licence. NSW matches the expiry date of your interstate licence on an equivalent NSW licence for up to 10 years. The NSW licence you get depends on how long you have held yours: a driver licence held less than 12 months converts to a P1, 12 months to 3 years to a P2, and more than 3 years to an unrestricted licence. A licence expired no more than 5 years can still be converted, and fees may apply; beyond 5 years, tests are required.
Take your interstate licence, a Licence Applications form and proof of identity to a service centre, pay the licence fee, pass an eyesight test and have your photo taken. You leave with a temporary paper licence, and NSW invalidates the interstate one and tells the issuing state.
Registration. A vehicle kept or garaged in NSW must have NSW registration, and that includes caravans and trailers. If it does not, it is treated as unregistered and can’t be driven or towed on NSW roads. When you register, Transport for NSW issues NSW plates, records the interstate ones and tells the interstate authority, and gives you a receipt to take to that authority if you are eligible for a registration refund.
Pages: Moving your interstate licence to NSW, Registering an interstate or overseas vehicle
Western Australia
Licence. A current interstate licence, or one expired less than 5 years, can be transferred for all vehicle classes without theory or driving tests. Apply in person at a service centre or regional agent with a completed Driver’s Licence Application form (DLA1), your interstate licence card and proof of identity, including proof of WA residence. You take an eyesight test, declare any medical conditions or medication, pay the fee if one applies and have your photo taken.
WA says its proof of identity requirements differ from other states’ and agencies’. You need your original birth certificate, and WA does not accept commemorative certificates, laminated or photocopied documents, photos of documents or digital versions.
Registration. WA calls it licensing a vehicle. A car licensed in another state must be inspected at an Authorised Inspection Station before it can be licensed in WA, and you might need to hand in the old plates. For a vehicle from another state, the option of a third party applying for you is not available: you, or an authorised dealership representative, present the application in person. Every vehicle in WA needs a government-approved immobiliser fitted.
Pages: Moving from interstate, License a vehicle in Western Australia
Queensland
Licence. Apply at a transport and motoring customer service centre, a participating Queensland Government Agent Program office, or a licence-issuing police station in rural or remote areas. Bring your interstate licence to hand in, original identity documents including proof that you live in Queensland, and pay the fees. You also declare that you are medically fit to drive the class of vehicle.
With a current interstate licence you pay an interstate licence transfer fee, and the unexpired period carries over to the Queensland licence, up to 5 years. Queensland may first need to confirm your licence and driving history with the state that issued it, and in some cases that means coming back on another day to complete the transfer.
Registration. Queensland’s registration help tool walks through registering a used light vehicle or motorcycle that is registered interstate, including the identity and garaging-address evidence to bring.
Pages: Transferring to a Queensland licence, Registering a used vehicle
The ACT
Licence. Visit an Access Canberra Service Centre with proof of identity, proof you live in the ACT and your current interstate full licence. For an interstate driver licence, the ACT issues a licence with the same expiry date for no fee. You get a temporary licence to use until the card arrives by post, which can take up to 21 business days.
If you can’t produce the interstate licence, or it expired more than a month ago, you need a licence history from the state that issued it, and it is valid for 7 calendar days. Learner and provisional drivers have their own steps on the same page.
Registration. A vehicle, trailer or caravan must be registered to be legally operated in the ACT, and an unregistered vehicle is also uninsured. Moving to the ACT with a vehicle registered interstate is one of the listed reasons you need to register, at an Access Canberra Service Centre.
Pages: Drivers with interstate licences, Vehicle registration and transfer
Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory
These four set their own steps and deadlines, and they vary. Check the transport page for the state you are moving to:
- Victoria: vicroads.vic.gov.au
- South Australia: the South Australian Government’s site, which carries its licence and registration pages
- Tasmania: transport.tas.gov.au
- Northern Territory: nt.gov.au/driving
Before the move
Two things on these pages are easier to sort out before the boxes go. WA wants your original birth certificate in your hand at the counter, so it is worth keeping it with you rather than in a sealed carton on the truck. And NSW says that if your interstate licence does not show its first issue date, getting that detail from the issuing state may take several days.