Major driver licence changes for Australian permanent residents from some nations

Permanent Australian residents from some foreign countries will soon be required to convert their international licences, as new licensing standards come into effect.

Under the Recognised Country Scheme, those drivers have been allowed on Australian roads with a valid overseas-issued licence as long as they comply with the conditions of that licence.

Now, half that scheme is being scrapped.

The upcoming change — to a scheme which has been in place for decades — aims to boost road safety and provide stronger proof of identity for foreigners and reflects changes in Australia’s licensing systems.

The conversion process will affect both car and motorcycle licences and involve new training measures for some.

It will not affect visitors to Australia driving with their overseas licences.

“The development of a scheme for heavy vehicle licence recognition is still under consideration,” the Austroads website said.

Austroads manages overseas-issued licences under its Recognised Country Scheme, within which there are two separate categories — Recognised Country status and Experienced Driver Recognition status.

Experienced Driver Recognition status will no longer be recognised from April 30, 2025 in most Australian states and territories, and will cease nationally in subsequent months.

Drivers from countries with Experienced Driver Recognition status — a list which includes Eastern European countries as well as South Africa, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong — will be asked to transition away from the soon-to-cease status.

Countries on the Experienced Driver Recognition list will be notified to apply for the Recognised Country Scheme, and licence holders from those countries will from that point have six months to apply to transition to an Australian licence.

Experienced Driver Recognition status transition

Austroads chief executive Geoff Allan said anyone with Experienced Driver Recognition status who misses the April 30 deadline may have to do additional training under the new criteria.

“If an overseas licence holder does not apply to transition to an Australian licence before the Experienced Driver Recognition Scheme ends, they are likely to have to undertake further training and testing before they can be issued with an Australian licence,” Allan said.

“If you are 25 years of age or older and miss the deadline for exchanging your licence issued by a country on the Experienced Driver Recognition list, it is likely that you will have to undertake further training and testing before you can be issued with an Australian licence,” Austroads said.

Those drivers are encouraged to check the relevant requirements with the Australian road agency in the state or territory they live and drive in.

“The new process has been designed with strengthened assessment criteria, greater clarity regarding mandatory requirements and a focus on a Safe System approach,” Allan said.

“Additionally, given the growing reliance on a licence as proof of identify, as well as the rise in identity theft and document fraud, the changes will introduce a mechanism for applicant countries to confirm the validity and currency of their licences.”

Recognised Country status reapplications.

For drivers from countries with Recognised Country status — a list which includes many Western nations as well as Japan and Singapore — not much will change.

The countries where those license holders are from will be asked to reapply for the status against the revised criteria over the next 12 to 18 months.

“From the moment of notification, they will have 12 months to submit a new application,” the Austroads website said.

“Unless there are specific concerns about the operation or standards of a Recognised Country’s licensing system, each Recognised Country will undergo a reassessment review every five years.”