Converting an Australian Driver Licence in New Zealand

Australia is an exempt country for New Zealand licence conversion, so an Australian car licence held for two years or more converts without a theory or practical test. From 1 November 2026 you can drive on it for only 12 months from your last arrival. If your passport is from a non-exempt country, you also need proof your licence is valid.

Key takeaways

• NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) lists Australia as an exempt country for converting a car licence.
• From 1 November 2026, the time you can drive on an overseas licence falls from 18 months to 12 months from the day you last arrived.
• If you have held your licence for two years or more, and it shows an issue date that proves it, you do not need a practical test.
• If your licence is Australian but your passport is not, and it is from a non-exempt country, you must bring evidence of validity from your Australian licensing authority.
• No notary, apostille or translation is involved for an Australian licence, which is in English.

What is changing on 1 November 2026?

This is the first thing to know if you are moving across the Tasman soon. NZTA says that from 1 November 2026, the time you can drive on an overseas car licence in New Zealand reduces from 18 months to 12 months, counted from the day you last arrived in New Zealand. The 18-month limit was a temporary extension introduced in 2024 to ease pressure on driving test waiting lists, and it ends on 31 October 2026.

When your time is up, NZTA says you must either convert your overseas licence to a New Zealand one or stop driving. If you leave New Zealand and come back, your time starts again from the new arrival. NZTA also advises allowing plenty of time to convert, because it can take a while to get a test booking where a test is needed.

There is one transitional point. NZTA says that if you have started converting but have not yet received a New Zealand licence, you can continue to drive on your overseas licence for up to 18 months from your last arrival. If you already hold a New Zealand licence with a supervisor condition, or a New Zealand learner licence, that overrides your Australian licence.

Do you need to sit a test?

Usually not, if you have been driving for a while. Australia is on NZTA's list of exempt countries, which it describes as countries with similar licensing systems and driving skills. For a car licence from an exempt country, the rule turns on how long you have held it:

Held your Australian licence for	What NZTA requires
Two years or more	No theory or practical test, as long as the licence clearly shows an issue date at least two years ago
Less than two years	A practical driving test, booked by the agent when you apply
Two years or more, but the card does not show it	A document from your licensing authority showing an issue date more than two years ago, or the practical test instead

That last row catches many Australians, because some cards show an expiry date but not when you were first licensed. A licence history from your state or territory solves it. If you still need a practical test, your New Zealand licence carries a supervisor condition until you pass, and you must drive with a qualified supervisor beside you in the meantime.

What if your passport is not Australian?

This is the rule most relevant to migrants who learned to drive, or converted a licence, in Australia. NZTA says that if your licence is from an exempt country but your evidence of identity is from a non-exempt country, you must provide evidence that your licence is valid. Its own example is a licence from Canada held by someone with an Indian passport. The same applies to an Australian licence held by someone whose passport is from a country not on the exempt list. NZTA explains the purpose: to stop people presenting a fraudulent licence to avoid tests.

The evidence has to come directly from the licensing authority, the country's embassy or consulate, or a government department such as the police. For Australia, NZTA's evidence of validity page points to the licensing record services of each state and territory, including the ACT's licence records, Transport for NSW personal records, Queensland's licence and traffic history, South Australia's driver licence history report, Service Tasmania, VicRoads driver history and Western Australia's licence check. Print the evidence and take it with you when you apply. NZTA's list does not name a Northern Territory service, so NT licence holders should ask the NT licensing authority what it can provide.

What do you take to the conversion?

NZTA says you must apply at a specialist overseas conversion site, not just any licensing agent. For a car licence from an exempt country, you will need to:

• fill out the application for conversion of an overseas driver licence, form DL5
• present evidence of your identity
• prove your eyesight meets the standard, and give a medical certificate if one is required
• present your physical Australian licence
• present evidence of validity, if your identity is from a non-exempt country
• let the agent take your photo and signature, and pay the application fee
• provide high-quality colour photocopies of all the original documents you present

NZTA is clear that you cannot convert using only an international driving permit. You must present the physical overseas licence. It also says your overseas licence counts as valid if it is current or expired within the last 12 months, and is not suspended, disqualified or revoked where it was issued.

What if you are under 18, or hold a motorcycle licence too?

Younger drivers convert to an age-appropriate class. NZTA says that if you are under 18, you can only convert your overseas licence to the equivalent age-related New Zealand licence class. Its minimum ages are 16 for a learner licence, 16 and a half for a restricted licence, and 18 for a full licence, or 17 and a half with an approved course certificate. If you hold an Australian learner or provisional licence, ask the conversion agent which New Zealand stage it matches before you apply.

Other classes are separate. Converting a car licence does not convert a motorcycle or truck licence. NZTA has separate conversion pages for motorcycle and truck licences from exempt countries, so check each class you hold before you apply.

Do you need a notary, a translation or an apostille?

No. An Australian licence is in English, so no translation is needed, and NZTA's process relies on the physical licence, identity documents and official records, plus colour photocopies made by you. None of NZTA's requirements for an exempt country asks for a notarised copy or a DFAT apostille. NZTA does audit conversions, and says that using a fraudulent licence or giving false or misleading information is an offence, which is the reason for the evidence of validity rule. That rule is met by a record from the licensing authority, not by a notary's stamp.

A notary can help with other documents for a move to New Zealand, but not this one. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia; an apostille confirms the signature and seal on a document, never its contents. New Zealand's status is shown on the HCCH status table, and our guide to apostilles for New Zealand covers documents that do need one.

How do you convert an Australian licence in New Zealand?

1. Work out your deadline: 12 months from your last arrival, from 1 November 2026.
2. Check how long you have held the licence, and whether the card shows an issue date at least two years ago.
3. Get a licence history from your Australian licensing authority if the date is missing.
4. Check your passport. If it is from a non-exempt country, get evidence of validity from the same authority.
5. Complete the DL5 form and make colour photocopies of every original.
6. Apply at a specialist overseas conversion site, and book a practical test if you need one.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming you still have 18 months. From 1 November 2026 it is 12.
• Relying on an international driving permit to convert. NZTA needs the physical licence.
• Forgetting evidence of validity when your passport is from a non-exempt country.
• Bringing a card with no issue date and no licence history to back it up.
• Going to an ordinary agent instead of a specialist overseas conversion site.
• Paying for a notary or apostille that NZTA has not asked for.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

An engineer who grew up in Nepal, moved to Sydney and got a NSW licence six years ago is moving to Auckland for work. His passport is Nepali, so under NZTA's rule he needs evidence of validity for his Australian licence. Before leaving, he requests his licence record through Transport for NSW's personal records service, which also shows his original issue date. In Auckland, well within 12 months of arriving, he takes the DL5 form, his NSW licence, passport, the printed record and colour photocopies of each to a specialist overseas conversion site. He needs no test, and no notary.

In short

An Australian car licence held for two years or more converts to a New Zealand licence without a test, because Australia is an exempt country. From 1 November 2026, you can drive on it for 12 months from your last arrival, down from 18. Bring the physical licence, identity and colour copies to a specialist conversion site. If your passport is from a non-exempt country, bring evidence of validity from your Australian licensing authority. No notary is needed. Our guide to driver licences and notaries covers other uses of an Australian licence overseas, and our document notarisation page covers documents that do need a notary.

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