Converting an Australian Driver Licence in South Korea

To convert an Australian driver licence in South Korea, apply in person at a Korean licence test centre. Australia is not on Korea's recognition list, so you sit an aptitude test and a written test. You also need a notarised copy of the licence with a DFAT apostille, or an Australian Embassy-certified copy, issued within the last year.

Key takeaways

• A foreign licence alone does not let you drive in Korea. Visitors can drive on an Australian International Driving Permit for one year from entry.
• To stay longer, you exchange the Australian licence at a driving licence test centre, in person; nobody can lodge for you.
• Australia is not on Korea's April 2026 list of countries whose licences are recognised, so you sit the aptitude test and a 40-question written test.
• Korea asks for an embassy confirmation or an apostille for the licence, issued within one year of your application. This is where a notary comes in.
• Only a full, current licence can be exchanged, and it becomes a Korean Class 2 ordinary licence.

Visiting, or living there?

Korea treats short visits and residence differently. Korea's official legal information service, Easylaw, citing article 96 of the Road Traffic Act, says a person holding an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention may drive in Korea for one year from the date of entry, limited to the vehicle classes on the permit. Australia is listed among the Geneva Convention countries. An IDP holder can drive a hire car, but not a commercial passenger or freight vehicle.

If you are moving to Korea for longer, you need a Korean licence. The Korea Road Traffic Authority (KoROAD), which runs Korea's driving licence services, says a licence issued abroad does not by itself allow you to drive in Korea, but the holder of a licence issued by a competent foreign authority can apply to exchange it for a Korean licence.

Is Australia a recognised country?

This decides how much testing you face. KoROAD's page lists the countries whose licences Korea recognises, under a National Police Agency notice dated 6 April 2026. These are countries that exchange a Korean licence for their own without a test, and Korea returns the favour with a lighter process. The list includes New Zealand, Japan, Canada's provinces and many US states, but Australia is not on it.

Licence from	Tests in Korea
A recognised country	Aptitude test, a physical check, only
A country not recognised, including Australia	Aptitude test and a written test of 40 multiple-choice questions

The written test can be taken in Korean, English, Chinese or Vietnamese. The irony is that Australia's states generally let a Korean licence holder aged 25 or over with at least a year's experience convert without tests, as the Korean Embassy in Australia notes, but the arrangement does not run the other way. Check the list again when you apply, as it can change.

What to bring to the test centre

For a foreign national with a licence from a country Korea does not recognise, KoROAD lists:

1. The original foreign licence.
2. The original passport, showing your departures and entries.
3. The original Korean alien registration card, or for overseas Koreans with foreign nationality, the domestic residence report card.
4. Three colour photos, 3.5 by 4.5 cm, taken within six months.
5. An embassy confirmation or an apostille certificate for the licence.
6. A certificate of entry and exit records from your year of birth to the present.

Korean nationals and permanent residents bring their Korean resident registration card instead of an alien registration card, and their passport must show more than 90 days in the country that issued the licence. Test and issue fees apply; we do not quote them.

The apostille or embassy confirmation

This is the part that needs planning before you leave Australia. KoROAD says the licence must be supported by an embassy confirmation or an apostille certificate issued within one year of the application, to verify that the foreign licence is genuine. It accepts either:

• A certificate issued in Korean or English by the issuing country's embassy in Korea, or by the Korean embassy in the issuing country; or
• An apostille issued in Korean or English in a country that belongs to the Apostille Convention.

KoROAD adds a warning worth taking seriously: if the apostille or confirmation shows signs of having been separated, such as removed staples or a cut ribbon, the office may ask for more documents or reject the application. Never unstaple the bundle.

Route one: a notarised copy and a DFAT apostille in Australia

A plastic licence card is not something DFAT can apostille on its own. The practical route in Australia is a notarised copy of the licence, with the apostille placed on the notary's certificate:

1. Book a notary and bring the physical licence card. A digital licence on a phone is not the original.
2. The notary copies both sides, compares the copy with the card, and certifies it in English.
3. DFAT apostilles the notary's signature and seal. In Australia, only DFAT issues apostilles; Korea is a member of the Convention.
4. Keep the bundle intact, and time it so the apostille is less than a year old when you apply in Korea.

Our guide to notarising a driver licence explains the notary's step, and our guide to apostilles for South Korea covers DFAT's.

Route two: the Australian Embassy in Seoul

If you are already in Korea, the Australian Embassy in Seoul says on its notarial services page that it issues a certified copy of an Australian driver licence for clients who intend to exchange it for a Korean licence. It photocopies the document and applies DFAT's approved certification wording. It cannot certify a digital version of a licence, so bring the card. The embassy's page also explains how it handles electronic documents and appointments; book before you go.

Which route suits you depends on timing. If you are leaving soon and your licence card is in hand, the Australian route means you arrive ready. If you are already in Korea, or your apostille would be more than a year old by the time you apply, the embassy route is simpler.

The fine print

KoROAD's notes on the exchange add several conditions that catch people out:

• Full licences only. Temporary, learner, provisional or probationary licences, and permits, cannot be exchanged. An Australian P plate licence is likely to fall into that group.
• Class 2 ordinary only. The exchange gives a Korean Class 2 ordinary licence, except for a few countries with their own agreements.
• The 90 days. Your passport and entry and exit records are used to confirm you were in the issuing country when the licence was issued, and for 90 days. If the stay cannot be confirmed, the exchange is refused.
• Names and dates of birth must match across the licence and passport, or you need an embassy confirmation or other document explaining the difference.
• In person only. No one can lodge on your behalf, except holders of certain Ministry of Foreign Affairs identity cards.

Before you leave Australia

A little preparation at home saves a second trip to the test centre:

• Renew early if needed. The licence must be current when you apply, and you need the physical card for the notary or the embassy.
• Keep your old passports. The test centre uses your passport and entry and exit records to confirm you were in Australia when the licence was issued. If that was years ago, an older passport may be the only record.
• Consider a licence history. Many Australian cards show an expiry date but not the date you were first licensed. A licence history from your state or territory licensing authority shows it, and can help if the test centre asks.
• Get an IDP for your first year, so you can drive while the exchange is under way.

On the day

Applications are made at any of Korea's driving licence test centres. KoROAD says the aptitude test can be done at most test centres, though a few have no medical check room and send applicants to a nearby hospital. Because exchanges take time, it asks applicants to lodge by 5 pm, an hour before closing, and to arrive before 4 pm if a written test is needed, which it will be for an Australian licence.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Arriving without the apostille or embassy copy, or with one more than a year old.
• Unstapling the apostille from the notarised copy.
• Bringing a digital licence instead of the card.
• Trying to exchange a provisional licence.
• Expecting no written test: Australia is not on the recognition list.
• Driving on an IDP past a year from entry.

In short

An Australian visitor can drive in Korea on an International Driving Permit for a year from entry. To convert an Australian licence, attend a Korean driving licence test centre in person with the original licence, passport, alien registration card, photos, entry and exit records, and either a notarised copy with a DFAT apostille or an Australian Embassy-certified copy, under a year old. Expect an aptitude test and a written test. For other documents, see our guide to Korean visa documents; our notarisation service explains certified copies.

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If you are heading to Korea soon, send us your licence details and travel date, and we will explain each step before you book.