Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you move to Queensland with an interstate or overseas driver licence, you can keep driving on it for 3 months after you take up residence, then you must hold a Queensland licence. Interstate and New Zealand licences transfer without tests. Licences from Austroads “recognised countries” also skip the tests. Everyone else needs a road rules test (PrepL or the written test) and a practical driving test. This guide explains each case, what to bring and how learners and P platers transfer.
Key facts
- Deadline: 3 months after you take up residence (for overseas licence holders who are not citizens, the clock starts when you take up residence with a permanent or special category visa, or when that visa is granted if later).
- Interstate and New Zealand: no road rules or practical test for the same class held within the last 5 years.
- Recognised countries: no road rules or practical test for a car licence.
- Other countries: road rules test and practical test, whatever your age or experience.
- Apply in person at a TMR customer service centre.
Transferring an interstate licence to Queensland
Under the Driver Licensing Regulation, your interstate licence lets you drive (or learn to drive) the same vehicles in Queensland that it allows at home. That authority ends 3 months after you take up residence. Full-time Australian Defence Force members and eligible family members carrying a current ADF identification card are exempt from the 3 month cut-off.
| Your interstate licence | What you get in Queensland |
|---|---|
| Full (open) licence | Queensland open licence, no tests |
| P1 or P2 | The matching Queensland P1 or P2; your time on Ps carries over |
| Learner | Queensland learner licence. No road rules test if you passed one within the last 5 years. You can apply for credit for up to 100 logbook hours. |
Your licence conditions stay with you, and from transfer you follow Queensland’s rules, such as the under-25 P1 phone ban and peer passenger limit. See Queensland P1 and P2 rules and logbook credit.
Visiting rather than moving? See driving interstate on L or P plates.
Transferring an overseas licence to Queensland
A current overseas licence lets you drive the vehicles it covers in Queensland, and a car, until 3 months after you take up residence. After that you need a Queensland licence.
| Licence from | Road rules test | Practical test |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | No | No |
| A recognised country (listed on the Austroads website, for example the United Kingdom, Canada or Singapore) | No | No, for a car licence |
| Any other country | Yes: PrepL or the written test | Yes |
The licence must have been held within the last 5 years and cannot be a learner licence. TMR’s PrepL service confirms that the old “experienced driver recognition” category has been removed, so experienced drivers from non-recognised countries now sit both tests regardless of age.
Taking the practical test on an overseas licence
- You can sit the test on your overseas licence; you do not need a Queensland learner licence first.
- You may not be able to book online. Call 13 23 80.
- Warning: if you fail a Queensland practical driving test, your authority to drive on your overseas or interstate licence is withdrawn. You would then need a supervisor. Book lessons first and do not drive yourself home after the test.
What to bring to the customer service centre
- original Category A and Category B identity documents (no photocopies or certified copies)
- proof of your Queensland residential address
- your interstate or overseas licence
- a NAATI-accredited translation if your overseas licence is not in English
- a current medical certificate if you have a condition likely to affect safe driving
Licence classes, codes and conditions
Queensland uses the national classes: C (car; CA if automatic only), RE and R (motorcycles), LR, MR, HR, HC and MC (heavy vehicles). Common condition codes on a Queensland licence include:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Automatic transmission only, for the classes it applies to. It never applies to a car licence: an automatic-only car licence shows as class CA instead |
| S | Must wear corrective lenses |
| M | Must carry a valid medical certificate |
| V | Vehicle must have stated driver aids or modifications |
| I | Alcohol interlock vehicle only |
| X3 | Driving under a special hardship order |
Upgrading your licence
To move to a higher class you must have held your current licence for a minimum time within the last 5 years. TMR gives the example of holding a C class licence for 2 years before an HR licence. Time while suspended, surrendered, cancelled or expired does not count. If some of that time was on an interstate or overseas licence, call TMR before you book.
After you transfer: general rules
- Tell TMR within 14 days if you change your name or address.
- Tell TMR about any permanent or long-term medical condition likely to affect your driving.
- Interstate demerit points for matching offences go on your Queensland traffic history.
Common questions
How long can I drive on my interstate licence after moving to Queensland?
Until 3 months after you take up residence.
Do I need to do PrepL if I have an overseas licence?
Only if your licence is not from New Zealand or a recognised country. TMR’s PrepL enrolment service asks a few questions to tell you.
Is my UK licence recognised in Queensland?
The United Kingdom is a recognised country, so a UK car licence held within the last 5 years transfers without tests. Check the current list on the Austroads website.
I am under 25 with a full overseas licence. Do I need a logbook?
If you get a Queensland learner licence on the basis of your overseas licence, the regulation says the logbook and the 6-month hazard perception wait do not apply. Confirm your case with TMR.
Can I keep my interstate P plate time?
Yes. Time on an equivalent interstate provisional licence counts.
Main guide: learning to drive in Queensland. Tests: PrepL and the Q-Safe practical driving test.
Sources
- Queensland Government, “Transport Operations (Road Use Management: Driver Licensing) Regulation 2021”, current as at 21 September 2026 (legislation.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Enrol in PrepL” (service.transport.qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Bookings online: book a driving test” (service.transport.qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Transferring to a Queensland licence” and “Testing requirements to transfer your overseas licence” (qld.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Main Roads, “Your keys to driving in Queensland”, Queensland licensing section (publications.qld.gov.au)
- Queensland Government, “Licence types, classes and conditions” (qld.gov.au)