Convert your overseas licence. In plain English.

The Victorian conversion process — three pathways

Victoria recognises three different conversion pathways depending on which country issued your licence. Knowing which tier you fall into determines whether you sit zero, one, or three VicRoads tests.

1. Recognised Country — direct conversion (no driving test)

If your licence is from one of 28 recognised jurisdictions, you convert to a Victorian licence at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre by passing only an eyesight test — no knowledge test, no Hazard Perception Test, no practical drive test.

The current recognised list includes: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. If you hold a current full licence from any of these, your only Royal lessons (if any) are refresher lessons to settle into left-hand-side driving — not a test prerequisite.

2. The post-April 2025 change — full testing pathway

Up until 30 April 2025, Victoria operated an Experienced Driver Recognition (EDR) scheme that gave a partial conversion shortcut to drivers from 16 additional jurisdictions. That scheme ended. Drivers from those countries — including Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, South Africa, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia — must now complete the full Victorian testing pathway: the learner permit knowledge test, the Hazard Perception Test, and the practical drive test.

This is the single most common surprise we see at Royal. A driver moves to Melbourne expecting a counter-only conversion, books a lesson with us a week before their VicRoads appointment, and discovers they need to sit all three tests. We coach hundreds of these converters every year — typically 5 lessons across the 5-Lesson Pack ($290) plus the Test Package with home pickup ($225) — roughly $515 end-to-end on top of VicRoads fees.

3. Non-recognised country — full testing pathway

If your licence is from any country not listed above, you sit the same three tests: knowledge test, HPT, practical. The Royal coaching plan is the same as for the post-EDR group.

The 6-month residency rule

If you are residing permanently in Victoria — for example, on a permanent residency, a long-stay work visa, or as a returning Australian — you must convert your overseas licence within 6 months of becoming a Victorian resident. Driving on an overseas licence beyond that 6-month mark is treated as driving unlicensed. Visitors on short-stay tourist or business visas can drive on a valid overseas licence (or an International Driving Permit) for the duration of the visit without converting.

Documents you will need at the VicRoads counter

Bring all of the following to your VicRoads Customer Service Centre appointment:

• Your current overseas driver licence (original, not a copy).
• An English translation if your licence is not in English — by a NAATI-accredited translator or by your country's consulate in Australia. (Hong Kong and Singapore licences in English do not need translation.)
• Your passport.
• Proof of Victorian residential address dated within the last 3 months — utility bill, bank statement, lease agreement, or Medicare card with current address.
• Standard proof-of-identity documents (passport plus two further items from the VicRoads-accepted list).
• A passport-style photo (most VicRoads centres can take this on the day).

If you are sitting the practical test as part of the conversion, the test must be booked separately after you have completed the knowledge and Hazard Perception tests.

Fees and total cost

The VicRoads costs vary by pathway:

• Direct conversion (recognised country): Victorian licence issue fee only — typically around $35–$100 depending on whether you select a 3, 4, or 10-year card.
• Full testing pathway: Practical drive test fee around $73.30 (indexed July) plus the Victorian licence issue fee. The HPT and knowledge test fees are bundled into the Motorist Package.

Royal coaching on top: most converters take the 5-Lesson Pack ($290) plus the Test Package with home pickup ($225) — $515 in total — and bundle in a Mock Test if they want a formal sign-off.

What we cover in lessons

Most overseas converters are technically competent drivers — the issue is Victorian-specific rules, not skill. Lessons focus on: kerbside parallel parking to the Australian standard, lane discipline on multi-lane suburban arterials, school zones and the 40 km/h drop, the "give way to the right" rule at unsignalised intersections, hook turns in Carlton and the inner city, the "keep left unless overtaking" rule on roads above 80 km/h, and the mobile-phone-detection camera environment that now spans the whole state. We tailor lesson focus to your country of origin — UK drivers need almost no adjustment, Asian-market drivers usually need more time on kerbside parking and lane changes.