Indian Community in Australia

Process to convert Indian Licence in to Australian Licence:

How to convert an Indian driving licence in to Australian licence is the most common question asked. If you hold Indian full driving licence you do not need to start from the beginning instead you can simply pass driving test and get full Australian licence depending on age of your overseas licence.

First, let me explain you what is the process to get Australian licence from the start. You need to follow below steps if you don’t have overseas full driving licence. It will take minimum 4 years to get full licence in Australia.

• Pass DKT (Driving knowledge Test) It is computer based exam. Once you pass DKT you get Lerner’s licence
• You must hold Lerner’s licence for 12 months and complete 120 hours driving practice and record all timing in the log book
• Pass the driving test and you will get Red P
• You must hold red P for 12 months
• Now you must pass Hazard Perception Test to get Green P
• You must hold green p for 24 months before you can apply for full licence
• Pass DQT (Driver Qualification test) to get Full licence.

If you are visiting Australia, you are on student or visa other than PR you can drive using your Indian licence. Once you get PR (Permanent Residency) You cannot drive on Indian licence after 3 months of getting PR. Some points to keep in mind

• Your overseas licence must be at least 3 years old to apply direct Full Australian licence
• If your overseas licence is less than 12 months old then you need to go through P1 and P2 stage
• If your overseas licence is more than 12 months old but less 3 years then you can go to P2 licence without having P1 this will save you 12 months

Process to convert Indian licence in to Australian licence:

– Attend any RTO service centre near by your place
– Provide Proof of identity such as Passport
– Provide Proof of your residency or Visa stamp
– Produce your overseas licence (Sometimes you need to present letter from overseas licencing issuing authority). You need to approach nearby VFS centre to get the licence verified. You need to pay fees for that. You can go to VFS website for more information
– Once you have all information handy you can go to RTO again and fill up full licence application
– You need to pass eye test
– Book DKT test and pass it
– Now you book for driving test. Once you pass driving test you will be issued full Australian driving licence

Tips: I recommend you take some driving lesson before going for real test so you will get some idea what examiner look in the exam. It is better to book an exam on Saturday as there will be less traffic on the road. If you must book during weekdays make sure to avoid school hours. During exam examiner may ask you for reverse parking as well so make sure you know how to do reverse parking.