Drivers warned as major licence change rolls out across Australia in days
Permanent Aussie residents driving on foreign licences from a handful of countries will have to pass a test if they wish to remain on our roads under new changes being implemented in just days.
The program which allowed international motorists living in Australia permanently to convert their overseas licence to one issued by an Aussie state or territory without any resting requirements, known as the Experienced Driver Recognition Status (EDR), will come to an end in most jurisdictions on Wednesday.
This means that drivers from countries including South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan and Poland, will be required to undertake further training and testing to receive an Australian licence.
The list will be abolished across all states and territories this Wednesday, with the exception of Queensland, where the EDR scheme will wrap up mid-year, pending the passage of new legislation, and Western Australia, which will end the program on October 31.
'After the deadline, drivers from EDR-recognised countries will be required to pass both knowledge and practical driving tests to obtain an Australian licence and continue driving in the country, unless they transition before the deadline," Andrew Rawlinson, Head of Sales at EzLicence, said.
The Recognised Country status, which includes most western countries like the US, UK, France, Canada and Italy, allows motorists on this list to simply fill in paperwork in order to swap to a local licence.
The move comes months after Austroads, a government-funded agency which manages international licences on behalf of the states and territories, announced it would be updating its process in a bid to 'streamline conversions'.
The changes do not apply to visitors, who will continue to be able to drive on roads if they hold a valid overseas licence and comply with all conditions.
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Rawlinson warned the end of the scheme may place additional demands on the "already stretched" Australian licensing system as foreign drivers seek driving tests to convert their licences.
'This comes at a time when Australia has seen a 3.2 per cent decline in qualified driving instructors over the past year, potentially placing even more strain on an already under-resourced sector," he said.
If a driver has missed the April 30 deadline for converting their licence under the EDR, they'll need to go through the full licensing process, however, there are a few things they 'can do to get ahead of the rush' as demand surges, Rawlinson said.
He recommends drivers schedule their driving test as far in advance as possible, familiarise themselves with the country's road rules and take a few driving lessons as a 'refresher'.
Exactly how motorists go about converting an overseas licence to an Australian one varies from state to state, with those impacted encouraged to visit the AustRoads website. In most jurisdictions in the country, if a driver has a full licence from their home country, they can legally drive in Australia for up to three months from the point of first arriving — except in Victoria, where it's up to six months.
Full list of countries listed on the EDR scheme:
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hong Kong
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Republic of Cyprus
South Korea
Republic of Serbia
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Taiwan
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