Temporary visa holders who arrived on or after 1 July and who intend to live in NSW for more than six months have been encouraged to plan ahead and convert their licence as soon as possible so they can continue to drive with confidence.
According to the Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, the new regulation changes were designed to give confidence to all road users and ensure all motorists understand the State’s road rules and abide by the same standards, with any temporary visa holder required to convert their licence within six months.
Mr Dib said the process for converting to a NSW licence would differ depending on the age of the applicant and the country where their licence was issued.
“Our migrants and visa holders have so much to offer our great multicultural state and it is important everyone knows these changes are coming so they can plan appropriately and get their new licence in time,” Mr Dib said.
“These changes are about making sure everyone has the right skills and understanding of local road rules which ultimately keeps everyone safer.”
He said it was needed to introduce the change in a way that was fair to all, allowing those who entered the country to get the help they need while everyone who needed to take a driver test did so in a timely manner.
“If you need to convert to a NSW driver licence, our excellent teams at the St Marys Testing Centre and across all our Service NSW Centres are ready to help you understand the rules and book your test,” Mr Dib said.
He said overseas licence holders from certain recognised countries with similar licence systems to Australia (such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Singapore) as well as experienced drivers aged 25 or older from other recognised countries (including Poland and South Korea) could visit any Service NSW Service Centre to convert their licence without the need to sit a knowledge test or a driving test.
“All other overseas licence holders will be required to pass a knowledge test and driving test at a Service Centre to receive a NSW licence. They will be exempt from the learner driver logbook requirement.”
To support the changes, the NSW Government’s St Marys Driver Testing Centre in Western Sydney is ready to help and there are currently no wait times to book and sit a test. The facility has 25 staff including driver testers offering about 450 driving tests each week as well as more than 1000 computer-based examinations.
For more information about the new regulations visit this PS News link.
