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Driver’s Licence & P-Plates

Australia is a huge country with long distance to cover if you want to get around. Public transport is only noteworthy in the big capital cities like Sydney. Thus, a car is the main mean of transport and driving is an essential skill to surviving in Australia.

Beyond that, Australia’s lack of identity cards has led to driver’s licences becoming the de facto photo ID used in everyday situations.

If you are new in Australia there a two ways of obtain a driver’s licence:

  1. Swap/exchange your existing overseas driver’s licence to a valid “Australian” one
  2. Get a new driver’s licence by following the necessary steps

Since Australia doesn’t have a nationwide driver’s licence, each of the states and territories issue their own licences based on their own rules. Furthermore, the process and time required to obtain a driver’s licence also varies in each state and territory. The official nomenclature for car licences can be different too, for example, “Driver’s Licence” or “Driver Licence”.

Getting a driver’s licence in Australia can be a lengthy and costly exercise. This normally starts with an eyesight test when applying for a test or licence, followed by a Driver’s Knowledge Test. Drivers are issued with an L-plate after passing the Driver’s Knowledge Test. This allows drivers to start taking lessons on the road.

Before progressing to a practical test to obtain a restricted or probationary licence – learners are required to pass a Hazard Perception Test that judges their ability to recognize potentially dangerous situations. Most states and territories need young drivers under 25 to log between 50 – 120 hours of supervised driving by an instructor or a person with a full licence. The number of driving hours required vary in different states and territories.

I have compiled the relevant steps for each state/territory:

In response to COVID-19 various State Governments have announced temporary changes to adapt the licensing system to the current situation. These changes are not reflected below.

ACT

Learner Licence

The requirements to obtain a learner driver licence:

  • The applicant must be at least 15 years and nine months of age
  • Successfully completed a Pre-learner Licence course, including passing the ACT Road Rules based computerized knowledge test
  • Completed a visual acuity (eye) test and pass minimum eyesight requirements
  • Supplied full proof of identity and proof of residency
  • Paid the prescribed fee

Whilst driving on your learner licence in the ACT you must:

  • Display ‘L’ plates at the front and rear of the vehicle
  • Ensure that a person holding a full Australian driver licence occupies the seat next to you
  • Have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of zero
  • Not tow a trailer exceeding 750kg GVM
Provisional Licence

Provisional licences issued will be valid for 3 years. There is a two staged provisional licence:

  • A red P plate for the first 12 months (P1) with late night peer passenger restrictions. You will be limited to one peer aged passenger between the hours of 11pm and 5am. A peer aged passenger is someone (that is not a family member) who is aged between 16 and 22 years old.
  • A green P plate for the remaining 2 years (P2). If you are 25 or older when you are issued with your provisional licence, you will be a P2 for the entire 3-year provisional licence period.

Getting your licence:

  • If you are under 25 when you are issued with your learner licence you must undertake a minimum of 100 supervised driving hours, including a minimum of 10 hours at night-time.
  • If you are 25 or older when issued with your learner licence you must undertake a minimum of 50 supervised driving hours, including a minimum of 5 hours at night-time
  • You must undertake a mandatory Hazard Perception Test.
  • You must be at least 17 years old
  • Have held your learner licence for at least 12 months (or 6 months if you were 25 or older when it was issued)
  • Successfully complete the Hazard Perception Test (HPT);
  • Successfully complete either a one-off driver assessment or the Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBT&A) modules

Learner and provisional drivers are subject to a full mobile device ban. So when you’re driving – it is illegal to text, use social media, use blue-tooth, handsfree or speaker mode. If you even touch your mobile device – to skip a song or talk-type message – you could lose up to $600, 4 demerit points and maybe even lose your licence.

Full Licence

After the provisional period of three years has been completed, you can obtain a full licence which is renewable on each birthday divisible by five years.

New South Wales

Within NSW’s Graduated Licensing Scheme it takes at least 4 years to progress through all the licence stages. You need to complete 6 steps to progress from a learner to a full licence:

  1. Pass the Driver Knowledge Test to get your learner licence
  2. If you’re under 25, start supervised driving practice. You also need to hold your learner licence for at least 10 months before progressing to step 3. If you’re 25 or over, you can go straight to step 3.
  3. Attempt the Hazard Perception Test (HPT). This is a computer-based touch screen test that measures your ability to recognize potentially dangerous situations on the road and respond appropriately. If you’re under 25 you need to hold your learner licence for at least 12 months and complete your 120 hours of supervised driving practice, including 20 hours of night driving, before moving to step 4. If you’re 25 or over you can go straight to step 4 after you pass the HPT.
  4. Book and pass the driving test to get your provisional P1 (red) licence. You will need to hold your P1 licence for at least 12 months before you can progress to step 5.
  5. Apply to upgrade to a provisional P2 (green) licence. You need to hold your P2 licence for at least 24 months before you can progress to step 6.
  6. Apply to progress to a full, unrestricted licence.
L – Learner Licence

To get your learner licence you must:

Rules for learner drivers:

  • Only drive cars 
  • Be supervised at all times by the holder of a full (not learner or provisional) Australian driver licence
  • Have L plates displayed clearly at the front and back of the vehicle, on the outside, or an L sign on the roof, when driving. The letter L on the plate must not be hidden
  • Observe the posted speed limit, and never drive above 90 km/h
  • Not tow any other vehicle
  • Not have any alcohol in your system when you drive a vehicle. It is also illegal to drive under the influence of drugs
  • Not use any mobile phone, including hands-free devices or loudspeaker, while driving, or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked.
  • If in Sydney, not drive in Parramatta Park or Centennial Park.
  • Your learner licence will be suspended or refused if you reach or exceed 4 demerit points in a three-year period.
  • You must comply with these NSW rules when you are driving interstate or overseas.
P1-Provisional Licence

To apply for your P1 licence, you must:

  • Be at least 17 years of age
  • Have passed a Hazard Perception Test (HPT) – you must have held your learner licence for at least 10 months before you can do the HPT
  • Have held a learner licence for at least 12 months, unless you’re 25 or older
  • Have logged at least 120 hours driving time in your learner driver log book, including at least 20 hours of night driving, unless you’re 25 or older
  • Pass an eyesight test
  • Pay the licence and test fees
  • Pass the driving test.

Rules for P1 drivers

  • Only drive cars. You cannot apply to upgrade your licence to a higher class
  • Display P plates clearly on the front and back of the vehicle, on the outside. The letter P on the plate must not be hidden.
  • Observe the posted speed limit and never drive over the maximum speed limit of 90 km/h
  • Only tow trailers up to 250 kilograms of unloaded weight. You must display a P plate (red P on a white background) on the back of the trailer while towing
  • Not have any alcohol in your system when you drive a vehicle. It’s also illegal to drive under the influence of drugs
  • Ensure all occupants, including yourself, are in a seat with a seatbelt or an approved restraint fitted, with each passenger using the seatbelt or restraint
  • Not use any mobile phones, including hand free devices or loudspeaker, while driving or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked
  • Your P1 licence will be suspended or refused if you reach or exceed 4 demerit points.
  • You must comply with these NSW rules when you are driving interstate or overseas.
P2-Provisional Licence

To apply for your P2 licence you must:

Rules for P2 drivers

  • Display P plates (green P on a white background) clearly on the outside of the front and back of the vehicle. The letter P on the plate must not be hidden.
  • Observe the posted speed limit and never drive over the maximum speed limit of 100 km/h
  • Not have any alcohol in your system when you drive a vehicle. It’s also illegal to drive under the influence of drugs
  • Ensure all occupants, including yourself, are in a seat with a seatbelt or an approved restraint fitted, with each passenger using the seatbelt or restraint
  • Not use any mobile phones, including hand free devices or loudspeaker, while driving or while your vehicle is stopped but not parked
Full licence

To apply for your full licence, you must:

  • Have held your P2 licence for at least 24 months
  • Pass an eyesight test
  • Pay the licence fee, unless you’re eligible for a concession.

Northern Territory

New drivers need to pass both the learner and provisional licensing stages before they can get a full licence.A new driver will progress through four stages to obtain a full licence

Learner Licence (L)
  • You have to pass a driver knowledge test before you get a learner’s licence
  • You must pass an eye test when applying for your driver licence
  • Pay a fee and receive your learner driver licence
  • It is recommended to log at least 100 hours of supervised driving experience, including 20 hours of night driving, before attempting the drivers test.
  • You must hold a learner licence for at least six continuous months immediately before you can upgrade to a provisional licence.
Provisional licence (P)
  • You have to pass a driving test to obtain a provisional licence.
  • If you are under the age of 25, you must hold a provisional licence for two years before you can upgrade to your open licence.
  • If you are 25 years old or over, you must hold a provisional licence for one year before you can upgrade to your open licence.
  • A practical test is not required to progress past the provisional licence stage.
  • A zero blood alcohol content (BAC) condition is applied to your licence for three years. This condition will be removed the day after you turn 25 – unless you remain a provisional licence holder.

Queensland

In Queensland one has to obtain the following licences subsequently (a few exceptions apply, see below). All licences are only valid for a certain period and have to be renewed when they expire.

  1. L – Learner Licence
  2. P1 – Provisional licence
  3. P2 – Provisional licence
  4. O – Open Licence
Learners Licence (L)

A learner licence lets you drive a vehicle under supervision.

Once you turn 16, you can apply for a learner licence to drive a car. A learner licence allows you to drive a car under supervision. The supervisor must have held an open licence for at least one year and currently hold an open licence.

To get a learner licence, one needs to successfully complete PrepL or pass a written road rules test. One must also be medically fit to drive.

P1 provisional licence

The P1 licence is the first provisional licence, before one moves onto P2.

If you are under 25 years of age, you need to book and pass the practical driving test to get the P1 licence.

You cannot take a practical driving test until you are at least 17 years of age and have met the logbook requirements.

Once you have a P1 licence, you can drive unsupervised.

When driving you must:

  • display red P plates
  • have your licence with you and show it to a police officer when asked
  • comply with any conditions on your licence. For example, if you have an ‘S’ condition on your licence you can only drive while wearing corrective lenses
  • obey the zero alcohol limit.

You must not:

  • use a mobile phone (even using hands-free or Bluetooth accessories) unless you are legally and safely parked. Your passengers can’t use the loudspeaker function on their mobile phones
  • drive with more than 1 passenger under 21 who is not an  immediate family member (unrelated by blood, marriage, or a guardian relationship) between 11pm and 5am
  • drive under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs
  • accumulate 4 or more demerit points in any 1 year period or you will have to choose between a suspension and a good driving behaviour period
  • drive a high-powered (performance) vehicle

You need to hold your P1 licence for at least 1 year to be eligible to upgrade your licence to a P2 or open licence.

P2 – Provisional licence

You will get a P2 licence if you:

are at least 18 and you have

or

are at least 25 and you

  • have held your learner licence for at least 1 year and
  • were at least 25 years when you passed the practical driving test.

When driving you must:

  • display green P plates
  • have your licence with you and show it to a police officer when asked
  • comply with any conditions on your licence. For example, if you have an ‘S’ condition on your licence you can only drive while wearing corrective lenses
  • obey the zero alcohol limit.

You must not:

O – Open License

You must be at least 20 years old to be eligible for an open driver licence.

To upgrade your provisional  licence to an open licence, you must:

South Australia

In South Australia the Graduated Licensing Scheme is the process of obtaining a full driver’s licence which involves:

  • At least 75 hours of supervised driving during the learner’s permit phase
  • S compulsory hazard perception test to progress from L to P1
  • A two-stage provisional licence (P1 and P2).
Learner’s Permit

Learner’s permit conditions and laws

If you commit a speeding offence, you will also commit a breach of your learner’s permit conditions if you exceed the speed limit by 10 km/h or more.

You must

  • not drive a motor vehicle with any concentration of alcohol in your blood or the presence of THC (the active component in cannabis), Methylamphetamine (also known as speed, ice or crystal meth) or MDMA (ecstasy) in your blood or oral saliva
  • drive with a qualified supervising driver in the seat next to the driver.
  • not carry a passenger on the motorbike, or in a sidecar attached to it when riding a motorbike unless that person is a qualified supervising driver.
  • display the prescribed L-plates so that they are clearly visible from the front and the rear of the vehicle. (rear only for motorcycles)
  • not exceed the 100 km/h speed limit at any time.
  • not accumulate four or more demerit points during the learner’s permit period.
  • carry your current learner’s permit at all times whilst driving.
  • not use any function of a mobile phone.
  • not ride between midnight and 5AM unless a Qualified Supervising Driver is present or you have an exemption.
P1 Provisional Licence

Before you can  get your P1 licence you’ll need to:

  • Hold a learner’s permit for at least 12 months or six months If you’re 25 or over;
  • Complete at least 75 hours of supervised driving (including 15 at night);
  • Pass the Hazard Perception Test.

You can get your P1 licence by:

Option 1: Passing a practical driving test called the Vehicle On Road Test (VORT). You’ll need to book with a motor driving instructor who has a VORT licence .
or
Option 2: Complete the competency based training course (CBT) in your Driving Companion. You’ll need to contact a motor driving instructor with a CBT licence who’ll assess you in a series of practical driving sessions.

Provisional licences are issued subject to conditions. If you breach a condition you will lose your licence and be disqualified from driving. This is in addition to any other penalty.

The conditions are:

You must

  • not drive a motor vehicle with any concentration of alcohol in your blood or the presence of THC (the active component in cannabis), Methylamphetamine (also known as speed, ice or crystal meth) or MDMA (ecstasy) in your blood or oral saliva.
  • not exceed any speed limit by 10km/h or more.
  • not accumulate four or more demerit points during the provisional licence period.
  • carry your provisional licence at all times whilst driving.
  • not drive a high-powered vehicle while you are under the age of 25
  • not drive over 100 km/h even if the local speed limit exceeds 100 km/h
  • display the correct size ‘P’ plates so that they are clearly visible from the front and rear of the vehicle (rear only for motorcycles).
  • not use any mobile phone function while driving, including hands-free mode and Bluetooth technology or loudspeaker operation.
  • not drive (If you are under the age of 25 years):
    • between midnight and 5am, or
    • with more than one passenger aged 16 to 20 years (excluding immediate family members)
    • unless a Qualified Supervising Driver is seated next to you
P2 Provisional Licence

The P1 licence will automatically be upgraded to a P2 licence when:

  • You are at least 18 years of age; and
  • You have held a P1 licence for a minimum of twelve months.

The conditions are the same as for P1-holders with the exception that you don’t have to display P-Plates any longer, you can use a mobile phone (only with hands-free mode) and you can drive any time of the day and with passengers of all age.

Full Licence

You can apply for a full driver’s licence when you have:

  • Held your provisional licence (P1 and P2) for three years (one year on P1 and 2 years on P2) and
  • Reached 20 years of age (you do not need to pass a Hazard Perception Test).

Tasmania

  1. Learner’s Licence
  2. P1-Licence
  3. P2-Licence
Learner’s Licence

To get your L1 learner licence, you must:

Your L1 licence will last for three years. Once you have held your L1 licence for a period of three continuous months you can apply to the Department for an L2 licence. Applications can be made online and you will need to provide a brief statement on your practical driving experience as an L1 licence holder. You will not have to complete an L2 Practical Driving Assessment to progress from an L1 licence to an L2 licence.

What are the conditions?

  • Always practice with an appropriate supervisor 
  • Always display your L-plates on the front and back of the car
  • Never drive over
    • 80 km/h at anytime anywhere (with L1-Licence)
    • 90 km/h in 100 km/h zones (with L2 Licence) or
    • 100 km/h in 110 km/h zones. (with L2 Licence)
  • Never drive with ANY alcohol in your body.
  • Never tow another vehicle or trailer
  • Always carry your licence when driving. If you break this law you’ll have to pay a fine.
P1-Licence

How to get your P1 Licence?

  • You must have held the L2 Licence for at least 9 months.
  • You are at least 17 years old
  • You have to complete the P1 driving assessment
  • You completed and recorded 50 hours of supervised driving
  • Pay for (and receive) your P1 licence

What are the conditions?

  • P1 car drivers never drive over
    • 90 km/h in 90 km/h zones
    • 90 km/h in 100 km/h zones
    • 100 km/h in 110 km/h zones
      (even when speed limit signs display a higher limit).  
  • Never drive with ANY alcohol in your body
    (If you break this law, you’ll have to appear in Court – the minimum penalty is losing your licence and paying a fine, and you’ll have to start the P1 stage all over again)
  • Always carry the licence when driving
    (If you break this law, you’ll have to pay a fine)
  • Clearly display the P-plates (a red P on a white background) on the front and rear of all cars (interior or exterior)
P2-Licence

How to get your P2 Licence?

  • Hold your P1 licence for 12 continuous months
  • You are at least 18 years old
  • Pay for (and receive) your P2 licence

What are the conditions?

  • Never drive with ANY alcohol in your body
  • Always carry the licence when driving
  • If you lose 4 demerit points, you lose your novice licence
Full Licence

On completion of the provisional driver licence period, you are entitled, upon payment of a licence fee, to progress to Full Licence status.

Victoria

  1. Learner Permit
  2. Probationary driver licence
    1. Probationary driver licence – P1-Level
    2. Probationary driver licence – P2-Level
Learner Permit

To get a learner permit you have to

  • Pass the learner permit knowledge test (10-30 minutes)
  • Pass an eyesight test (5 minutes)
Probationary driver licence

The type of probationary driver licence issued will depend on your age:

Under 21:

  • Under 21: A 4 year probationary licence with 12 months at P1 level and 3 years at P2 level
  • 21 or older: A 3 year probationary licence at P2 level

To apply for your probationary driver licence you must be 18 years of age or older and

  • Have a Victorian residential address
  • Have passed a hazard perception test
  • Have passed a drive test
  • Pay the appropriate fees
  • If under the age of 21, have completed and recorded in your learner log book a minimum of 120 hours of supervised driving, including at least 20 hours at night
  • Hold a current car learner permit for a continuous minimum period immediately before applying for a driver licence
P1-Level

As a P1-driver you must:

  • Carry a driver licence when driving.
  • Show red P plates that can be seen from at least 20 metres away, on the front and back of your vehicle
  • Have a zero Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)

You can’t:

  • Use a mobile phone of any kind (not even a hands-free, or hand-held to message) including a GPS
  • Read any text messages
  • Tow another vehicle or trailer unless:
    • in the course of your employment as requested by your employer
    • there’s a full licence driver sitting beside you
  • Drive a probationary prohibited vehicle
  • Carry more than one passenger aged between 16 and less than 22 years old unless
    • you’re driving with a full licence driver sitting beside you
    • the passenger is your spouse or domestic partner or your sibling or step-sibling.
P2-Level

As a P2-driver you have to follow the same rules and restrictions like a P1-Driver. But there are no more restrictions on carrying passengers aged between 16 and less than 22.

Western Australia

  • The appropriate L or P plate must be displayed at all times. Plates can be purchased or printed at home.
  • All L and P plate drivers must drive with a zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at all times.
  • Learner drivers must complete a minimum of 50 supervised driving hours prior to being granted a WA driver’s licence. Five of these hours must be completed at night (between sunset and sunrise). The 50 hours can be completed at any time either before or after the Hazard Perception Test but must be completed before the learner’s permit holder can sit the Practical Driving Assessment (Applicants aged 25 years and older are exempt from the requirement to complete a Log Book).
  • Provisional licence holders are not permitted to drive between 12am and 5am, however employment and education exceptions may apply. Learner drivers are not subject to night-time restrictions.
  • Novice drivers are subject to a graduated demerit point system. You are classified as a Novice Driver Type 1 if you’ve held a driver’s licence for a period of at least one year or periods adding up to one year and includes a first time learner’s permit holder. These drivers can have 3 demerit points against their licence. A Novice Driver Type 2 is a person who has held a driver’s licence for more than 1 year but less than two 2 years. This driver can have 7 demerit points against their licence.

The information above is based on a comparison of the various manuals of states and territories traffic rules. Even if the comparison is made with reasonable care, no responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. If in doubt, please refer to the official resources. If there is an error, we welcome any reference.

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