Alfresco

New legislation has included a whole bunch of countries that now can swap their foreign drivers licence for an Australian one. Not sure if it includes the rest of Australian states.

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Licensing/...e-holders.aspx

Recognised country

If you are applying for a Queensland car or motorbike driver licence (class C, RE or R), you don't have to complete a written road rules test or a practical driving test if you are 25 years of age or older and you hold, or have held within the past 5 years, a driver licence (other than a learner licence), that corresponds to a class C, RE or R licence granted from a Recognised Country.
You will need to pass a written road rules test and a practical driving test if you are applying for a Queensland heavy vehicle driver licence (class LR, MR, HR, HC or MC).
The following countries are recognised countries as defined in schedule 4 section 2 of the Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Driver Licensing) Regulation 2010 – external territories of recognised countries are excluded.

• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Republic of Korea
• Republic of South Africa
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Taiwan

Dreamy

Cyprus is quite funny... (well to me, anyway)

My Father in Law was in the RN and stationed in Cyprus for a while. He did his driving test there - which involved driving around an almost empty carpark and then parking next to the solitary car which was parked in the middle.

Then he came back to the UK and transferred it to a full licence.

It was always a source of great hilarity to my in-laws.

(Yes, they are strange but I love them)

I'm sure the driving test is more stringent these days.

Mike at Taree

Romania? Yes they'll fit in with Brisbane traffic no problems at all.

Alfresco

Must say, I haven't actually met a Bulgarian driver in Brisbane, so should be fairly safe.

roaringmouse

From my brief experience of driving in Cyprus, 2 things stand out.

First, they love to use their horns at anything and everything. Second, the police insist on driving on the motorways with their lights flashing all the time - first couple of times you think you're being pulled over, but they just go straight past you.

moneypenny20

Well that pisses me off even more than when they allowed Brits to get a straight swap.

Alfresco

Revised list (unofficial)


Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hong Kong
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Poland
Republic of Korea
Republic of South Africa
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Taiwan
eBay

Mike at Taree

Does anyone remember the first computer generated licences in the UK that were produced from the Swansea Centre? They were huge things that folded out and out and out to an A3 sheet. Edit: probably twice that actually.

When I arrived in country Queensland in late 70s you still had to front up to the local police station for a licence. My licence only allowed me to ride a Honda 50, never taken a car test. So I went into the Bundaberg police station and handed over the licence for a transfer.

Junior cop at the desk unfolded it to its full state of glory and yelled ... "Sarge".

Sarge examined it and said "give him a fking full licence" .

Done.

Never passed a driving test in my life
Worked as a sales rep with a company car for 11 years and only ever lost two points for speeding in 1989.