Getting a driver's license

Hello,

Today I will talk about getting a drivers license - or almost.

Be careful if you see this sign.

Do I need a drivers license?

If you are going to stay in Australia for more than three months and you intend to drive, then the answer is yes. However, if you are going to stay in Australia for less than three months, then you can do it caring a Permissão Internacional para Dirigir (PID) or even a translation of your drivers license.

The way it works in Queensland

I am going to describe the process of getting a driver's license in Queensland, the state were I live. But most of what I am going to describe is applicable to the other Australian states as well. In Queensland, the office responsible for this kind of issue is the Department of Transportation and Main Roads.

If you already has a driver's license from another country...

I believe that most of people moving to Australia (including myself) already have a driver's license valid in his home country. In this case, the best option is showing them that you already have a license. This will bring you two main benefits: (1) you will not need to attend to driving lessons before doing the tests; and (2) once you pass the tests, you will get a open license instead of a provisional license or even a learner license. If you follow the links, you will see that those licenses impose many restrictions on the driver.

Documents you will need

So one of the first things you will need to do is getting a translation of your driver's license. A PID is not accepted as a driver's license for this purpose. You really need a translation issued by an accredited translator. I found that the costs of a trusted translation in Australia is about the same as it is in Brazil. You can find an accredited translator on NAAT (Australia) or ATPIESP (Brazil).

The Department of Transportation and Main Roads will also ask you for other papers:

• A filled Driver License Application Form;
• Original passport;
• Other two documents such as debit/credit card or Medicare card;
• Evidence of address, to show you live in Queensland. It may be a bill or a Tenancy Agreement.

The written test

I hope you never see this ahead.

It is not necessary to book the test. Once you take all the requirement documents, you can do the test in the same day! Did I tell you I failed in the written test? It is true! The first reason for my failure is that I did not expected I would do the test in the same day I applied for the license, so I did not study for it. The second reason is that I did not expect the test to be different from what I already knew. So I am not sure I would study even if I had the chance to do it.

WTF is this?

What could be different from what I am used to? Many things. Besides the obvious fact that you will drive on the left side of the road, many rules are different. For example, the minimal distance you need to keep from the bus stop whilst parking the car, speed limits, etc. Furthermore, you can not miss more than three questions out of 30. So what I can advice you is: study! They provide a practice road rules test webpage.

Conclusion

As I still don't have a driver's license, I still don't have any conclusion for this post. Were I to have one, it would be "study for the written test", but this is quite obvious now.

Cheers!