Long-term foreign licence holders given 12-month deadline to get NSW credentials

Temporary visa holders from countries like India, China, Pakistan and Nepal who entered NSW before July last year will be forced to sit a NSW driving test.

Foreign drivers still using international licences have been given a 12-month deadline to get a NSW drivers licence or face getting kicked off the road.

The state government has finally moved to close a loophole, first exposed by The Daily Telegraph, which allowed anyone who entered NSW before July 1 last year to keep using their foreign credentials to flout road rules.

The move will force temporary visa holders from countries like China, India, Pakistan and Nepal to sit a NSW driving test to keep using our roads.

People from recognised countries like Japan, Singapore or Germany will still have to convert their licence, but won’t sit the test.

Under rules imposed by the former government, any temporary visa holders who came to NSW after July 1 2023 were forced to apply for a local licence after six months.

Temporary visa holders had previously been allowed to use foreign licences to rack up demerit points while staying on the road. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

But visa holders already here were spared, leaving rule-breaking foreign drivers beyond the reach of NSW authorities.

The licence crackdown led to a driver being banned from NSW roads after racking up enough demerit points to lose their licence almost three times over.

A number of drivers were suspended in the first four months of the crackdown, including, including one who had amassed an astonishing 37 demerit points since 2021 for seven speeding offences and three mobile phone infringements.

All foreign drivers still using an overseas licence have been given 12 months to get a NSW licence. Picture: NCA NewsWire Christian Gilles

In the five years to 2022, there were 23 fatal crashes and 468 serious injury crashes involving a driver or rider on an overseas licence in NSW.

A further five fatal crashes involved drivers or riders not on a NSW licence last year, according to preliminary data.

Drivers who have been using a foreign licence before July 1 last year and want to remain on the road must now obtain a NSW licence by 1 March 2025.

Roads Minister John Graham says the move will make streets safer. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Roads Minister John Graham said he had finally closed a gaping loophole in the Coalition’s plan to make our roads safer.

“More drivers on a NSW licence sooner will improve the standard of driving in NSW and therefore safety overall,” he said.

“No one will be able to drive around for years and years on without coming under the NSW licence system,” he said.

“The Government is not going to cop people running up demerit points with impunity.”

Two new driver testing centres have been opened in Macquarie Fields and St Marys to cope with increased demand for testing.

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Originally published as Long-term foreign licence holders given 12-month deadline to get NSW credentials