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The time you can drive on an overseas car licence has changed from 12 months to 18 months. Time limit extended for driving on an overseas licence Further action to tackle driver licence wait times | Beehive website(external link) |
If you have a valid overseas car driver licence you can convert it to a New Zealand car licence (class 1).
What is a valid overseas licence
Check if your licence is from a non-exempt country
You must apply at a specialist overseas conversion site.
You'll need to:
You can't convert to a New Zealand licence using only an international driving permit. You must present your physical overseas driver licence.
Find a specialist overseas conversion site in your area
All drivers must know the road rules, what the road signs mean and how to drive safely.
You'll need to sit a theory test to prove that you're familiar with our road rules.
To prepare for the test, you can read our road rules in the New Zealand road code.
The official New Zealand road code
You'll also need to sit a practical driving test to prove that you can safely drive.
About the driver licence practical tests
You can book the practical test once you've passed your theory test. You can book it at a driver licensing agent or online.
Change, cancel or rebook your practical driver licence test(external link)
You will need to pay an application fee, and a test fee for each test you sit.
If you miss your test time, fail your test or if your test is terminated, you'll need to pay another test fee when you rebook.
| Overseas conversion application fee | Theory test fee | Full practical test fee * | Total (if you pass the tests the first time) |
| $96.10 | $45.70 | $59.90 | $144.60 |
*If you're converting to a New Zealand restricted licence, you pay the restricted practical test fee of $86.60 instead. If you're converting to a learner licence, you don't have to pay the practical test fee.
If you need to change, cancel or rebook your test, you may need to pay a fee.
Changing a test for an overseas conversion
Changes to test fees for car licences from 8 July 2024
Once you've passed the theory test, you'll get a New Zealand driver licence with a supervisor condition.
This New Zealand licence over-rides your overseas driver licence, and you must only drive with a supervisor next to you in the front seat until you’ve passed your practical driving test.
You then need to pass your practical driving test. You can book this online or at a driver licensing agent.
Once you’ve passed your practical test, you'll get a New Zealand driver licence without a supervisor condition.
A supervisor is a person who:
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) audits applications where overseas licences are converted to New Zealand licences.
If you used a fraudulent overseas licence, or provided false or misleading information on your application, this is an offence under s44 of the Land Transport Act 1998.
You could be fined up to $10,000, and NZTA could revoke your New Zealand licence.
If your licence is from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan or Tonga, you'll need to provide evidence that your licence is valid when you apply for an overseas conversion.
Evidence of validity requirements
These are the minimum ages you must be before getting each type of driver licence:
|
Class |
Minimum age (years) |
|
Learner licence |
16 |
|
Restricted licence |
16 ½ |
|
Full licence (without an approved course certificate) |
18 |
|
Full licence (with an approved course certificate) |
17 ½ |
This means that if you're under 18 years of age, you can only convert your overseas licence to the equivalent age-related New Zealand licence class.
If you want a motorcycle licence (class 6) as well, you'll have to sit another set of tests. If you also want a truck licence (class 2-5), you'll need to sit a different set of tests.
Converting a motorcycle licence from a non-exempt country
Converting a truck licence from a non-exempt country
Download Factsheet 72: Converting to a New Zealand licence [PDF, 278 KB]
