If you have a valid overseas motorcycle licence from an exempt country you can convert it to a New Zealand motorcycle licence (class 6).
What is a valid overseas licence
Check if your licence is from an 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 riders must know the road rules, what the road signs mean and how to ride safely. You can find out more in The official New Zealand road code.
If you've held your licence for less than 2 years, you'll need to pass a practical riding test. This is to prove that you're familiar with our road rules and can ride safely.
Your licence needs to clearly show an issue date that was at least 2 years ago. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to get documentation from your licensing authority to confirm you’ve held it for 2 years, or you can choose to sit the practical test instead.
About the driver licence practical riding tests
The agent will book the test for you when you apply at a specialist overseas conversion site. If you need to change, cancel or rebook your test, you can do it online or at an agent.
Change, cancel or rebook your practical driver licence test
You'll need to pay an application fee of $28.30.
If you’ve held your licence for less than 2 years, you also need to pay a one-off practical test fee of $59.90. You pay the fee when you book the test for the first time. There's no fee to change, cancel or rebook your test.
If your overseas licence is the equivalent of a New Zealand learner or restricted licence, you follow the same process but your fees and tests will be slightly different.
If you're converting to a learner licence, you won't need to sit a test. You'll just pay an overseas conversion learner licence application fee of $26.40.
If you're converting to a restricted licence, your overseas conversion application fee is $28.10. If you've held the licence less than 2 years, you'll need to pass a restricted practical driving test. You'll pay the one-off practical test fee of $86.60. It's free to change, cancel or rebook the test.
If your driver licence was issued in a different country to where your identification was issued, you'll need to provide evidence that your driver licence is valid.
For example, if your licence was issued in Japan, but your passport was issued in Saudi Arabia, you'll need to provide extra evidence.
Evidence of validity requirements
Once your application is completed, you'll get a New Zealand driver licence.
If you need to pass a practical test to complete your overseas conversion, you'll get a learner motorcycle licence.
This New Zealand licence over-rides your overseas licence. You must follow all the conditions of a New Zealand motorcycle learner licence until you've passed the practical driving test.
You must only ride a LAMS-approved motorcycle
You must not carry passengers on the motorcycle or in a sidecar
You must not ride between the hours of 10pm and 5am
You must not tow another vehicle.
Once you've passed your practical test, we'll send you a new full New Zealand driver licence so you won't have to follow the conditions anymore.
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 |
18 |
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 complete a competency-based training assessment course (CBTA), this will lower the minimum age for a full licence to 17 ½. You'll still need to complete all the other requirements of the overseas conversion.
If you want a car licence (class 1) as well, you may 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 car licence from an exempt country
Converting a truck licence from an exempt country
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi runs an auditing programme for overseas licences that were converted to New Zealand licences.
If we find that a converted licence was fraudulent, then we'll revoke the New Zealand licence.
Download Factsheet 72: Converting to a New Zealand licence [PDF, 278 KB]
