Driving overseas is an often overlooked challenge faced by people moving overseas. Whether you’re shipping your car with you or not, driving overseas is not as simple as cruising around in your home country, and in the worst case scenario, you could be left stranded beginning your life abroad.
As Australian international removalists, Overseas Packers & Shippers understand how important sorting out your vehicle overseas is to settling your new life abroad. This guide clarifies the conflicting and sometimes confusing advice provided online around driving overseas with an Australian license and vehicle shipping processes, giving you the best start to driving in your new life overseas.
Can You Drive Overseas with an Australian Licence?
Broadly: yes, you can drive overseas with an Australian drivers license. In reality, the processes of driving in an overseas country varies greatly from nation to nation and are dependent on a variety of factors including their language and the similarity of their road rules.
It’s important to check the rules of your destination country as to how far an Australian licence alone can take you and for how long. However in most cases, it is either recommended or a requirement to purchase an International Driving Permit (IDP) from the Australian Automobile Association.
What is an International Driving Permit (IDP) and When Do You Need One?
An International Driving Permit (IDP) is a translation of your Australian domestic drivers licence, available from the Australian Automobile Association. Recognised globally, an IDP is your ticket to drive worldwide when carried with your licence, containing translations of your drivers license in nine languages including English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Greek, German, and Japanese.
An IDP currently costs $51 Australian dollars, is valid for 12 months, and is typically delivered within four business days when purchased online. You can also apply in person at a motoring club within the state or territory of your licence’s issue to receive an IDP immediately.
An IDP is required to drive in most overseas countries, even in other English speaking countries with similar road rules. Even if getting an IDP is not a requirement in your country of destination, it is generally a good idea anyway as it may come in handy when renting a car, if you get into an accident, or need to make an insurance claim.
Countries Where You Can Drive with Just an Australian Licence
While getting an IDP is required for several countries, you can drive freely in a few countries without one. For example, in New Zealand you can drive for up to 18 months using your Australian licence without an IDP. Similarly, Greece also recently changed their laws allowing drivers from a number of countries including Australia to drive indefinitely without an IDP, so long as their licence is valid.
Outside of these countries, additional restrictions are typically applied to drivers with foreign licences that are allowed to drive without an IDP. This includes the United Kingdom, where you can only drive a small vehicle for 12 months without an IDP using an Australian licence.
Countries Where You’ll Need an IDP or Local Licence Conversion
Some of the most popular destinations that require an IDP include most of Asia including Japan, India and Indonesia as well as European nations such as France, Germany and Italy. If you plan on staying longer than the IDP duration of 12 months, you will typically need to apply for a local licence conversion. This process varies greatly from nation to nation and testing may be required to secure a local license.
Fortunately Australia has agreements with a number nations with similar driving standards, streamlining local licence conversion for many popular destinations. For example, Germany’s local conversion process is relatively straightforward for Australian licences which are exempt from additional practical and theoretical driving tests.
However, Australia does not have agreements with some major destinations, resulting in a more rigorous licence conversion process. This most notably includes China which requires all local licence converts to pass a written and practical driving test.
Driving Overseas After Shipping Your Vehicle
If you’re planning to bring your vehicle with you overseas, you’ll need your vehicle transported by an international moving company. While bringing a car overseas may be daunting, selecting the right shipping company is a great way to destress and streamline your move.
Overseas shipping companies can assist with every step of your move from preparation to unloading, including when selecting the right shipping option, dealing with all necessary paperwork and navigating importation requirements.
Outside of the importation process, it’s important to remember to research the vehicle registration requirements of your vehicle before driving overseas. Depending on your destination, permanent vehicle importation processes are usually different to temporary importations where your vehicle will remain registered in Australia. This is a process an experienced international moving company can also provide some assistance with, further simplifying your move overseas.
Community Insights and Common Questions
Driving overseas and vehicle shipping is a common challenge to negotiate for many expats and you shouldn’t feel alone if you’re also feeling lost. Many other internet users have taken to Reddit to share their experiences and advice for drivers overseas.
You’re not alone if you’re seeing conflicting advice online around getting an IDP. Despite the online debate around getting an IDP, it proved well worth its value for this Reddit user, allowing quick and easy communication with local authorities in Thailand. Here, having an IDP has proven especially handy for anyone driving abroad, especially for those in countries where English is not the primary language.
Local licence conversions are also a subject of confusion within many Reddit threads, particularly around conversions in Asian countries including Japan. Fortunately, as this user points out, Australian licence holders are exempt from the stresses of taking a practical driving test before converting to a Japanese licence. This means regardless of your prior driving experience in Japan, you can quickly get on the move in your life overseas.
Final Tips & Takeaways
It always pays to be extra organised when preparing to drive or ship your vehicle overseas. This might mean going the extra mile when researching the driving requirement in your destination, getting an IDP for short-term overseas driving or getting the help of an overseas shipping company.
Hoping to make a rolling start to your new life overseas? Make shipping your vehicle overseas easy and contact Overseas Packers & Shippers for expert help in moving your vehicle overseas today.
