Licence Requirements

There are 3 Stages of the Graduated Driver Licencing System, which has been designed to enable you to gradually build up your driving skills and confidence over time. Once you have passed Stages 1 and 2, you will be issued with a licence which allows you to drive under certain restricted conditions. After Stage 3 you will be a fully licenced driver.

Stage 1 - Learner Licence

You can apply to sit the learner licence test any time after your 16th birthday. This can be done at a driver licence agency such as the AA, VTNZ and VINZ.

You must pass an eyesight test, and a theory test made up of 35 questions on traffic rules and road safety based on the NZ Road Code. The pass mark is 32 correct out of the 35 questions.

General conditions for driving with a learner licence:

you must be accompanied by a supervisor*

you must carry the learner licence with you

you must display "L" plates on your vehicle front and rear

you may carry passengers but your supervisor must agree

*Your supervisor must be someone who currently holds and has held for at least 2 years, a full car driver licence. He or she must sit in the front passenger seat and is in charge of the vehicle while you are driving.

More info (see NZTA - Factsheet 45: Getting Your Car Licence)

Stage 2 - Restricted Licence

You can apply to sit the restricted licence test as soon as you have held the learner licence for 6 months, and you feel that you have developed good driving skills. You can book (and pay for) a practical test on-line here , and complete the documentation (Form DL1) and eye test at the driver licence agency (preferably before test day).

This practical test takes about 1 hour and is designed to test your driving ability in a range of traffic situations and road conditions You will drive along a pre-set route through various different driving situations, such as town and country roads, hills, intersections, curves, etc.

To prepare for the test, you should practice each of the skills shown in the driving skills syllabus. During the test, you will need to satisfy the testing officer that you can perform these skills without supervision. You are expected to have done at least 120 hours of supervised on-road training before sitting this test. It is highly recommended that a qualified professional driving instructor is involved in this process (which is compulsory in many overseas countries).

On the test day remember to check:

you have your learner licence with you

your vehicle has a current WOF, registration, and "L" plates

you have checked that the vehicle is in operational order, e.g., lights, indicators, tyres, horn, wipers

the location of the test site and the start time for the test

General conditions for driving with a restricted licence:

if you drive between 10pm and 5am, you must be accompanied by a supervisor

if you carry passengers, you must be accompanied by a supervisor, unless the passengers are your spouse, or dependants of either you or your spouse (i.e., your children)

you must carry the restricted licence with you

More info (see NZTA - Factsheet 45: Getting Your Car Licence)

Stage 3 - Full Licence

If you are under 25 years of age, you can apply for your full licence 18 months after you gain your restricted licence. This can be reduced to 12 months if you have completed an approved driving course (e.g., Street Talk, or Defensive Driving), and you began the course no less than 6 months after gaining your restricted licence.

If you are 25 years of age or over, you can apply for your full licence 6 months after gaining your restricted licence. This can be reduced to 3 months if you have completed an approved driving course.

This practical test takes about 30 minutes (20 minutes driving time) to complete and is designed to test your ability to recognise and respond to a range of common road hazards.

You will be expected to demonstrate safe driving practices in a wide range of driving situations. The test is designed to see if you can handle situations that present the greatest crash risk to drivers in their first 5 years of driving. There are no pre-set routes for this test. You should be prepared to drive in all types of situations and on many different types of roads.

It is highly recommended that a qualified driving instructor is engaged in training for this test. Completing an approved driving course such as Street Talk or Defensive Driving will also enhance the learning process.

More info (see NZTA - Factsheet 45: Getting Your Car Licence)

Overseas Conversions

If you are from another country and you have a current international driving permit, or a current overseas driver licence, then you are qualified to drive in New Zealand those classes of vehicle covered by your permit/licence for up to 12 months from the date you enter the country. If you intend to stay longer and wish to drive here, you should apply for a NZ driver licence as soon as possible after your arrival.

If your overseas licence is still current or expired less than 12 months ago you can apply to convert it to a New Zealand licence. Depending on the country you have come from, you may have to pass the theory test and/or the practical full licence driving test*.

*If your driver licence is from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland the United Kingdom or the United States of America, you may not have to sit the practical driving test.

More info (see NZTA - Factsheet 56: New Residents & Visitors)