A driver licence allows you to drive a car on the road. 

New laws for new drivers: Victoria is introducing a new graduated licensing system to help young drivers be safer drivers. The changes are being implemented over eighteen months, January 2007, July 2007 and July 2008. For more information on the new system visit  www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au .

New Drive Test from 1 July 2008
From 1 July 2008 new probationary licence requirements and a new drive test will be introduced as part of Victoria's Graduated Licensing System (GLS). Read more about the new test.

Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years of age to obtain a driver licence in Victoria.

New learner permit rules from 1 July 2007
If you obtained your learner permit on or after 1 July 2007, and you are applying for a probationary licence, you must have been driving on your learner permit for a minimum of twelve months, and have completed at least 120 hours of supervised driving in a variety of conditions, including 10 hours at night. This driving experience must be recorded in an official learner logbook that is signed by you, the learner driver, and your supervising driver. For any learner driver over 21 years of age, there is no need to complete 120 hours of supervised driving or submit a learner logbook.

If you are 21 years of age but under 25 years of age, as a learner driver, you must hold your learner permit for six months before you can apply for a probationary licence; and if you are 25 years of age or over, you only need to hold your learner permit for three months.

Also from 1 July 2007, as a learner driver, you must carry your permit with you whenever you drive. You cannot use a mobile phone which includes hand held, hands free and do messaging of any kind.

If you obtained your learner permit before 1 July 2007
If you have obtained your learner permit before 1 July 2007, the current rules will continue to apply. This means you will not be required to complete 120 hours of supervised driving, nor submit an official learner logbook. However it is important that you get as much driving experience as possible, 120 hours at least, so that you become a safer driver, before you take the on-road test.

If you are under 25 years of age, you must hold your learner permit for six months; and if you are 25 years of age or over, you must hold your learner permit for three months.

To get your driver licence you need to make an appointment to undertake a hazard perception test, an eyesight test and a driving assessment at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.

Make an appointment for your test

Important: You must bring the appropriate evidence of identity documents with you when you sit for your licence test. You must have your learner permit with you so you can sit the on-road test. If you do not have the appropriate evidence of identity documents on the day of your test, you will not be able to sit your test and you will forfeit your appointment and test fees.

Fees
Refer to Driver Licence and Learner Permit fees for the information on the following fees:

• Appointment
• Licence test
• Driver licence card - 3 years or 4 years  

There are no fee concessions available for appointment, test or licence fees.

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Cancelling or changing your appointment
Anyone can make a booking on behalf of someone else. Appointments can only be transferred, cancelled or swapped by the person in whose name the appointment is booked. However, the appointment holder can complete a letter of authority allowing the third party to act on their behalf to cancel, transfer or swap an appointment. In this case the letter must be presented at a Vicroads Customer Service Centre.

If you want to change an appointment you will need to pay another appointment fee. The test fee can be transferred to a new time (or refunded if the test is cancelled) if 24 hours notice is given.

Evidence of Identity
On the day of your test, you need to bring your current car learner permit as evidence of identity. If your car learner permit card is unavailable you need to bring other original evidence of identity documents. You must provide:

• one primary evidence document (eg. Australian birth certificate or passport)
• one secondary evidence document (eg. Medicare card, credit/account card, student identity card, bank statement)
• evidence of residence (if not indicated in the primary or secondary documents)

One of these documents must have your signature on it.

Study material
To prepare for your test you need to study the “Road to Solo Driving” handbook which is available to view online (English, read only version). The handbook is also available in 4 other languages (Chinese - Mandarin, Vietnamese, Turkish, Arabic) and can be purchased from VicRoads online bookshop, VicRoads Customer Service Centres, RACV offices, some newsagents and bookshops.

Test vehicle
VicRoads does not provide vehicles for driving tests. You need to ensure the vehicle you will be using meets VicRoads test vehicle requirements. Refer to the 'vehicle allowed for driving tests' webpage.


What type of licence will you receive?
Probationary drivers under the age of 21 who get their licence on or after 1 July 2008 will be issued with a four year probationary licence card. The first twleve months will be a P1 probationary licence and the following three years will be  P2 probationary licence. In the first twleve months you must display a red plate with a white P and for the next three years a green plate with a white P.

Drivers over the age of 21 who first obtained their licence on or after 1 July 2008 will skip the P1 period and go straight to a three year P2 probationary licence.

Driving on a probationary licence
After you pass your tests you will be issued with either a P1 or P2 probationary licence which allows you to drive under the following restrictions. 

P1 Probationary licence restrictions

• You must display red P plates at all times (plates measuring approximately 150mm square with a white letter P on a red background)
• You must not have any alcohol in your blood when driving 
• You must not use a mobile phone, hand held, hands free or messaging of any kind
• You are not permitted to drive a high powered vehicle
• You cannot tow a caravan or trailer (unless for work or if under instruction)
• You are not allowed to carry more than one passenger aged between 16 and 21 years of age
• If you pass your drive test in an automatic vehicle, you will be restricted to driving automatic vehicles while you hold a probationary licence
• You must carry your licence at all times while driving

P2 Probationary licence restrictions

• You must display green P plates at all times (plates measuring approximately 150mm square with a white letter P on a green background)
• You must not use a hand held mobile phone while driving
• You are not permitted to drive a high powered vehicle
• You must not have any alcohol in your blood when driving 
• If you pass your drive test in an automatic vehicle, you will be restricted to driving automatic vehicles while you hold a probationary licence
• You must carry your licence at all times while driving

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