Getting your licence back

VicRoads

You can apply directly to us to get your licence back if this was your first drink-driving offence and you:

• committed your offence on or after 1 October 2014 in Victoria and
• had a BAC reading below .10
• didn't have any illicit drugs in your system and
• had your licence cancelled.

Find out how to get your licence back under 'VicRoads managed drivers' below.

Magistrates' Court

If you committed any of the below offences in Victoria, you'll need to attend a Victorian Magistrates' Court before you can get your licence back.

• All first time drink-driving offences with a BAC of .10 or more
• All repeat drink-driving offences
• All drug-driving offences where your licence is cancelled
• Serious alcohol-related offences such as culpable driving
• All offences relating to refusal to be tested for alcohol or drugs
• First time drink-driving offences committed before 1 October 2014 with a BAC between .07 and less than .10*
• All combined drink and drug-driving offences committed on or after 1 August 2015
• All other offences that may require an alcohol interlock condition.

Find out how to get your licence back under 'Court managed drivers' below.

*Note: First time drink-drivers who were required to attend court for an offence committed prior to 1 October 2014, with a BAC less than 0.07, can apply directly to VicRoads to have their licence reissued.

1. Complete a Behaviour Change Program. Make sure you get an original certificate of completion as you’ll need that to get your licence reissued.
2. Serve your cancellation period in full.
3. Go to a VicRoads Customer Service Centre to apply to get your licence back. See ‘Get your driver licence reissued’ below for details.
4. Follow the conditions on your reissued licence. This will include an alcohol interlock ‘I’ condition and a zero BAC ‘Z’ condition. By law, we have to impose alcohol interlock and zero BAC conditions for you to get your licence back. Find out more about the ‘I’ & ‘Z’ licence conditions below.

The removal of your alcohol interlock licence condition will also be decided by us, not the Court. See Completing the Alcohol Interlock Program.

You'll need to get a Licence Eligibility Order (LEO) from the Magistrates' Court before we'll reissue your licence.

You'll need to follow these steps to get your licence back:

1. Plan ahead and find out what reports you need and/or Behaviour Change Program you need to complete. Some requirements may need to be done several months before your court hearing.
   
   • Depending on the offence you committed and when it was committed, you may need to complete a Behaviour Change Program, obtain a licence eligibility report or undergo an assessment through an accredited assessment agency. If you’re not sure what you need to do, find out more from the Magistrates’ Court website under Drivers licence eligibility order guide and Drivers licence eligibility orders FAQ.
   • You may need a record of your driving history (see Driving Record below).
2. Book your Licence Eligibility Order (LEO) court hearing:
   
   • To get a LEO, attend a Magistrates’ Court at least 28 days before your licence cancellation period ends to arrange a hearing.
   • The court will set a hearing date at least 28 days ahead, but not before your cancellation ends.
3. You may be asked to have an interview with Victoria Police before your court hearing.
4. Serve your cancellation period in full. 
5. Attend your court hearing. The Court will decide whether to issue you with a Licence Eligibility Order. 
   
   • Depending on the offence you committed and when it was committed, your LEO may have an alcohol interlock condition imposed for a minimum period of time that will be shown on your LEO.    
6. Go to a VicRoads Customer Service Centre with your LEO to apply to get your licence back. See ‘Get your driver licence reissued’ below for details.
7. Follow the conditions on your reissued licence. This may include an alcohol interlock ‘I’ condition depending on your offence and will include a zero BAC ‘Z’ condition. Find out more about the ‘I’ & ‘Z’ licence conditions below. The removal of your alcohol interlock licence condition will be decided by the Court. See Completing the Alcohol Interlock Program

The accredited driver education agency (see Driver education programs below) and the Magistrates' Court may need a record of your driving history.

You won't need to get your driving history if you don't need to complete a driver education program or get a LEO.

Visit Check driver history to get your driver history report.

You will need to complete a Behaviour Change Program (BCP) before you can get your licence back.

Please wait until you receive a letter in the post from us so you know the right course to book.

BCPs are designed to help people identify the motivation behind their drink and/or drug-related offence, and teaches strategies to reduce their risk in the future. It can also include referrals to specialist treatment services for people with a serious drug and/or drinking problem.

The specific type of BCP you need to complete depends on the details of your offence. Refer to Drink-driving penalties, Drug-driving penalties or Combined drink and drug-driving penalties for more information.

To find a BCP provider, see Behaviour Change Program providers or call DirectLine on 1800 888 236.

Once you’ve served your cancellation period and met all other requirements, you’ll need to visit a VicRoads Customer Service Centre to apply to get your driver licence reissued. You’ll need to bring your:

• original Licence Eligibility Order (LEO) (if required)
• original BCP certificate of completion (if required)
• original evidence of identity documents
• driver licence or learner permit re-issue fee

If you haven’t held a current Australian or overseas driver licence in the last five years or need to reissue an expired motorcycle learner permit, you’ll also need to be retested before your licence or learner permit is issued. Visit Renew your licence or learner permit (External link)for information about what tests are required and how to make an appointment.

When you‘re relicensed you’ll receive the same type of licence you had before it was cancelled, but it may have conditions ‘I’ for Alcohol Interlock and ‘Z’ for zero BAC on it.

If you have a probationary licence or a learner permit, a zero BAC is automatically applied as a condition of driving, so the ‘Z’ condition is not shown separately.

Visit About the Victorian Alcohol Interlock Program for more information on alcohol interlocks.

For more information on licence conditions visit Licence conditions.

From 31 January 2018, if you hold a Victorian licence and get caught drink driving interstate, the same rules apply as if you’d be caught here

This means that your Victorian licence will get cancelled and you'll have conditions like driving with zero blood alcohol added to your licence. You'll also need to have an alcohol interlock installed to any vehicle you drive.  

For more information contact the Victorian Alcohol Interlock Program on 1300 723 790 or [email protected]