Check your eligibility
Use the Transport for NSW eligibility check to confirm which tests apply to your licence and which NSW licence stage your years of driving qualify you for.
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Years of driving, one NSW test
Experienced overseas drivers rarely fail on car control. They fail on NSW habits: observation timing, school zones, roundabout give-way and the way an assessor wants a manoeuvre shown. Tell us how long you have driven and where, and we will tell you honestly how many lessons you need.
Sydney South Driving School prepares overseas licence holders for the Liverpool, Edmondson Park and Macarthur testing centres, with free door-to-door pick-up.
The change
What stopped on 1 February 2026
Transport for NSW applied the Experienced Driver Recognition arrangements until 31 January 2026. From 1 February 2026, experienced driver status from those countries ceased to operate in NSW, in line with a national change coordinated through Austroads.
Background
What the scheme was, and who it covered
Australia runs two separate arrangements for overseas licence holders. Understanding which one applied to you explains whether the change affects you at all.
The Recognised Overseas Licences Scheme still runs
Drivers from jurisdictions assessed as having robust licensing processes and strong road safety records can convert to a NSW class C car or class R rider licence without passing a knowledge test or driving test. The licence must be current or have expired within the last five years, and it cannot be a learner licence. This arrangement continues, and it is not what ended.
The Experienced Driver Recognition scheme is what ended
The Experienced Driver Recognition scheme was a second, narrower arrangement managed nationally through Austroads. It allowed licence holders from a further group of jurisdictions who were over the age of 25 to be issued a comparable Australian licence without further training or assessment, recognising the driving experience they already had.
In NSW the jurisdictions it covered included South Korea, South Africa, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. None of them appears on NSW's current recognised list.
Why it ended
Austroads reviewed overseas driver licensing policy and now assesses jurisdictions formerly covered by the scheme under a single, nationally consistent framework that looks at licence integrity and road safety performance. The Experienced Driver Recognition status ended for all Australian states and territories in early 2026.
Who is affected
Converting an overseas licence, before and after the change
The change matters for one group of drivers. Find the row that describes your licence.
| Your overseas car licence | Until 31 January 2026 | From 1 February 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| From a country on NSW's recognised list | No knowledge test or driving test | No change: still no knowledge test or driving test |
| From a former Experienced Driver Recognition country, and you were over 25 | No knowledge test or driving test | Generally the Driver Knowledge Test and the driving test |
| From any other country | Knowledge test and driving test | No change: knowledge test and driving test |
Recognised countries
Where a licence still converts without tests
NSW does not require the knowledge test or driving test for a class C or class R licence if your current licence comes from a licensing authority in one of these places. Conditions apply to some, and the list is set by Transport for NSW.
Isle of Man licences must have been issued since 1 April 1991, Malta licences issued or renewed since 2 January 2004, and New Zealand paper licences are excluded. If your country is not listed, you will need to pass the knowledge and driving tests.
Converting from 1 February 2026
How a former scheme driver converts now
If your licence comes from a former Experienced Driver Recognition country, conversion now follows the standard tested path. Time held on your overseas licence still affects which licence stage you are issued.
Pass the Driver Knowledge Test
The online Driver Knowledge Test costs $58 and covers unlimited attempts. The in-person test is $58 for each attempt. It tests NSW road rules, which differ from those in most former scheme countries.
Prepare for the NSW driving test
Book lessons on the roads around the centre you will test at. Experienced drivers are assessed on NSW observation, speed and give-way standards, not on how long they have driven.
Pass the driving test
The driving test costs $72 including GST for each attempt, so arriving ready for the first attempt matters.
Receive your NSW licence
Pay the fee for the licence you are issued. Once the NSW licence is issued, your overseas licence stops being valid for driving in NSW.
Preparing for the test
Why experienced drivers still fail the NSW test
Drivers with ten or twenty years behind the wheel are often surprised to fail. The cause is almost never car control. Overseas licence holders preparing with Liverpool driving lessons usually need only a few sessions, spent on the NSW habits an assessor marks.
Official information
Checked against official sources on 13 September 2026
The end date, the age threshold and the recognised country list on this page were checked against Transport for NSW and Austroads on 13 September 2026. Eligibility depends on your own licence, so confirm your situation with the official check before you book.
Transport for NSW and Austroads
Transport for NSW sets which tests apply when you convert. Austroads explains the national policy change behind the end of the scheme.
Knowledge and driving test exemptions Check your licence eligibility Austroads overseas driver licensing policy review
Suburbs taught by Ashraf
Liverpool and surrounding areas
Every suburb below has its own page with local road detail and booking information. Pick-up and drop-off is free anywhere on this list.
View all 38 Liverpool suburbs we serve
Liverpool
Our home base. Lessons cover the 40km/h zones and pedestrian traffic around Liverpool Hospital and the Bigge Street precinct, then step up to the Hume Highway. Pick-up from Westfield Liverpool, Liverpool Station, local schools and workplaces.
Warwick Farm
The Liverpool Service NSW testing centre sits on Orange Grove Road in Warwick Farm, so this is the natural place to rehearse the decisions you will make the moment you leave the car park.
Casula
Sits on the Hume Highway south of Liverpool. Layered give-way decisions and arterial merging make it strong ground once the basics are steady.
Edmondson Park
Home to one of the region's Service NSW driver testing centres. Learners here practise on the same estate layout, roundabouts and school zones they will be assessed on.
Prestons
The structured street grid gives consistent kerb lines and bay spacing, which makes reverse parking and roundabout work far easier to repeat until it sticks.
Chipping Norton
Early control work runs on Wilby Street and Ashfordby Street, three-point turns on Derby Crescent, then a measured move into Governor Macquarie Drive traffic.
Moorebank
Newbridge Road and the M5 interchange give you genuine motorway entries and exits without travelling far from home.
Green Valley
Quiet residential roads off Cowpasture Road make an easy starting point for a first-ever lesson, with arterial traffic close by when you are ready.
Hoxton Park
Steady Cowpasture Road traffic paired with calmer surrounding estates, so a lesson can move between the two without a long drive.
Cecil Hills
Curved estate roads and real gradients here are ideal for controlled hill starts and accurate road positioning.
Cabramatta
A busy town centre with constant pedestrian movement. Lessons here sharpen observation timing and hazard awareness more than anywhere else on the Liverpool side.
Hinchinbrook
A quieter pocket that suits building a reliable routine before heavier traffic gets involved. Ashraf collects you from home, school or work.
Bonnyrigg
Lessons concentrate on low-speed control and parking repetition, then progress toward Cabramatta and central Liverpool as confidence grows.
Bonnyrigg Heights
Good ground for practising controlled stops and smooth take-offs, with the same instructor tracking your progress from one lesson to the next.
Wattle Grove
Well-planned estate streets beside Holsworthy allow steady skill building at a relaxed pace before test-route work begins.
Milperra
Henry Lawson Drive and its bridge approaches provide solid multi-lane driving and merging experience close to home.
Holsworthy
Quiet residential streets sit alongside the Heathcote Road corridor, so one lesson can cover both ends of the difficulty range.
Hammondville
A compact suburb on the Heathcote Road side of the service area, close enough to Liverpool for regular test-route practice.
Voyager Point
Quiet riverside streets stay genuinely low-pressure, which makes this a kind place for a nervous learner to take a first lesson.
Sandy Point
Narrow local roads teach careful positioning and patience with oncoming traffic, then lessons head toward Liverpool for busier conditions.
Horningsea Park
Newer estate streets suit early lessons, and test preparation is usually built around the Edmondson Park centre.
Denham Court
Open, higher-speed roads make this useful for speed management and judging safe gaps, paired with Edmondson Park test-route practice.
Austral
Newer estate streets off Craik Avenue suit a first lesson, with Bringelly Road and Camden Valley Way close by for arterial practice. Test preparation is usually built around the Edmondson Park centre.
Carnes Hill
Three environments close together: calm residential circuits, the Marketplace precinct for low-speed hazards, and Cowpasture Road for multi-lane traffic and turning lanes.
Middleton Grange
A newer estate built around roundabouts rather than cross intersections, so give-way judgement and approach speed get practised from the first lesson. Fifteenth Avenue is close by for arterial work.
Leppington
New estates beside the old semi-rural grid, so a lesson moves from quiet roundabout streets to the changing limits of Ingleburn Road. Camden Valley Way leads straight to the Edmondson Park centre.
West Hoxton
Calm residential streets inside the suburb and heavy Cowpasture Road traffic on its edge, so lessons move from first hours to test-route lane choices without a long drive.
Ashcroft
Under two kilometres from the Orange Grove Road test centre, with two school zones and Maxwells Avenue between the quiet grid and Elizabeth Drive.
Busby
A roundabout-rich residential network for give-way practice, with South Liverpool Road for busier traffic and Orange Grove Road under four kilometres away.
Cartwright
Short Place streets that suit three-point turns and kerbside stops, with Joadja Road and Hoxton Park Road for the step up to arterial traffic.
Elizabeth Hills
A new estate with one of the highest roundabout counts in the area, and Cowpasture Road beside it for arterial practice toward Liverpool.
Heckenberg
Compact Snowy Mountains-named streets either side of South Liverpool Road, with Elizabeth Drive on its edge for the step up to heavier traffic.
Lurnea
Every road type in one suburb: eighty-plus quiet streets, three school zones, Hill Road, Hoxton Park Road and the M5 on its edge.
Miller
Miller Central's car park hazards and school zones on Cabramatta and Cartwright Avenues, with Hoxton Park Road for arterial practice.
Mount Pritchard
Around a hundred residential streets for varied practice, three school zones, and Elizabeth Drive two kilometres from the Orange Grove Road centre.
Sadleir
A quiet core with no arterial road through it, edged by Cartwright, Heckenberg and Sadleir Avenues, which makes it an easy place for a first or nervous lesson.
Bardia
Ed Square and the Edmondson Park test centre sit just across Campbelltown Road, with four roundabouts along Bardia Avenue and five sets of lights onto Campbelltown Road.
Len Waters Estate
A business precinct rather than a housing estate: pick-up from work or the shops, trucks and buses on Airfield Drive, and the Westlink M7 interchange on Cowpasture Road.
Suburbs taught by George Hany
Campbelltown and Macarthur
George Hany covers every suburb below. Choose yours for local road detail, or book straight away and he will come to you.
View all 26 Campbelltown and Macarthur suburbs we serve
Campbelltown
George's home ground. Lessons start on quiet crescents, then build to Narellan Road's multi-lane intersections, the Macarthur Square approaches and the Hume Motorway interchanges.
Macquarie Fields
Has its own Service NSW driver testing centre, which makes it the natural test choice for learners in the northern Macarthur suburbs.
Ingleburn
The town centre grid handles the early work, then lessons move onto the busier Campbelltown Road corridor and its school zones.
Narellan
Narellan Road meets Camden Valley Way here, so learners get repeated practice at genuine multi-lane intersections and lane choice under pressure.
Oran Park
A modern road network of roundabouts and school zones off The Northern Road. Clear signage makes it a good place to build give-way confidence.
Camden
Historic town streets ask for slow, precise driving, while the Camden Bypass covers open-road speed management in the same lesson.
Mount Annan
Estate streets and roundabouts near the Australian Botanic Garden let beginners build early skills without traffic pressure.
Minto
A mix of industrial roads and quiet residential streets, which gives George room to vary a lesson plan without leaving the suburb.
Leumeah
Railway crossings and steady suburban traffic close to Campbelltown centre make this useful for reading the road ahead.
Glen Alpine
Elevated streets give consistent slopes for practising controlled stops and smooth hill take-offs.
St Helens Park
Another suburb with reliable gradients, so hill starts stop being the thing you dread before test day.
Ambarvale
Hilly residential streets and compact blocks suit gradient control and low-speed manoeuvres in the same session.
Woodbine
Compact residential blocks give generous kerb space for reverse parking and three-point turns.
Ruse
Quiet residential crescents make Ruse a comfortable place for the very first session: cockpit setup, moving off, stopping and mirror habits.
Raby
Looping estate streets with clear sight lines are ideal for repeating turns, kerbside stops and three-point turns until they feel automatic.
Kearns
Low-traffic crescents beside Eagle Vale help absolute beginners establish steering and pedal control before anything else.
Eagle Vale
Local shopping-centre approaches and roundabouts feature heavily, which is good preparation for the decisions examiners watch closely.
St Andrews
Local streets suit steering, road position and head-check practice, with the Campbelltown Road corridor a short step away.
Rosemeadow
Winding local roads and active school zones sharpen speed awareness and forward observation.
Currans Hill
Quiet estate roads with quick access to Narellan Road, so a lesson can step up to arterial traffic as soon as you are ready.
Gregory Hills
A newer estate with modern roundabouts, wide roads and clear signage. Plenty of space to make mistakes safely and fix them.
Harrington Park
Well-laid-out estate roads near Camden Valley Way are good for consolidating skills before test-route practice begins.
Elderslie
Sits between Camden and Narellan, mixing older street layouts with newer estate roads in a single lesson.
Camden Park
Quiet roads on the rural edge of the Macarthur region help build comfort with higher speed limits and open-road observation.
Emerald Hills
The Emerald Hills estate has modern intersections and clear signage, which makes it a forgiving place for early traffic decisions.
Willowdale
Wide streets through the Willowdale estate suit first-time learners, with Edmondson Park and Macarthur test routes both within reach.
Driving lessons
Turn the guide into safer driving skills
Choose structured support for your current stage and goals.
Beginner driving lessons
Build vehicle control, observation and safe routines with calm, structured coaching.
Driving test preparation
Practise speed choice, positioning, decisions, hazard response and vehicle control.
Lessons for nervous drivers
Develop confidence through clear explanations, staged practice and useful feedback.
Frequently asked questions
Experienced Driver Recognition questions
Use the official links on this page to confirm current rules for your situation.
What was the Experienced Driver Recognition scheme?
It was a national arrangement managed through Austroads that let car and motorcycle licence holders over the age of 25, from a set list of overseas jurisdictions, be issued a comparable Australian licence without sitting the knowledge test or driving test. It recognised the driving experience they already had.
When did the Experienced Driver Recognition scheme end in NSW?
NSW applied the scheme until 31 January 2026. From 1 February 2026, experienced driver status from those countries ceased to operate in NSW. Austroads confirms the status ended for all Australian states and territories in early 2026.
Do I now need to pass the knowledge test and driving test?
If your licence is from a former Experienced Driver Recognition country, generally yes. Unless your licence comes from a country on NSW's recognised list, you will need to pass the Driver Knowledge Test and the driving test to convert to a NSW licence. The Transport for NSW eligibility check confirms what applies to your licence.
Which countries can still convert to a NSW licence without tests?
Licences from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and a group of mainly European countries convert to a NSW car or rider licence without tests, with conditions for some. The full list is in the section above and on the Transport for NSW exemptions page.
I have driven in South Korea for 20 years. Do I still need the NSW driving test?
Generally yes, from 1 February 2026. South Korea was covered by the Experienced Driver Recognition scheme but is not on NSW's recognised list, so years of experience no longer remove the tests. Your time held on the licence still affects which NSW licence stage you are issued once you pass.
How much does converting cost now?
The online Driver Knowledge Test is $58 for unlimited attempts, and the driving test is $72 for each attempt. You then pay the fee for the licence you are issued, which depends on its stage and term. Our NSW licence fees page lists every amount.
Can lessons help an experienced driver pass?
Yes, and usually only a few are needed. Experienced overseas drivers tend to fail on NSW-specific habits such as visible head checks, roundabout give-way and school zones rather than on vehicle control. Lessons on the roads around your testing centre target exactly those points.
Driving lessons
Pass the NSW test on the first attempt
A mock test with an accredited instructor shows exactly which NSW habits to fix before you pay for a real booking.
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