Uber, DiDi or Uber Eats on an overseas licence in Australia

Driving for Uber or a delivery app on an overseas licence?

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The short answer

Passengers: Uber and DiDi want an Australian licence, held for 6 to 12 months in most states. For most people that means getting an Australian licence first.

Food by car: Uber Eats accepts some overseas licences in six states and territories: you need a temporary visa and a licence from a country on its accepted list.

Parcels: Amazon Flex asks for a full Australian licence.

Whatever the platform accepts, the state’s road rules still apply while you drive on an overseas licence. If yours is not in English, that is usually where a translation comes in.

Rideshare: Uber wants an Australian licence, held for a while

Uber’s minimum requirements include: “Hold a valid full driver’s licence in your state or territory”. It then lists licence tenure rules for five states and the Northern Territory, and says to check the relevant government website for more detail:

NSW: “12 months on an unrestricted Australian licence within the last 48 months (effective until 1 October 2026, unless revoked earlier). After this, the requirement will revert to 12 months within the last 24 months”
Victoria: “held an unrestricted/full Australian or New Zealand driver’s licence for at least 6 months”
Queensland: “held an Australian driver’s licence for at least 12 months”
South Australia: “held an unrestricted/full Australian driver’s licence for at least 6 months”
Tasmania: “held a full Australian driver’s licence for at least 12 months”
Northern Territory: “held a driver’s licence (Australian or overseas) for at least 12 months in the last 3 years”

Only the Northern Territory counts time on any overseas licence, and Victoria also counts a New Zealand licence. Everywhere else on the list, the time that counts is time on an Australian licence, so for most people the real first step is getting one. Uber’s list does not name Western Australia or the ACT; check the requirements for those in the app.

DiDi: read the whole page

DiDi’s Queensland page lists, among its requirements, “Have held an unrestricted Australian driver licence for at least 12 months”. Further down, the same page says “You must have held an open, unrestricted driver’s licence (Australian or overseas) continuously for 12 months.”

Those two lines do not say the same thing. Ask DiDi which one applies to you before you plan around it.

Its Victorian page says you “must have held a full driver licence in VIC for a minimum period of 6 months to provide rideshare services.”

Delivery by car: Uber Eats takes some overseas licences in six states and territories

Uber Eats is the clearest of the platforms: “Uber Eats welcomes the use of overseas driver’s licences in NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, SA and WA for delivery people who choose to deliver with a car.” The condition follows: “Eligible Delivery People who hold a temporary visa and a valid full overseas driver’s licence will be able to deliver via car if they meet all other requirements.” Its criteria add: “Hold a full overseas driver’s licence that is valid, includes a clear photo, and displays your full legal name.” The same page lists the “Accepted countries for overseas driver licences”, so check that yours is on it.

Two limits sit next to that. A motorbike or scooter is different: “Delivery People who choose to deliver with a motorbike/scooter will be required to hold a full Australian driver’s licence.” And Uber’s help page says an overseas licence is “Accepted in selected cities in Australia, if you’ve signed up to deliver using a car.” Check your own city in the app.

For four of those countries, the same page says what goes with a licence that is not in English: “For non-English licences issued in China, Japan, Iran, or Egypt, please upload your licence with International Driving Permit (IDP) or NAATI-certified translation”. For a non-English licence from anywhere else on the list, the page does not say, and the app tells you what to upload. If it asks for a translation of your licence, that is a translation we do.

Amazon Flex and DoorDash

Amazon Flex’s requirements page is direct: “You must have a full, unrestricted Australian driver’s licence. Provisional, international and digital driver’s licence are not accepted.” On an overseas licence alone, that rules it out.

DoorDash’s page is looser. It says “You just need a valid driver’s license and insurance”, and that “A full open Australian license is optional to access certain offers.” Confirm in the app what it accepts before you rely on an overseas licence.

On the road, the state’s rules still apply

A platform accepting your licence does not change the road rules. While you drive on an overseas licence, you carry it. If it is not in English, the state says what goes with it.

NSW: “If your licence is not written in English, you must also carry an English translation, or an International Driving Permit.” Victoria: “If your licence is not in English, you’ll also need to carry either: an English translation of your licence, or an international driving permit in English.” Queensland: “If your licence isn’t in English, you should carry a recognised English translation of it when you’re driving. Show this translation to police when you have to show your driver licence.”

How long you may keep driving on an overseas licence is a separate question, and the states answer it differently. NSW, for one, says: “If you’re a temporary overseas visitor who arrived in NSW on or after 1 July 2023 and intend to reside in NSW for longer than six months, you will need to obtain a NSW driver’s licence within six months if you wish to continue to drive.” The rules for the other states are on how long you can drive on an overseas licence.

Getting an Australian licence, which rideshare needs anyway

If rideshare is the plan, converting your licence comes first. For a licence not in English, a translation is part of that.

Victoria: “If your driver licence or learner permit is not in English, you must have it translated by any NAATI accredited translator or the country’s consulate in Australia.” The rules are quoted in full on licence translation for Victoria.

Queensland names three accepted sources, and there is one question to put to Transport and Main Roads before you order: see licence translation for Queensland.

New South Wales works differently. For a licence transfer, Transport for NSW accepts translations from a short list of named organisations, and an independent translator like us is not on it. Licence translation for NSW names who is.

What we do

We translate your licence in full, both sides of the card, and deliver it by email as a searchable PDF. The full price in Australian dollars is on screen before you order. For driving, choose the NAATI certification option, and a NAATI-certified translator prepares it.

Platform rules change, so check yours again before you rely on it. Driver’s licence translation shows what the finished translation includes.

Sources, checked on the date shown:

Driving for Uber, DiDi or Uber Eats on an overseas licence