Visitors
International Driving Permit or English translation?
Two documents can sit beside a licence that is not in English. One is issued in your home country before you leave; the other can be arranged from anywhere and arrives by email. Here is what the motoring association, the road authorities and the hire desks say, so you can decide by where you are right now.
Driving in Australia on an overseas licence?
Answer a few quick questions and get your answer in 1 second.
The permit
What an International Driving Permit is, in the issuer’s words
A permit is a booklet. The Australian Automobile Association issues IDPs to Australian licence holders. Its answers apply in reverse to visitors.
You cannot apply for one in Australia
“Can I apply for an IDP in Australia if I hold an overseas driver’s licence? No. Only Australian driver licence holders can apply for an IDP in Australia. If you hold an overseas driver licence you must apply for a permit in the country that issued your licence.”
Source: Australian Automobile Association, International Driving Permits (checked 18 September 2026)
It never travels alone
A permit “is only valid if you carry your domestic driver licence photo card”. Budget’s hire FAQ says the same thing from the other side of the counter: “An International Driving Permit is not a stand-alone document and must be carried with your valid domestic drivers licence.”
Source: Budget Australia, requirements for renting FAQ (checked 18 September 2026)
It has a clock
An Australian-issued permit “is valid for 12 months from the date of issue”. South Australia’s page says of any IDP: “An IDP is valid for 12 months, and you must also carry your driver’s licence from your home country.” Check the issue date on yours before you rely on it.
Either one
The road authorities name both, and let you choose
The same either/or appears state after state. The one exception is quoted below it.
New South Wales
“If your licence is not written in English, you must also carry an English translation, or an International Driving Permit. This is issued by the motoring association or embassy of the country that you are licensed to drive in.”
Source: NSW Government, driving with an overseas licence in NSW (checked 18 September 2026)
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.” VicRoads renders no date on the page, and asks you to always have your overseas licence with you when you drive.
Source: VicRoads, driving with your overseas licence (checked 18 September 2026)
Western Australia
“You must carry your current overseas licence and a translation, or an International Drivers’ Permit (IDP) with you while driving.” The page names no translating body and states no visitor time limit, and it is the only line about Western Australia we have verified.
The exception: the Northern Territory
“you must apply for an international driving permit if: your overseas licence is not written in English” — before you travel. The NT is the one place where a translation arranged elsewhere does not do the job, so NT visitors should obtain a permit at home. We cannot supply a translation for the NT.
Source: NT.GOV.AU, driving in the NT for new residents and visitors (checked 18 September 2026)
Queensland names only a translation and points to NAATI’s list of translators; South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT also give the choice. Every state is quoted on our rent a car in Australia page.
The hire desk
What rental companies accept
Hertz
Hertz’s rental terms accept a licence that “is in English or, if not in English, is accompanied by a certified English translation”. The terms do not define certified. Hertz’s guide for tourists mentions an International Driving Permit or a certified English translation. Either way the licence card itself comes too; neither document replaces it.
Source: Hertz Australia, rental terms (driver licence) (checked 18 September 2026)
SIXT
“Should the valid driver’s licence be in another language or have no photo SIXT will accept a certified translation in English or an International driver’s permit. Should the licence not have a photo, an International Driving Permit must accompany it.” SIXT’s rental terms name a NAATI translation as the accepted form.
Source: SIXT Australia, rental information FAQ (checked 18 September 2026)
Europcar
Europcar’s rental terms (effective 1 May 2024) accept either a valid International Driving Permit issued in the same country as the licence, or an English translation issued by NAATI that fully explains any licence conditions and the vehicle category. For a translation instead of a permit, choose the NAATI option.
Source: Europcar Australia, rental terms and conditions, clause 7.2 (checked 19 September 2026)
Thrifty’s rental terms, like Hertz’s, name only a certified English translation. Budget’s and Avis’s FAQs each carry a line saying an International Drivers Licence is required. Sources: Thrifty’s rental terms and Avis Australia’s FAQ, paraphrased here (checked 3 September 2026); Budget Australia, requirements for renting FAQ (checked 18 September 2026).
The decision
Which one you need is decided by where you are
Still at home
You have both options. A permit from your motoring association or embassy, carried with your licence, is named by every road authority quoted on this page except Queensland, which names only a translation, and by SIXT, Europcar and Budget; Hertz’s terms name a certified English translation, though its guide for tourists mentions a permit as well. A translation can be ordered from anywhere and is delivered by email, so it can be on your phone before you land, and printed in your bag if you like paper.
If you go with a translation, choose the NAATI option: it carries a credential that several authorities and companies name. The delivery times on the order page are estimates, so order with time to spare before you fly. Hire companies set their own terms, so read the road authority’s page for the state you will drive in and the terms of the company you book with before you choose.
Already in Australia
The AAA will not issue you one here, and whether your home motoring association or embassy will issue one while you are abroad is for them to say. An English translation of your licence, carried with the original, is the alternative named by every state and territory quoted on this page except the NT, and by Hertz, Thrifty, SIXT and Europcar in the terms set out above; for Western Australia that is the only line we have verified. Budget and Avis are less clear, so ask them before you book. Order it before you reach the desk.
Heading for the Northern Territory
Arrange a permit before you travel. The NT page ties the alternative to a translator in the NT, which is not something we can offer, and we would rather say so than sell you a page. The AAA does not issue permits to overseas licence holders, so a permit has to come from the country that issued your licence.
Whichever you carry, keep the original licence with it. Every source quoted on this page says the licence itself still travels with you.
Pricing
The full price on screen before you order
Translation is $39.99 per page into English, delivered digitally. Add NAATI certification for $59.99 per page, prepared by a NAATI-certified translator with a digital stamp carrying a scannable QR code. A licence is two pages, the front and the back, and the translation covers every field, category and condition on both. The wording on any stamp is translated, and a seal with no words is noted in square brackets, for example [seal].
Licence translation for Australia, in your language: Deutsch · Español · Français · 日本語.
Start from the overview: driver licence translation, with the NAATI option, every state on one page, or see what the rental companies ask for on our rent a car in Australia page. Licence already in English? You probably need neither.