Getting around: overseas licences, buying a used car and rego

One step applies everywhere in Australia when you buy a used car: search the PPSR for A$2 using the VIN to check whether the car has money owing on it, or has been stolen or written off. Everything else depends on the state. The buyer must transfer the registration within 14 days and pay a transfer fee and vehicle duty (stamp duty). In VIC the seller must provide a roadworthy certificate, in QLD the seller must provide a safety certificate, and in NSW a private sale with current registration does not need an inspection certificate. Buying from a licensed dealer gives you a statutory warranty; buying privately gives you almost none. This page covers NSW, VIC and QLD.

Driver licensing is run by each state, so there is no single national rule. Temporary visa holders can generally drive on a valid overseas licence: in NSW for up to 6 months after arrival; in VIC you must transfer before you have lived there 6 months; the QLD, WA and SA websites set no time limit for temporary visa holders. Once you get permanent residency or citizenship, NSW, QLD and WA require you to transfer within 3 months, SA within 90 days, and VIC still counts 6 months of living in the state. A licence from a country that is not on a state's recognised list, for example mainland China, needs a theory test and a driving test in every state; check whether your own country is on the list. This page covers NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and SA.