New arrivals can now drive on an overseas car licence in New Zealand for 12 months, not 18. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) says the longer limit ended on 31 October 2026.
What applies to you depends on the date you last arrived in the country.
The two time limits
NZTA says that if you last arrived in New Zealand before 1 November 2026, you can drive on your overseas car licence for 18 months. Truck and motorcycle licences stay at 12 months.
If you last arrived on or after 1 November 2026, you can drive on an overseas car, truck or motorcycle licence for 12 months.
Once the time is up, NZTA says you must either convert your licence to a New Zealand one or stop driving. If you leave New Zealand and come back, the time limit starts again from your new arrival.
NZTA says the government lifted the limit from 12 to 18 months in 2024 for two years, to ease pressure on driver licence test wait times. That two-year period has now run out.
Your overseas licence still has to qualify
NZTA lists the conditions for using an overseas licence at all:
- It must be current and valid.
- If it is not in English, you need an accurate English translation or an international driving permit (IDP). The IDP can be current or expired by up to six months, and you must carry your original licence as well.
- You must not have been disqualified or suspended in New Zealand.
- You must not have been given a New Zealand licence since you last arrived.
If you have started converting
Be careful here. NZTA says that if you already hold a New Zealand learner licence, or a New Zealand licence with a supervisor condition, that overrides your overseas licence. You cannot go back to driving on the overseas one.
If you have started converting but have not yet been issued a New Zealand licence, for example because you have not passed the theory test, NZTA says you can keep driving on your overseas licence for up to 18 months from when you last arrived.
Which countries get an easier conversion?
NZTA divides countries into exempt and non-exempt. Exempt countries are those with licensing systems it considers similar to New Zealand's. They include Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others. A licence from any country not on NZTA's list, which includes mainland China, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, is treated as non-exempt.
NZTA's guidance for non-exempt countries says you need to pass both a theory test and a practical driving test to get a New Zealand class 1 licence. The theory test has 35 questions and you need 32 right. Our learner licence guide and theory test guide cover what the test involves.
Conversions must be done at a specialist overseas conversion driver licensing agent. If your licence is not in English, you will need a translation from an NZTA-approved translator.
Book early
NZTA's advice is to allow plenty of time, because it may take a while to get a test booking. With a 12-month limit, a person who arrives in November 2026 has until about November 2027 to finish the process, and a delay in getting a test slot could leave them unable to drive.
Check your arrival date in your passport or visa records, and work out your end date now rather than closer to it.