Early or late renewal of driver or rider licence

You can renew your licence up to 6 months early and your new licence will have the same expiry date as if you renew on time.

Renew your licence

Once your licence expires, you must not drive until you have renewed it.

Remember: it's your responsibility to renew your licence on time – even if you didn't receive the reminder notice. There are heavy penalties for driving with an expired licence.

Licence expired up to 6 months

If you renew within 6 months after the expiry date, your new licence will keep the same expiry day and month, as long as you haven’t been disqualified or had your licence cancelled in that time.

Licence expired up to 5 years

If you renew more than 6 months, but less than 5 years after the expiry date, your licence will be reissued. The new expiry date will be calculated from the date the licence is reissued.

This counts as a break in licence tenure. Your eligibility for the safe drivers discount will be calculated from the date the licence is reissued.

Licence expired more than 5 years

If your licence has expired by more than 5 years, you'll need to pass eyesight, knowledge and driving tests for the class of licence you previously held.

Exceptions for interstate and overseas licence holders

If you can prove you held a licence in another Australian state or territory for the same class within the last 5 years, you may be exempt from the tests.

If you've held an overseas licence within the last 5 years, you may also be exempt from some tests, depending on the country.

See Moving your licence to NSW for more information.