Eligibility to apply for driver authorisation and suitability requirements

Entitlement to work in Australia

Before we can accept your application or renewal, you must provide evidence that you are one of the following:

• an Australian citizen
• a permanent resident of Australia
• a New Zealand citizen who is the holder of a special category visa as defined by the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth), section 32
• entitled under a visa granted under the Migration Act 1958 (Commonwealth) to work in Australia.

If you're an Australian citizen, permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen holding a special category visa, we'll accept any of the following documents as evidence of an Australian work entitlement:

• current green Medicare card
• full Australian birth certificate
• Queensland birth extract
• Australian citizenship certificate or extract
• Australian naturalisation certificate
• Australian passport (which cannot be expired for more than 2 years)
• Repatriation Health Card – for all conditions (Gold Card)
• New Zealand passport
• evidence of Australian permanent residency.

If you are not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen holding a special category visa, you must present your overseas passport or identity document such as your ImmiCard when you apply or renew your authorisation. You must also complete the Authority to Check a Visa Holder’s Work Entitlement (F4595) so we can verify your entitlement to work in Australia before we can accept your application.

Driver licence requirements

Driver authorisation will be refused or cancelled if you have an alcohol ignition interlock condition on your driver licence. You must also not use a vehicle fitted with a prescribed alcohol ignition interlock to provide public passenger services.

Booked hire/taxi driver authorisation applicants must:

1. hold a current Australian open or restricted driver licence
2. have held an open, restricted, provisional or probationary driver licence in Australian or overseas for a total of at least 3 years
3. have held for a continuous period of at least 1 year any of the following licences or a series of the following licences:
   • an Australian open, restricted, provisional or probationary driver licence
   • a corresponding foreign licence issued by a recognised country listed on the Austroads website. These are countries recognised as having similar driver licensing standards to Australia.

General driver authorisation applicants must:

1. hold a current Australian open or restricted driver licence.
2. for at least 3 years in total, have held an open, restricted, provisional or probationary driver licence (Australian or overseas).

Suitability requirements

If you apply for or hold a driver authorisation, you must satisfy the following suitability requirements, including:

• medical fitness
• criminal history
• traffic history.

We also assess your suitability to hold driver authorisation having regard to the safety of children and other vulnerable members of the community, the personal safety of passengers, their property, the public safety and the reputation of road-based public passenger transport. You may be considered unsuitable to hold a driver authorisation if you have demonstrated previous non-compliance with your safety duties as a passenger transport driver.

If you fail to meet and maintain these requirements, we may refuse your application or cancel, suspend or amend your current driver authorisation.