Getting your Victorian driver’s licence is not a single event. It is a staged process that takes at least a year for older learners and over four years for teenagers, with each stage building on the last.
The exact requirements depend on your age and driving experience.
Victoria’s Graduated Licensing System
Victoria uses a Graduated Licensing System (GLS). It is not a single test you sit and walk away licensed: it’s a staged process designed to build your skills over time.
There are four stages:
- Learner Permit (L plates)
- Probationary P1 Licence (red P plates)
- Probationary P2 Licence (green P plates)
- Full Licence
How long this takes depends heavily on your age when you start. Younger drivers go through a longer pathway. Older learners move faster.
Stage 1: Getting Your Learner Permit (Ls)
What is the learner permit exactly?
Your learner permit lets you drive on Victorian roads with a supervising driver. You are not licensed to drive alone.
You must be at least 16 years old to apply. You also need a Victorian residential address, pass an eyesight test, and be medically fit to drive.
Step 1: Complete the Learner Permit Test
The first practical step is completing the Learner Permit Test, which covers Victorian road rules and safe driving habits.
There are two ways to take it.
- Online: a free interactive course on myVicRoads that takes 4 to 6 hours to complete. You pass a final assessment at the end. Your first attempt is free. If you need to retry, each further attempt costs $28.70.
- In person: available at any VicRoads Customer Service Centre. The in-person test costs $28.70 plus a $22.10 appointment fee, totalling $50.80.
The online course is only available in English. If you need an interpreter or prefer a face-to-face format, go with the in-person option, which is available in multiple languages.
You can actually enrol in the online course once you turn 15 years and 11 months, but your learner permit won’t be issued until you’re 16.
Step 2: Get Your Paperwork Ready
Once you pass the test, fill in your learner permit application through myVicRoads. After that, you’ll receive an email with a QR code and a list of the identity documents you need to bring to a VicRoads service centre. Make sure you have the following originals ready:
- Your QR code (VicRoads can scan it directly from your phone)
- A Category A identity document, such as your passport or birth certificate
- A Category B identity document, such as your Medicare card
- Proof of your current address if it’s not shown on your identity documents
Copies are not accepted. Bring the originals.
Step 3: Visit a VicRoads Customer Service Centre
Walk into any VicRoads Customer Service Centre: no appointment needed. Staff will check your documents, test your eyesight, and take your photo and signature for the permit.
You’ll leave with a temporary learner permit on the day. The physical card arrives in the post. You can also access a digital learner permit through the myVicRoads app within 1 to 2 days.
Cost of the learner permit itself: Free, under VicRoads’ Motorist Package introduced in August 2022.
Your learner permit stays valid for 10 years or until you get your Ps.
Stage 2: Logging Your Driving Hours
How many hours do you need?
If you’re under 21, you must complete at least 120 hours of supervised driving, including 20 hours at night. These hours must be recorded in either the printed VicRoads learner logbook or the myLearners digital app.
If you’re 21 to under 25, the supervised driving requirement doesn’t apply, but you must hold your learner permit for at least six months. If you’re 25 or older, the minimum holding period drops to three months.
What counts as a supervising driver?
Your supervisor also needs to maintain a zero blood alcohol level while in the car with you.
Stage 3: Getting Your P1 Licence (Red Ps)
What do you need before you can sit your driving test?
Before booking your practical drive test, you must first pass the Hazard Perception Test (HPT). This is a computer-based test that assesses your ability to spot and respond to road hazards.
To sit the HPT:
- You must hold a current Victorian learner permit
- You must be at least 17 years and 11 months old
- You must have held your permit for the minimum required period (12 months if under 21)
The online HPT is free for your first attempt. Further attempts cost $22.10 each. In person, the test costs $21.90 plus a $22.10 appointment fee.
Once you pass the HPT, you can book your practical drive test. The drive test costs $53.20 plus a $22.10 appointment fee: $75.30 total.
What happens in the drive test?
The test runs for roughly 30 minutes with an official VicRoads assessor. You’ll be assessed on lane changing, give-way rules, parking, speed management, and safe responses in traffic. You need to bring your own roadworthy vehicle: VicRoads does not supply one.
If you took your test in an automatic vehicle, your P1 licence will carry an automatic-only condition. If you’re still deciding which vehicle to learn in, compare automatic and manual driving lessons before booking your test.
To drive a manual, you’d need to pass another test in a manual car.
P1 licence rules
Once you have your red P plates, you can drive unaccompanied. But you must follow several P1 licence rules in Victoria:
- Zero blood alcohol concentration at all times
- No mobile phone use in any way while driving
- If you are under 21, you can carry only one peer passenger aged between 16 and 21 at a time, unless they are your sibling or step-sibling. Passengers aged 22 or over are not counted under this restriction
- No towing, except for certain work or agricultural situations
- Maximum of 4 demerit points allowed in any 12-month period (accumulating 5 or more triggers suspension, compared to a 3-year window of 12 points for full licence holders)
You must hold your P1 licence for at least 12 months before moving to P2.
Cost of the P1 licence: Free for first-time applicants under the Motorist Package.
Stage 4: P2 Licence (Green Ps) and Beyond
After 12 months on your P1 licence with no suspensions, you move automatically to P2. VicRoads will send you a notification when it’s time to update your plates. No additional test is required.
On your P2 licence:
- Green P plates replace red ones; same visibility requirements apply
- Zero BAC still applies
- No mobile phone use still applies
- Peer passenger restrictions no longer apply
- You’re still limited on high-performance vehicles
Drivers under 21 spend four years on probation: 12 months on P1 followed by 3 years on P2. If you’re 21 or over, you go straight to P2 for 3 years with no P1 stage.
If you started your probationary period under 21 and complete both P1 and P2 stages with no suspensions, court cancellations, or disqualifications, VicRoads’ Safe Driver Discount (formerly the Free Licence Scheme) gives you 100% off your first 10-year full licence.
How Long Does the Whole Process Take?
It depends on your age at the time you start.
| Age When Starting Learner Permit | Minimum Time to Full Licence |
| Under 21 | Around 4.5 years |
| 21 to under 25 | Around 3.5 years |
| 25 and over | Around 3.25 years |
Keep in mind these are just the minimum legal holding periods. The time it takes to log your driving hours and book test appointments on top of that means the real timeline is often longer.
