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purukoy
By purukoy | AA Member | 3 Posts | 9 October 2014 at 3:36pm

Hi,

My friend got his Philippine drivers license conversion to nz restricted last year (classified as a learner's license?). He is still using that restricted license. Now he needs to stay in sydney for more than a year. Can he actually convert his current license to a full license in sydney? or will he be required to start over and apply for an au learners license? What's the process in applying if he is required?

ABayliss
By ABayliss | AA Expert | 2169 Posts | 9 October 2014 at 4:10pm

A learner's licence and restricted licence are not the same thing. A learner's licence requires a fully licensed driver to accompany him at all times, but with a restricted licence, he can drive unaccompanied between 5am and 10pm, but may not carry passengers.
So, firstly, you need to clarify his licence status. Secondly, he'd need to check with Australian authorities regarding their requirements, but I can't imagine they would allow a NZ learner's or restricted licence to be converted to a full licence. I would think a full NZ licence should be able to be converted to a full Australian licence, but again, you need to clarify with Australian authorities.