Transferring Your Licence and Rego to Queensland (2026)

Moving to Brisbane with a car means two jobs with Transport and Main Roads (TMR): swapping your interstate driver licence for a Queensland one, and registering your car here. Each has its own deadline, and the rego one is short. Below is how each one works, what it costs on TMR’s current fee tables, and what to bring so you only queue once.

When do you need to transfer your licence and rego to Queensland?

The car comes first. If you move here with a vehicle registered in another state or territory and it will be garaged at a Queensland address, the Queensland Government says you have 14 days to register it in Queensland and may be fined if you don’t.

The licence gives you longer. TMR’s licence transfer page says Australian citizens must apply for a Queensland driver licence once they have been living in Queensland for 3 months. The same 3 months applies to permanent or special category visa holders, counted from the move or from the visa, whichever came later.

Australian Defence Force members on full-time permanent service or in the Defence Force reserve, and their immediate family, may be able to keep using an interstate licence. Members can keep interstate rego until it expires, and family members can too if they hold a current civilian ADF identity card. The full conditions are on the two TMR pages above.

What does the licence and rego transfer cost in 2026?

TMR sets the licence fees. The rego part depends on your car. These are the figures TMR publishes, each with the date it applies from.

• Interstate licence transfer: $87.05 if your interstate licence is current, as at 1 July 2026, per the TMR licence fees page.
• Safety certificate inspection: $102.70 for a motor vehicle up to 4,500kg GVM, as at 1 July 2026, per the TMR safety certificates page.
• 12 months of rego for a 4 cylinder private car: $864.50 to $880.50 including CTP insurance, as at 1 October 2026, per TMR registration costs.

The rego range moves with your cylinder count and your CTP insurer, and TMR’s online registration quote tool gives a more detailed quote for your car.

One cost you probably won’t pay twice: TMR says you don’t pay vehicle registration duty again if you already paid it when you registered the car interstate. For the rest of your moving budget, see our guide to the cost of moving to Brisbane.

Step 1 of your licence and rego transfer: the licence

You swap the licence in person. TMR lists three places to apply: a transport and motoring customer service centre, a participating Queensland Government Agent Program (QGAP) office, or a licence-issuing police station in rural or remote areas.

• Hand in your old card: your interstate licence is surrendered when you get the Queensland one.
• Forms: none at a customer service centre. Police stations and most QGAP offices need a driver licence application (F3000).
• Medical fitness: you declare you are fit to drive that class of vehicle, and you may need a medical certificate if you have a condition that affects your ability to drive safely. Drivers aged 75 and over also need a medical certificate (F3712).

If your interstate licence is current, the unexpired time moves across to your Queensland licence, up to a maximum of 5 years. If it expires within 12 months, you can give up the remaining time instead. TMR then waives the transfer fee and you pay for a fresh 1 to 5 year licence. If it has already expired, you pay only the licence fee for the term you choose.

Sometimes TMR has to ask your old state for your licence and driving history in writing first. When that happens, you come back on another day to finish the transfer. Once the Queensland licence is issued, you can’t drive here on the interstate one.

Step 2 of your licence and rego transfer: the safety certificate

Before you can register the car, it needs a Queensland safety certificate, formerly known as a roadworthy. TMR requires one when you transfer to Queensland registration from another state or territory, and only approved inspection stations can issue it.

The inspection checks basic safety items, including the tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, rust or body damage, windscreen and lights. TMR is clear that it is not a full mechanical inspection.

TMR’s vehicle registration page says the 14 days with your interstate plates still attached are there to give you time to get the certificate and then register the car. The same page says a car with gas fittings also needs a gas certificate less than 3 months old from an authorised installer, with some exemptions listed there.

Step 3 of your licence and rego transfer: registering the car

A new Queensland registration is done in person. TMR says you can’t apply for it through its online services. Go to a transport and motoring service centre, or in rural areas a QGAP office, Magistrates Court or local police station that does rego (call first to check).

• Safety certificate: the original blue copy of a handwritten one, or a printout or the number of an electronic one.
• Garage address: proof of where the car is kept, such as a current driver licence, a rates notice, or a gas, electricity or home phone bill from the last 6 months. Most interstate residents can’t use the garage address statement form (F4408).
• Identity: evidence of identity for every registered operator.
• Payment: the registration fees, plus duty unless you are exempt.

Customer service centres don’t need a registration application form. A QGAP office, Magistrates Court or police station still needs a vehicle registration application (F3518), plus a new customer application (F3503) if it’s your first time dealing with TMR.

If you want a refund on the rest of your interstate rego, bring the plates too. TMR explains that you hand them in with a current safety certificate and get a receipt. You then contact your old state’s transport authority to cancel the interstate rego and claim the refund. If you bought personalised plates there, ask that authority whether you can keep them.

Documents to bring for your licence and rego transfer

TMR’s evidence of identity page says most people show 3 documents, all of them originals. Photocopies, scans and certified copies aren’t accepted.

• Category A, your legal name and date of birth: your Australian photo driver licence counts here, as do an Australian birth certificate or a passport.
• Category B, proof you use that name: for example a debit or credit card, or a Medicare card.
• One more: a third document from Category A or Category B.
• Category C, your Queensland address: needed if the other documents don’t show it. A current electricity, gas, internet or landline account, a lease or rental document, or a rates notice all count.

Bank statements, mobile phone bills and vehicle registration notices won’t work as proof of address. If you are coming up from Victoria, our guide to moving from Melbourne to Brisbane covers the rest of the move.

Licence and rego transfer FAQs

Can I do my Queensland licence and rego transfer online?

Not the first time. TMR says a new vehicle registration can’t be done through its online services, and the licence transfer means handing in your interstate card at a counter. Some later changes, like updating your registration address, can be done online or on 13 23 80.

Which comes first, the licence or the rego?

The rego has the shorter deadline at 14 days, so it makes sense to start with the safety certificate and registration. The licence deadline is 3 months of living in Queensland, so it’s worth booking it in soon after the rego. Your interstate licence can still help prove your identity at the rego counter.

Once the paperwork is done, have a look at our guide to Brisbane’s council areas for bins, rates and other local services where you’ve landed.

Sources for this licence and rego guide

• Queensland Government, Transferring to a Queensland licence
• Queensland Government, Changing your registration: moving a vehicle to or from Queensland
• Queensland Government, Licence fees
• Queensland Government, Registration costs
• Queensland Government, Safety certificates
• Queensland Government, Register your motor vehicle or motorcycle
• Queensland Government, Evidence of identity for individuals

Facts on this page were checked on 17 October 2026.