When you live and study in Melbourne you may not need a car, as there are many public transport, hire car and ride sharing options available .
If you decide to drive, you must follow the road rules. You must carry a valid driver’s licence or permit. Your car must be registered and insured.
VicRoads can help you arrange a driver licence or permit or register a vehicle. Visit the Vic Roads website.
- If you have an overseas licence, you'll need to convert to a Victorian licence within 6 months of residing in Victoria. Find out when you need to convert your licence
Cars share the road with buses, bikes, trucks, trams and other vehicles. Trams also share the road.
Road rules
When you are driving in Victoria you must follow our road rules.
The rules keep Victorian drivers and pedestrians safe. There are fines and other penalties if you do not follow the rules.
Read more on the Road rules page on the VicRoads website.
Videos of common road rules
The Vic Roads YouTube channel has videos of some common Victorian road rules.
Victorian driver’s licence
The fastest way to get a licensing appointment is to book online. Booking a licensing appointment online means you have access to the earliest time available. Use the below links to book, view, change or cancel your appointment(s). If you've got a myVicRoads account, you can enrol to take the Learner Permit Test Online or Hazard Perception Test Online.
Requirement for overseas licence holders
If you have an overseas licence, you'll need to convert to a Victorian licence within 6 months of residing in Victoria. Use the online tool to work out the date by which you need to convert to a Victorian licence and the type of licence you'll get.
Toll roads
Melbourne has several toll roads, where you need to pay to use the road.
There are two authorities that manage toll roads in Victoria - CityLink and EastLink.
How to pay the toll
Pay for a pass online before you travel or up to 3 days after you travel.
If you are in Victoria for more than a few weeks it may be more convenient to open an account with EastLink or CityLink.
Read more on the Using tolls roads page on the VicRoads website.
Buying a car
If you buy a car in Victoria, be clear about financing, insurance, servicing and repairs. You must also ensure the car is roadworthy and registered.
Roadworthy certificate
When you buy a car it should have a certificate of roadworthiness. The certificate is issued by an accredited tester. It certifies that that the vehicle is in good working order.
Find out more on the Roadworthiness page of the VicRoads website.
Registration
All vehicles that drive on public roads in Victoria must be registered with VicRoads. You must renew the registration of your car every year.
If you buy a car that is already registered you must transfer the registration into your name within 14 days of buying the car.
You can register or renew your registration online, by electronic funds transfer (EFT), by mail or call 13 2723 with a credit card.
Read more on the Registration page of the VicRoads website.
Performing a hook turn
If you are driving in Melbourne's CBD you may need to perform a hook turn to turn right at some intersections.
View transcript
[Music, on screen: These are some road rules you need to know]
[Speaker] These videos will take you through some common road rules that you need to know.
Performing a hook turn:
There are some unique situations you will come across when driving in Melbourne
Sometimes, if you need to turn right, you will need to perform a hook turn.
Keep an eye out for this sign.
[Visual of car driving with hook turn sign, an arrow indicating to turn right from the left hand lane.]
So how does a hook turn work?
First, you will need to be in the left-hand lane.
Move forward, keeping clear of any marked foot crossing until your vehicle is as near as possible to the far side of the road
Remain in this position until you see that the traffic lights on the road you want to enter have changed to green
Turn right into the road and continue straight ahead.
[Vic Roads, Victoria State Government logo]
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