Driving in Singapore on an Australian licence

Short answer: driving here is easy, getting the licence sorted is a short admin job, and owning the car is the eye-watering part.

The short version

If you've lived in Singapore for less than 12 months, you can drive on your Australian licence plus an International Driving Permit (IDP) [1][2].
After 12 months, you need a Singapore licence. Converting means passing the Basic Theory Test (BTT); there's no practical test for an ordinary car licence [2].
The conversion application costs S$50 and is done by appointment at Traffic Police Headquarters in Ubi [3].
Smartraveller warns that digital driver's licences may not be accepted, so bring your physical card [1].
Before you can register a car, you need a Certificate of Entitlement (COE). In the 21 October 2026 round it closed at S$132,004 for smaller cars [5].

Your first 12 months: the Australian licence and an IDP

Singapore drives on the left, the cars are right-hand drive, and the road signs will look familiar. That's where the similarities end, at least on paper.

The Traffic Police say foreigners residing in Singapore for less than 12 months can drive on a valid foreign licence plus an IDP from an authorised body in their home country [2]. If no IDP is available, an official English translation from your embassy or a registered translation company also works [2]. Australian licences are in English, but get the IDP anyway: car rental firms and insurers usually ask for one, and Smartraveller lists it as a requirement [1].

A few traps:

Get the IDP before you leave Australia. It's issued by the authorised body at home, and it's much harder to arrange from Singapore. The Australian Automobile Association's website explains how.
Carry the plastic card. Many states have moved to digital licences on a phone. Smartraveller says digital licences may not be accepted [1].
Keep your Australian licence current. It's the basis for your IDP and for conversion. If it expires while you're away, you lose both.
You must be 18 or over to drive [1].

The 12-month clock is about how long you've been residing, not how long you've been driving. If you arrive on an Employment Pass and plan to stay for two years, start the conversion well before your first anniversary.

Becoming a permanent resident changes the timeline. New PRs and citizens can drive for up to three months, then must convert to keep driving [2].

Who has to convert

According to the Traffic Police, you must convert your foreign licence if you are [2]:

a Singapore citizen or permanent resident
a foreigner who has lived in Singapore for more than 12 months
a foreigner on a Work Permit or S Pass employed as a driver, even if you've been here less than 12 months.

For most Australians on an Employment Pass or Dependant's Pass, it's the second one. There are two conditions: pass the BTT in Singapore and hold a valid foreign licence [2]. You also need to show that you lived in the country that issued your licence for at least a year, with at least six months of physical presence [2]. For most Australians that's easy, but it can catch out people who got their licence quickly before moving.

Converting your licence, step by step

Read the Basic Theory of Driving handbook. The Traffic Police publish it free online. The rules are close to Australia's, but the test asks about Singapore-specific signs, road markings and penalties. Don't wing it.
Book and pass the BTT. You sit it at one of the approved driving centres: Bukit Batok Driving Centre, ComfortDelGro Driving Centre or Singapore Safety Driving Centre [2]. Check the centre's own site for the current test fee and booking rules.
Do the online pre-assessment. The Traffic Police run a Foreign Licence Pre-assessment form that takes about 10 minutes. If you're eligible, you get a link to book an appointment [3].
Gather your documents. Bring originals and photocopies [2]: - a recent colour passport photo with a white background - your current passport, plus the passport with your first Singapore entry stamp - your FIN card or pass - your current Australian licence - a licence record extract if your licence doesn't show when it was first issued - proof of at least one year's residence in Australia, such as old passports, employment, study or tax records.
Attend your appointment at Traffic Police Headquarters, 10 Ubi Avenue 3 [3]. The counter process takes about 20 minutes, and you pay the S$50 application fee by NETS, debit or credit card, or SGQR [3].

The licence record extract is the one Australians forget. Most Australian licences don't show your first issue date, so order a driving history or licence record from your state road authority before you go. It can take time to arrive.

The converted licence is a Class 3C licence for cars of up to 3,000kg unladen with up to seven passengers [2]. That's the everyday car licence. Motorbikes are separate, and you'll need proof of training and testing from home for those classes [2].

Situation	What you can drive on	What to do
Living in Singapore less than 12 months	Australian licence plus IDP [2]	Carry both, plus your passport
Living in Singapore more than 12 months	A Singapore licence [2]	Pass the BTT and convert
Just became a PR	Australian licence for up to 3 months [2]	Convert within the three months
Work Permit or S Pass holder employed as a driver	A Singapore licence [2]	Convert before you start driving for work

Why owning a car costs so much

The licence application costs S$50. The car is another story. Singapore deliberately limits the number of vehicles on its roads, and it does it with price.

The Certificate of Entitlement

Before you can register a car, you need a COE: the right to own a vehicle for 10 years. They're sold in open bidding rounds twice a month, by category. In the second October 2026 round, premiums closed at [5]:

COE category	What it covers	Premium, 21 October 2026
Category A	Smaller, less powerful cars	S$132,004
Category B	Larger, more powerful cars	S$131,901
Category C	Goods vehicles and buses	S$92,900
Category D	Motorcycles	S$10,778
Category E	Open (any vehicle)	S$135,790

Yes, that's more than many Australians pay for the car itself. And at the end of 10 years you either renew the COE at the going rate or deregister the car.

The taxes on top

The Land Transport Authority lists the main upfront taxes [4]:

Registration fee: S$350.
Excise duty: 20% of the car's open market value (OMV).
Additional Registration Fee (ARF): a tiered tax on the OMV. It's 100% on the first S$20,000, rising in steps to 320% on anything above S$80,000.
Vehicular Emissions Scheme: a rebate of up to S$22,500 for the cleanest cars registered in 2026, or a surcharge of up to S$35,000 for the dirtiest [4].

Then there's road tax, insurance, parking and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges for using busy roads at busy times. The result: most Australians here don't own a car. Many use taxis, Grab and car-sharing apps, and rent a car for the odd weekend.

On the road: what's different from home

The basics will feel familiar, but the culture and enforcement are not.

Cameras are everywhere. Speed and red-light cameras are common, and fines arrive by post or online. Offences also attract demerit points under the Traffic Police's points system.
ERP gantries. Charges apply automatically on certain roads and expressways at certain times. Rental cars usually pass the charges on.
Motorbikes filter. Expect bikes between lanes on the expressways. Check your mirrors before changing lanes.
Parking is coupon, app or gantry. HDB and public car parks mostly use apps or gantries, and fines for parking without paying are routine.
Driving to Malaysia is possible over the Causeway or Second Link, but check whether your rental or insurance covers it. Many don't.

Smartraveller also notes that penalties for swearing at or assaulting drivers can be severe [1]. Road rage that might end in a rude gesture on the Monash can end in court here.

The Australian side

Keep your Australian licence alive while you're in Singapore. It's the thing that let you convert, and it's what you'll drive on when you visit home. Most states let you renew from overseas, but the rules differ, so check with your state road authority before it expires.

When you move back, your Singapore licence may help you transfer to a state licence without retesting, but each state sets its own rules for overseas licences. If your Australian licence is still valid, you won't need to worry about it.

Not sure which test centre has the shortest wait right now? Ask Cooee Singapore, our Facebook group for Australians in Singapore.

Driving in Singapore on an Australian licence: conversion and the COE