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New cards

The Queensland Government has introduced more secure, more durable and more reliable licences, authorities and proof of age cards to replace the laminated cards and marine licence confirmation reports that have been used for the past 20 years.

The equipment used to produce laminated cards has been used since the mid 1980s, and is increasingly becoming obsolete. This equipment cannot be replaced and investment in a new system was unavoidable.

The department has taken this opportunity to introduce new cards that adopt global leading technology to strengthen the integrity of the state’s licensing system. Unlike the current laminated cards, the new cards use more secure technology and are extremely hard to tamper with or duplicate.

The transition to the new cards commenced in late 2010. The cards include:

The cards are being progressively introduced across Queensland and you can apply for a new card when your existing licence or authority expires. Queensland driver licences are issued for a period of up to five years, so it will take approximately five to six years for all cardholders to replace their laminated licences or authorities with the new cards. During that time, both laminated cards and the new cards will be recognised (provided they are current).

Further information available:

Overview

Overview of the new cards and processes (PDF, 346 KB)

This information is also available in a range of different languages:

Last reviewed: 16 February 2012