Driving without a licence

In Australia, it’s against the law to drive a vehicle without a valid driver licence.

If you’re found to be driving without a licence, you may receive an infringement notice or need to appear in court.

If you’re convicted of unlicensed driving, the court may impose a fine or up to 1 year imprisonment.

When you don’t have a valid licence

You’re committing an offence if you drive without a valid driver licence because:

• your licence has expired and you haven’t renewed it
• you have never held a licence or you have surrendered your licence
• your Queensland licence has been suspended or cancelled because you’re medically unfit to drive safely
• you don’t hold the correct class of licence for the vehicle you’re driving
• your authority to drive on your non-Queensland licence has been withdrawn
• your licence has been immediately suspended or disqualified as a result of a drink or drug driving offence
• you haven’t obtained another licence at the end of a disqualification period
• administrative ‘show cause’ action has been taken by the Department of Transport and Main Roads or the Queensland Police Service to suspend or cancel your licence
• your licence, or authority to drive in Queensland roads, has been suspended because
  • you have accumulated too many demerit points
  • you have been convicted of driving more than 40km/h over the speed limit
  • the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) has suspended your licence because of unpaid fines
  • you are a personalised transport driver or operator and you commit multiple or repeated passenger transport offences.
• your licence has been cancelled or you have been disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence for any reason.

If you're convicted

If you drive a vehicle in Queensland while your driver licence is suspended, you will be dealt with by a court for unlicensed driving.

If you are convicted of unlicensed driving, the court must disqualify you from holding a driver licence for between 1 and 6 months. You may also receive a fine or be imprisoned for up to 1 year.

If you drive a vehicle in Queensland while disqualified from holding a driver licence, you’ll need to appear in court for disqualified driving. If you’re convicted of this offence, the court must disqualify you from holding a driver licence for an additional 2 to 5 years. You may also get a fine or imprisonment for up to 18 months.

Support if you lose your licence

We focus on road safety but we recognise that the loss of your licence may impact your independence and mobility. Find out about support services that may be able to help.