Skip to main content

Australia Drivers License Format

The driver's license number in Victoria, Australia, follows a distinctive format consisting of 8 to 10 digits.

Regex ExpressionsDescription
(?i:\b[0-9]{8,10}\b)Matches an 8–10-digit number formatted as NNNNNNNN, NNNNNNNNN, or NNNNNNNNNN without a delimiter.
(?i:\b[0-9]{3} [0-9]{3} [0-9]{3}\b)Matches a 9-digit number in the format NNN NNN NNN delimited by space.
(?i:\b[0-9]{1} [0-9]{3} [0-9]{3} [0-9]{3}\b)Matches a 10-digit number in the format N NNN NNN NNN delimited by space.
(?i:\b[0-9]{1}-[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{3}\b)Matches a 10-digit number in the format N-NNN-NNN-NNN delimited by hyphen.
(?i:\b[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{3}\b)Matches a 9-digit number in the format NNN-NNN-NNN delimited by hyphen.

The format for an Australian New South Wales (NSW) Driver's License number consists of an 8-digit sequence represented as NNNNNNNN.

Regex ExpressionsDescription
(?i:\b[0-9]{8}\b)Matches an 8-digit number in the format NNNNNNNN without a delimiter.

The Queensland Driver's License in Australia is identified by an 8-digit number assigned to the license holder. Queensland license numbers always start with 0.

Regex ExpressionsDescription
(?i:\b0[0-9]{7}\b)Matches an 8-digit number in the format 0NNNNNNN without a delimiter.

Driver's License Formats by State/Territory

State/TerritoryFormatExampleNotes
VIC (Victoria)8–10 digits123456789Variable length
NSW (New South Wales)8 digits12345678Fixed 8 digits
QLD (Queensland)8 digits, starts with 001234567Leading zero must be preserved
SA (South Australia)1 letter + 6 digitsA123456Starts with a letter
WA (Western Australia)7–8 digits1234567Older cards 7 digits
TAS (Tasmania)6–8 digits123456Variable length
ACT (Australian Capital Territory)9 digits123456789
NT (Northern Territory)Mixed letters/numbersvaries

For more details on Australian tax identifiers including ABN, see our Australia Tax ID Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the driver's license number formats for all Australian states and territories?

Australian driver's license formats vary by issuing state/territory: VIC: 8–10 digits; NSW: 8 digits; QLD: 8 digits, always starts with 0; SA: 1 letter + 6 digits; WA: 7–8 digits; TAS: 6–8 digits; ACT: 9 digits; NT: mixed format with letters and numbers. There is no national Australian driver's license number — each state issues its own independent license with its own format. [1]

Can I determine which Australian state issued a driver's license from the number format alone?

Not reliably. While some states have distinctive patterns (QLD always starts with 0; SA starts with a letter), many formats overlap — an 8-digit number could be from VIC, NSW, QLD, or WA. Integration systems accepting Australian driver's licenses for KYC must record both the license number and the issuing state to enable future verification. The issuing state appears on the physical license card itself.

Is there a national online portal to verify an Australian driver's license number?

There is no public national portal. Each state's road authority manages its own register without a public lookup. For identity verification, Australian businesses use the Document Verification Service (DVS) — a federal government platform that matches driver's license numbers against issuing state registers. DVS access requires an approved integration agreement with the Australian Attorney-General's Department. Consumer-facing apps like Australia Post Digital iD use DVS on the back end. [1]

What happens if a QLD driver's license number fails validation because the leading zero is dropped?

Queensland license numbers always begin with 0 (e.g. 01234567). Many legacy systems treat the license number field as a numeric integer, dropping the leading zero and producing a 7-digit number — causing DVS matches to fail even for genuine licenses. This is one of the most common Australian driver's license integration bugs. Store and transmit the license number as a string, not an integer, and zero-pad QLD numbers to 8 digits.

When an Australian driver renews their license, does their license number change?

In most Australian states, the license number is assigned to the driver for life and does not change on renewal — only the card number or version number changes. Exception: if a driver transfers their license interstate, they are typically assigned a new number by the new state's authority. Systems performing periodic DVS re-verification of stored license numbers should handle the case where a number becomes invalid after an interstate transfer.


How Lookuptax can help you in VAT validation?

Lookuptax VAT validation revolutionizes VAT number validation with its robust platform, empowering businesses to seamlessly verify VAT numbers across over 100 countries. Our cutting-edge technology ensures accurate and efficient validation, reducing errors and enhancing compliance.