SA Provisional Licence – Info & Restrictions

The Provisional Licence in South Australia is issued when you pass the Practical Driving Test (PDT) or the CBT&A, given that you fulfil all other requirements. The Provisional Licence is valid for 3 years, but can during this time be upgraded to a Full Licence.

Provisional Licence Restrictions

Both the P1 and P2 Provisional Licence is subject to certain restrictions, such as not being allowed to use a mobile phone in the vehicle. You are subject to the P1 Licence restrictions for the first year and the P2 Licence restrictions for the remaining 2 years.

These are the P1 and P2 Licence restrictions:

• You must have your provisional licence with you at all times.
• You are never allowed to drive faster than 100 km/h.
• You are only allowed to drive the vehicle class stated on your permit.
• You must not drive a high-powered vehicle unless you are at least 25 years of age or the holder of an exemption certificate.

There are also a number of additional P1 restrictions (not for P2!). They are:

• You must not use any function of a mobile phone, including hands-free and Bluetooth.
• You must have clearly visible ‘P’-plates on the front and rear of the vehicle.
• If under 25 years old, you must not drive with more than one passenger between 16-20 years old (unless immediate family members).
• If under 25 years old, you must not follow late-night driving restrictions. This means you must not drive between midnight and 5 am.

Provisional Licence Conditions

To make the matter even more difficult, there are not just restrictions, but also conditions placed on provisional licences. Breaching a condition will result in you being disqualified from driving and in turn lose the provisional licence.

The Provisional Licence conditions (both P1 and P2) state that you must not:

• Exceed the speed limit by 10 km/h or more.
• Drive with a BAC other than zero.
• Drive with drugs in the system.
• Accumulate 4 or more demerit points during your provisional licence period.

Full Unrestricted Licence

You will get your Full Licence when you have held the P2 Licence for the required period of 2 years. To be eligible for a Full Licence, you must also have turned 20 years old. If you are younger, you’ll have to wait until you turn 20 to progress to a Full Licence.