How to Become an Uber Driver in Australia

The short version

Getting set up to drive with Uber in Australia is best understood as a series of checkpoints rather than a single form. You need to clear Uber's national minimum requirements, then satisfy the licence-tenure and accreditation rules of your state or territory, register for tax, and put a vehicle on the road that meets Uber's vehicle rules. Each checkpoint can take time — a background check or a driver authorisation can add weeks — so it pays to understand the whole sequence before you start.

Two ideas sit behind almost every rule. The first is that rideshare is a commercial passenger service, so regulators treat it much like other paid transport: drivers are authorised, and vehicles are inspected and insured to a higher standard. The second is that Uber sets a national baseline but defers to state and territory regulators on the details. That is why the same signup can look quite different in Brisbane and Perth.

Step 1: check the national minimums

Uber publishes a set of minimum requirements that apply across Australia. According to Uber's Australian drive requirements page (checked 9 October 2026), applicants must:

• be at least 20 years old (21 in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania);
• hold a valid full driver's licence in their state or territory;
• meet the licence-tenure requirement for their state or territory;
• have access to a vehicle that meets Uber's vehicle requirements;
• be listed as an insured driver for the vehicle they plan to drive; and
• provide the documents required in their state or territory.

If you don't yet hold a full licence, or you're below the age threshold for your state, the practical answer is to wait until you do. There is no shortcut around these baseline conditions.

Step 2: match your state or territory rules

Beyond Uber's baseline, each jurisdiction adds its own layer — usually a driver authorisation or accreditation, and sometimes a separate vehicle licence. Licence tenure is the clearest example of how these rules diverge. According to Uber's requirements page (checked 9 October 2026):

• Victoria and South Australia: held an unrestricted/full Australian driver's licence for at least 6 months (Victoria also accepts an Australian or New Zealand licence).
• Queensland: held an Australian driver's licence for at least 12 months.
• Tasmania: held a full Australian licence for at least 12 months.
• Northern Territory: held a licence (Australian or overseas) for at least 12 months in the last 3 years.
• New South Wales: 12 months on an unrestricted Australian licence within the last 48 months (effective until 1 October 2026, unless revoked earlier), after which the lookback reverts to 24 months.
• Western Australia: a full licence plus a Passenger Transport Driver authorisation.

The accreditations differ too. Queensland drivers need a Booked Hire/Taxi (BHTX) Driver Authorisation from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, New South Wales drivers need a Passenger Transport Licence Code (PTLC) added to their licence, and Victorian drivers need Driver Accreditation from Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria. Western Australia and South Australia have their own authorisation regimes. The state-by-state requirements table sets these out side by side.

Step 3: register for an ABN and GST

Rideshare is a business, not a hobby. Uber states that all rideshare drivers on its platform must register for an ABN, and the ATO requires rideshare drivers to be registered for GST because rideshare is a taxable supply (Uber help and ABN setup guide; ATO, checked 9 October 2026).

An ABN is free to apply for through the Australian Business Register, and if you're operating alone you would typically use the "Sole Trader / Individual" structure. The important wrinkle is GST: registration applies even if your turnover is below the usual $75,000 threshold, because the ATO treats rideshare differently from many other small businesses. Confirm your own obligations with the ATO before you lodge anything.

Step 4: get a vehicle that qualifies

Uber states that vehicles must have a 5-star ANCAP rating or meet Uber's vehicle exemption policy, and that a vehicle inspection confirming roadworthiness is also required (Uber, checked 9 October 2026).

Some states add their own vehicle requirements on top. Queensland, for example, requires the vehicle to hold a Booked Hire Service Licence (BHSL) and a current Certificate of Inspection unless exempt, while Victoria requires the vehicle to be registered as a commercial passenger vehicle and inspected through RedBook Inspect. Check both Uber's vehicle list and your regulator's vehicle rules before you buy or commit to a car — a vehicle that clears one set of rules may not clear the other.

Step 5: clear the background check and documents

Uber requires a criminal background check, and the provider and process vary by city. In New South Wales, for example, the check runs through National Crime Check (NCC) and is usually processed within about 14 days (Uber NSW get-a-licence page, checked 9 October 2026).

On the documents side, Uber's Required Documents page lists a valid full driver's licence, proof of identity or right to work in Australia (with exceptions in some states), vehicle registration, a driver profile photo, and any state-specific documents. Uber notes that original documents are required and that review can take up to about 2 hours once submitted. Gather everything early: missing documents are one of the most common reasons a signup stalls.

Step 6: sign up and wait for approval

Once your eligibility, tax registrations, vehicle and clearances line up, you complete Uber's signup flow — uploading your documents and details through Uber's driver app or website and agreeing to its terms. Approval timing depends on document review and on any state authorisation you still need; a driver authorisation can take weeks on its own.

Because the process spans both Uber and your regulator, keep copies of every document and every submission. If something is rejected, you'll want the original details on hand to resubmit quickly rather than starting over.

Signup bonuses and referrals

Uber advertises new-driver signup bonuses in Australia, but these are promotions — not a promise of income. According to Uber's own referral materials (checked 9 October 2026), signup bonuses are typically tiered by trips completed within a 90-day window and vary by city and change over time.

On 9 October 2026, Uber's own Australian pages published the following October-2026 offer (Uber, drive-page offer terms, checked 9 October 2026): A$3,000 extra when you sign up to drive and complete 100 trips within your first 90 days, an extra A$2,000 when you complete 30 trips on Uber Black or Uber Black Van (up to A$5,000 in total), for new driver-partners in Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth only who sign up by 31 October 2026 (first-time signups between 1 and 31 October 2026 AEST). An earlier indexed offer around A$2,000 with a 31 August 2026 deadline has been superseded by these terms.

Uber's general referral mechanism pays a referrer once their invitee completes a required number of trips, with the amount and trip requirement varying by city and shown on the driver dashboard once the invitee signs up (Uber, How Driver Referrals Work). Qualifying rules apply: new drivers only, eligible cities, cancelled trips excluded, and Uber may change or cancel an offer. If you decide to sign up, you can begin from our start driving guide — and confirm the current offer in Uber's own signup flow.

Related reading

Read the full driver requirements, licences and background checks guide, or the Queensland starter guide if you're based in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast. Once you're eligible, see planning your first 100 passenger trips, how referral offers and eligibility work, driving in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth, whether an EV suits rideshare, and preparing for your first month. Browse all getting-started articles, check vehicles and cities, or start from the home page. See also our referral disclosure and editorial policy.