Choose the correct learner code
The learner’s licence is permission to learn under its conditions. It is not a full driving licence. Choose the code for the vehicle you intend to learn on and meet the minimum age before applying. The official current service guidance resolves the contradictory Code 3 mass wording in the old manual.
- Code 1 covers motorcycles, with or without a sidecar, and the specified motor-tricycle and motor-quadrucycle classes. At 16 you may apply for a motorcycle not exceeding 125 cc; for a motorcycle above 125 cc you must be at least 18.
- Code 2 is for a motor vehicle with GVM not exceeding 3,500 kg. The minimum learner age is 17.
- Code 3 is for a motor vehicle with GVM exceeding 3,500 kg. The minimum learner age is 18.
- The learner’s licence is valid for 24 months and cannot be extended. Passing a practice test or making a driving-test booking does not renew it.
Supervision and carrying authority
For a vehicle in which a supervisor can be carried, drive only with a person who holds a valid driving licence for that class, seated next to you or in the specified supervisory position. If the vehicle category requires a PrDP, the supervisor must hold the appropriate PrDP too. A passenger who once drove trucks but no longer holds the required authority is not a qualifying supervisor.
A motorcycle learner may not carry a passenger. This is a specific learner restriction and remains relevant even if the motorcycle has a passenger seat and footrests. Carry valid authority for the vehicle you are driving and comply with any restrictions, such as a required visual aid. Permission from the owner is not a substitute for a licence.
When a licence cannot be issued or used
A person who is disqualified by a court, whose relevant licence is suspended or cancelled, or who is otherwise legally prohibited from driving cannot use a new application to bypass that prohibition. The manual also excludes duplicate authority of the same class in the circumstances it describes and addresses addiction or impairment that makes driving unsafe.
Medical conditions must be assessed for their effect on safe control and legal fitness. The manual lists uncontrolled epilepsy, disabling fainting or giddiness, muscular incoordination, uncontrolled diabetes, defective vision, and serious mental or physical conditions that prevent safe driving. These are not a licence for another person to diagnose you. Disclose relevant conditions and obtain the required medical assessment; deafness alone is not an automatic disqualification in the manual.
Worked situation
A 17-year-old with Code 2 learner authority wants to practise in a 3,200 kg GVM vehicle. The mass and age fit Code 2, but a friend with only a motorcycle licence cannot supervise. Practice may begin only when a validly licensed driver for that class supervises and every other learner condition is met.
Before every learner journey
Check your own validity and restrictions, the vehicle class, the supervisor’s authority and any PrDP requirement. On a motorcycle, check that you are not carrying a passenger. A legal licence never excuses an unroadworthy vehicle, a prohibited road or unsafe driving.