International Licence Upgrade
Competitors who wish to take part in competitions that require an International grade licence can upgrade their licence with MotorSport New Zealand.
International licences are required only for events running under and FIA International permit and are not for general overseas competition.
Find out how to upgrade your competition licence below:
Step 1: Do I need an International Licence?
If you are going to Australia to compete in a MotorSport Australia permitted event, you need to apply for a Trans-Tasman Visa.
If you are competing outside of NZ and Australia, please check with the event/series organisers if it is a National event with Foreign Participation. If it is, you can compete on your National Licence with a Foreign Participation, which will require an International Medical Card to be issued.
If the event, in any country, is an International Permit then continue to follow the steps below.
Step 2: Car Club Membership
Before you can submit any licence applications, you will need to provide details of your membership with a MotorSport NZ Affiliated Member Car Club.
If you have yet to join a club, you can find contact details on our MotorSport NZ Affiliated Car Club page.
In the Licences tab of your login, select the Add option and then the “MotorSport Club Membership” form from the drop-down menu. A second drop-down menu will appear where you can select which club you are a member of. Click Add and complete the online form.
Once submitted you will see it ‘Pending’ awaiting approval from your Member Club who can approve it in their part of the system. Please note, that your club membership needs to be ‘Approved’ and have a current expiry date before you can proceed.
Step 3: International Medical Card
International Grade Medical Examination Clearance Card is required for all International Licence Holders. Please refer to form L001C International Licence Form, which can also be found as an online form when applying for your licence.
A prerequisite for the release of any International licence card is to have a current International Medical Card issued at the time.
Step 4: Applying for your Licence
First, please refer to Schedule L, Article 4.5 to see check which licence grade you are applying for. These were updated in November 2021 based on changes made to the FIA. The minimum competition criteria and the types of vehicles used for the different competition grades is detailed in the article.
Click “Licences” on your Dashboard- You will be able to see our current licence details and an option to ‘Upgrade’. This will open a new page where you can complete all the necessary details for your application.
The next step is the payment page where you can select the method of payment and will be supplied with an invoice number or a receipt via email (dependant on the method selected).
FIA Driver Safety Training eLearning
If you have not held an International licence on our records before, you will be required to complete the FIA eLearning programme.
To obtain a guide and access information for this, please contact Morgen Dickson, Customer Relationship Administrator.
Notes about International Licences
The International Visa is included with your licence including its fee. This Visa is also valid for MotorSport Australia events so you will not require a Trans-Tasman Visa with your International Licence. Your licence also includes a Foreign Participation Visa for national events overseas.
Please note that both the International Licence and the Visas will expire at midnight on the 31st of December as per the FIA rule for all International grade licences worldwide. Licences for the following year can only be applied for on and after 1 November.