In short
- A student visa is a temporary visa, so the Queensland rule that makes new permanent residents switch licences after 3 months doesn't apply to you; you can drive on a valid overseas licence within its class and conditions.[1]
- Renting is a separate question. At Rentzy every driver must be at least 21 and have held a full licence for 1 year, not a learner or provisional one, so many first-year students can't rent from us yet.
- Your Overseas Student Health Cover pays towards medical and hospital costs and ambulance services.[3] It is not insurance for a car.
- Parking on campus costs money: UQ St Lucia charges on weekdays from 7am to 9pm,[4] QUT charges for all parking,[5] and Griffith's all-day casual zones are paid through the PayStay app or pay-by-plate machines.[6]
Can I drive in Queensland on a student visa?
Yes, on your licence from home, as long as it stays valid. The Queensland Government lets visitors drive on a valid overseas licence, provided they drive only the class of vehicle it covers, follow any conditions printed on it and show it to police when asked.[1]
The rule that ends this right after 3 months is aimed at Australian citizens and people on a resident visa, which the Queensland Government defines as a permanent or special category visa. Temporary visas are expressly excluded.[1] The Student visa (subclass 500) is temporary, so being enrolled for three or four years doesn't, on its own, force you to swap licences. That changes if you are later granted permanent residence; our guide to driving on an overseas licence explains the clock that starts then, and the translation you should carry if your licence isn't in English.
Of the other ways the right can end, two catch students out: letting the licence expire back home (an expired licence isn't a valid one), and failing a practical driving test in Queensland, which withdraws your authority to drive on the overseas licence.[1] If you plan to sit the Queensland test anyway, don't book a rental for the weeks around it.
I'm under 21. Can I rent at Rentzy?
No, not yet, and it's better to know that before you book. Drivers aged 21 to 75 with a full licence held for at least 1 year (no learner or provisional licences). Those rules apply to every driver on the booking, and they come from clause 2 of our rental terms. If you arrived straight from school at 18 or 19, you'll need to wait until you're 21.
Age is only half of it. The licence also has to be a full licence held for at least 1 year. At the time of writing, clause 2.2 counts years held on an overseas licence, so a student who has driven at home for a while can qualify on day one in Brisbane. A licence you passed the month before your flight doesn't count until it has been held long enough, and a provisional or probationary licence from home isn't accepted.
Does my OSHC cover a rental car?
No. Overseas Student Health Cover is health insurance. Holding it is a condition of the student visa: you and any family members on your visa must have it for your whole stay unless an exception applies, and it has to start the day you arrive, not the day classes begin.[2]
What it pays for is set out by the Australian Government's private health insurance site: OSHC helps with the cost of medical and hospital care, includes ambulance cover and limited pharmaceuticals, and doesn't cover extras such as dental, optical or physiotherapy unless you buy an extras policy.[3] Nothing in it covers damage to a car, whether it's yours, a friend's or a rental.
Damage to a rental car is governed by the rental agreement. At Rentzy you are liable for damage up to the renter's excess of A$2,500 per incident, and more in the situations listed in clause 9. How the bond, deposit and excess fit together is in our bond and excess guide, and the options for reducing what you'd pay are in rental car excess insurance.
Can I park a car at UQ, QUT or Griffith?
Each university runs its own paid parking for cars, and you should expect to pay on a weekday. This is what each one publishes at the time of writing (October 2026); rates change, so check the page before you drive in.
| Campus | What the university says |
|---|---|
| UQ St Lucia | Pay Monday to Friday, 7am to 9pm; free outside those hours and on weekends. To get the student rate you must register as a student in the PayStay app. Blue outdoor zone: $1.65 an hour, capped at $6.15 a day for students.[4] |
| QUT Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove | All parking on campus incurs a fee and spaces are limited; QUT encourages public transport or cycling. QUT ID holders get discounted casual rates, but not when paying at the exit boom gates.[5] |
| Griffith Nathan and Mt Gravatt | All-day casual metered zones at $2 an hour, up to $6 a day, paid in the PayStay app or at pay-by-plate machines. Dark green line markings are 2-hour zones.[6] |
A detail that matters in a hire car: UQ's P1 and P2 car parks read number plates at the boom gate, and the student rate applies only when you're registered as a student in PayStay.[4] Make sure the app has the rental's number plate before you drive in.
When does renting make sense for a student?
Most weeks of a semester work without a car; our guide for people new to Brisbane covers public transport and buying. A short rental earns its cost in particular weeks: moving into a share house with a desk and a mattress, a semester break trip up the coast, or a stretch of shifts somewhere buses don't reach. On work, the student visa lets you work up to 48 hours a fortnight while your course is in session, with no limit during scheduled breaks.[2]
Rentzy cars are for personal use only. You can drive yourself to your own job, but the rental terms don't let you carry passengers or goods for hire or reward, so food delivery or paid lifts in the car are out (clause 7.2).
What should I sort out before booking?
- Check your age and licence date against the rule above (at least 21, full licence held for 1 year). If you're short of either, wait; a booking that fails the check at pickup can't go ahead.
- Get the English document your licence needs if it isn't in English, before you need the car.
- Plan the money. Besides the rent, a refundable A$500 bond is held until the car is back and checked, so keep that much free on your card or account. Every amount is on fees and charges.
- Plan the trip to Hendra. Pickup is at 238 Nudgee Road, Hendra (open Mon–Fri 8am–5pm), close to the airport rather than the campuses. From the city, see Brisbane CBD to Hendra.
- Decide who drives. Only drivers we approve may drive; a classmate on a learner or provisional licence can't share the driving.
Sources
- Queensland Government (qld.gov.au) — Department of Transport and Main Roads: Driving in Queensland on an interstate or overseas licence (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Government — Department of Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500) (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Government — privatehealth.gov.au (Commonwealth Ombudsman): Overseas Student Health Cover (read 23 October 2026)
- The University of Queensland: Parking at St Lucia campus (read 23 October 2026)
- Queensland University of Technology: Parking (read 23 October 2026)
- Griffith University: Casual parking (read 23 October 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
