Short answer: yes, it's possible, and it gets easier each month you're here. Lenders are mostly concerned with three things: your residency or visa status, your Australian income and your lack of local credit history. Here's how to address each.
1. Residency and visa
- Permanent residents and citizens returning from overseas have the most options.
- New Zealand citizens on a Special Category Visa are treated favourably by many lenders. See finance for Kiwis.
- Temporary visa holders can often borrow, but the loan term usually has to fit within the visa. See choosing a lender as a visa holder.
2. Australian income
Lenders want to see income earned and paid here. A job offer or contract helps, but most want at least one or two payslips and the pay landing in your account. If you've moved into the same kind of work you did overseas, some lenders are flexible on time in the job. Overseas employment history supports your case (see do overseas payslips count?).
3. No Australian credit history
Your overseas credit history generally doesn't carry over. A blank Australian file isn't a bad file, though. Some lenders are happy with it if everything else is solid. To start building history:
- Open an Australian bank account and have your pay deposited into it
- Put utilities or a phone plan in your name and pay on time
- Avoid lots of credit applications in your first months
Documents to have ready
- Passport, visa grant or citizenship/PR evidence
- Employment contract and payslips
- Australian bank statements
- Proof of address, such as a lease
- A driver licence valid in your state (overseas licences are usually valid for a limited time after arrival)
New in Australia and need a car? Tell us your situation in about 60 seconds and a licensed broker will call you. No credit check to enquire.
Related guides
General information only. This isn't financial or migration advice. Finance the Ride is a referral service and doesn't hold an Australian Credit Licence. Last reviewed September 2026.
