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Unpaid fines

Information about when your licence will be suspended for unpaid fines, and how to end your suspension.

  • Warning

    It is an offence to drive while suspended. Serious penalties apply, including licence disqualification, heavy fines and imprisonment. The police can also impound your vehicle or confiscate your number plates.

    There are also large fines and demerit points for driving an unregistered vehicle.

Licence suspensions

When you receive a fine, you will usually have 21 days to pay.

If you don't pay, you will be sent a reminder notice, which gives you another 28 days to pay the fine.

If you still don't pay the fine, you will get an overdue fine from Revenue NSW.

When you get an overdue fine, additional costs of $65.00, or $25.00 if you are under 18 (as at 1 July 2024), are added to the amount you owe.   

You have 28 days to pay your overdue fine, if you receive it by post.

If you don’t pay the overdue fine in full by the due date or apply for a payment plan, Revenue NSW can take recovery action against you. This can include directing Transport for NSW to:

  • suspend your driver's licence
  • cancel any motor vehicle registration in your name
  • suspend your visitor driver privileges.

Interstate and international licences

If you have a current interstate or overseas driving licence, you have visiting driver privileges. You can drive in NSW using your interstate or overseas licence as long as:

  • your licence is current
  • you are not disqualified from driving in NSW or anywhere else
  • your licence is not suspended or cancelled
  • your visiting driver privileges haven’t been suspended
  • you carry your licence with you, including an English translation if necessary.

Revenue NSW can suspend your visiting driver privileges if you have unpaid overdue fines. 

Not responsible

If you have an unpaid fine because of a driving offence committed by someone else who was driving your vehicle, you may be able to nominate the driver.

You may need to do this if you:

  • are the registered owner but more than one person drives the vehicle
  • loaned your vehicle to a friend or relative when the offence occurred
  • sold the vehicle before the offence.

You have until the due date on the fine reminder notice to nominate the driver of the vehicle. If you nominate someone after the due date, you may receive a fine for failing to nominate within a reasonable time and be issued an overdue fine.

If you are out of time, you can still nominate the driver, but Revenue NSW may refuse to accept your late nomination.

For more information, see Name the driver.

Getting the restrictions lifted

If you pay your fines in full, your licence or visiting driving privileges suspension and/or vehicle registration cancellation will be lifted.

In some cases, you can negotiate to lift them when overdue fines are still owing. For more information about how to have these restrictions lifted before your overdue fines are paid in full contact Revenue NSW.

If you can’t afford to pay your fine in full, you have other options for dealing with your fine. For more information, see What if I do nothing with my fine?

You should check that Transport for NSW has lifted your suspension before you start driving again.

If your licence or registration has expired, you must renew it before you drive.

If you have been caught driving with a suspended or cancelled licence or registration, you should get legal advice.