Limited licence guides and news
Plain-English articles on demerit suspensions, EBA disqualifications and getting a limited licence in New Zealand.
Suspended for 100 demerit points? You can apply for a limited licence straight away, with no waiting period. Here is how it works.
How long a limited licence takes depends on why you lost your licence. Demerits can start today. Drink driving has a 28-day wait first.
Police can now swab your tongue for drugs at the roadside. What is tested, what a positive result means, and where prescription medicine fits in.
Most people disqualified for drink driving can apply for a limited licence after 28 days. Here is who can't, in plain English.
Just got a demerit suspension notice? Check the start date, stop driving, and apply for a limited licence. Five steps, in order.
Road deaths, serious injuries, speed, alcohol, drugs and seatbelts. What the Ministry of Transport's own figures say about how New Zealanders drive.
A limited licence only covers what the court writes in your order: why, when, what vehicle and where. Here is what that means day to day.
A limited licence is granted by the District Court, so your application goes through the court. Here is what that means for you.
How NZ demerit points really work: points per offence, the 100-point limit, the 50-point warning, how points expire and how to check yours free.
If you need a limited licence to drive for work, your employer is part of the application. Tell them early. Here is how to handle it.
Police have never met you. Your driving history is all they have to go on when they look at your limited licence application. Be upfront.
Who can and can't get a limited licence (work licence) in New Zealand, the hardship test, the 28-day stand-down, conditions and what happens if you breach one.
Business owners and sole traders can apply for a limited licence too. You just need to show how your business depends on you driving.
Driving while suspended or disqualified in NZ means court, a 6-month minimum disqualification, a 28-day impound and no limited licence.
The cost of a limited licence comes in three parts. Here is what they are, and why it is worth weighing against months off work.
Your licence does not switch back on by itself when a demerit suspension ends. Here is what to do before you drive again.
NZ drink driving limits, what happens at a Police checkpoint, fines versus court, disqualification periods and when an alcohol interlock applies.
What NZ law really says about phones while driving: red lights, mounts, GPS, hands-free and parking, plus the $150 fine and 20 demerit points.
NZTA data released under the OIA shows interlock sentences rose from 145 in 2013 to 3,585 in 2024. Here is who gets one and how long it lasts.
NZTA data shows 3,852 of 20,063 alcohol interlock sentences were followed by another alcohol or licence offence. What the numbers do and do not say.
Your limited licence needs a logbook before you drive. Where to buy one, and why driving without it costs a new disqualification and your car.