Limited Licence for Healthcare Workers and Carers
Nurses, care workers and home support staff often work when buses do not run, and some drive between clients all day. If you lose your licence, your patients or clients can feel it too. A Limited Licence application needs to show the court that clearly.
Two kinds of healthcare driving
- Commuting: home to a hospital, rest home or clinic, often for early, late or night shifts.
- Driving for the job: visiting clients at home, moving between sites or covering on call.
Each needs its own evidence. A commute to a hospital looks very different from a day of home visits.
Shifts and public transport
Late finishes and early starts are where hardship shows. Set out your roster and compare it with the bus or train timetable. If there is nothing at 6am or after 11pm, say so and show it. Read Limited Licence for shift workers and proving you have no other transport.
Client visits
If you visit people at home, describe the area your clients live in and how visits are allocated. The court needs a route or clear boundary points, not a radius [2]. The court can only allow the driving needed to ease the hardship [1].
Hardship to others
The court can consider undue hardship to another person, not just to you [1]. If clients depend on you for care, your employer can explain what happens if you cannot drive. Keep it factual and avoid identifying clients.
Your employer's affidavit
The practice note expects an employer affidavit for work hardship [2]. It should set out your role, roster, sites or client area and the effect on your job if you cannot drive. See how to tell your employer.
On call
On call work is harder to define. Explain how often you are called, where you go and the times. A vague request for driving at any time is unlikely to be granted.
Be honest
Disclose all previous driving related convictions [2]. And remember the order also has to be consistent with public safety [1].
Every affidavit is signed only in front of the person who witnesses it, and the easiest place to do that is at the court when you file. Never sign one in advance.
Sources
- Land Transport Act 1998, sections 103, 104 and 105, New Zealand Legislation, https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0110/latest/DLM434582.html (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Practice Note: Applications for a Limited Licence (24 May 2024), District Court of New Zealand, https://www.districtcourts.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Publications/2024/Limited-Licence-Practice-Note-FINAL.pdf (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Applying for a Limited Licence (2024 guide), Community Law, https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/Applying-for-a-Limited-Licence-Guide-CL-2024.pdf (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Limited Licence, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/driving-offences-and-penalties/driving-offences/limited-licence (accessed 2 November 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive a work vehicle for client visits?
Only if the order covers that vehicle or type. Until the order is made and the licence issued, you cannot drive at all.
What if my roster changes every week?
Show the range of shifts you actually work, with past rosters as evidence.
Can the order cover driving a client?
Tell us about it first. Carrying people for hire or reward can be a passenger service, which has strict limits.
More on driving for a job at our Limited Licence for work page.
We prepare Limited Licence documents. From $645 + GST. Call 0800 437 005 or start at nzlimitedlicence.co.nz/apply.
Checked by Guy Hollister, Director, NZ Limited Licence, on 9 Nov 26