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Licence Suspension & Limited Licences in NZ

Losing your licence arrives four different ways in New Zealand — demerit points, the 28-day roadside suspension, court-ordered disqualification, and medical grounds — and the way back differs for each. For working people the questions are always the same: how long, can I get a limited "work" licence, and what happens if I drive anyway (short answer: a criminal charge). Call 0800 461 100 free, any hour, to get your exact position.

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Licence Suspension at a glance

Demerit suspension

100 or more demerit points within 2 years = automatic 3-month licence suspension — points come from speeding, phone use, drink-driving infringements and more

Roadside suspension

An immediate 28-day suspension for high drink-driving readings (over 650mcg) or refusal — on the spot, before any court date

Court disqualification

Mandatory for drink-driving convictions (minimum 6 months) and imposed for other serious driving offences

The limited licence

A court-granted "work licence" for genuine hardship — not available to everyone, and alcohol disqualifications carry a 28-day stand-down first

Driving anyway

Driving while suspended or disqualified is a criminal offence — with escalating penalties and vehicle impoundment

The four ways licences are lost

Demerits accumulate quietly: 100 points inside any 2-year window and the suspension letter arrives — 3 months, automatic. The roadside 28-day suspension is immediate and administrative, applied for high alcohol readings and refusals; it runs regardless of what a court later does. Court-ordered disqualification follows conviction — mandatory for drink driving (6 months minimum, more on repeats), discretionary-to-mandatory across the serious driving offences (dangerous driving, careless causing injury, and the rest). Medical suspensions are their own lane, run through the licensing system rather than the courts.

Which lane you are in decides everything about the way back — so start by identifying it precisely from the paperwork. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

The limited licence — who can and cannot get one

A limited licence lets you drive for defined purposes — typically work — during a suspension or disqualification, granted by the court on proof that the loss of licence causes extreme hardship to you, or undue hardship to someone else (an employer, a dependent). It is an application with evidence: what you drive for, why alternatives fail, and tightly drawn conditions (vehicles, purposes, hours).

The exclusions matter as much as the test. Demerit suspensions and alcohol disqualifications carry a 28-day stand-down before a limited licence can take effect; some repeat and serious situations are excluded entirely; and the 28-day roadside suspension itself cannot be bypassed. If your livelihood depends on the outcome, this application is worth doing properly the first time — courts are unforgiving of casual second attempts. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

Driving while suspended or disqualified

It is a criminal offence, it is prosecuted, and it escalates: repeat offences bring heavier penalties, longer disqualifications and vehicle impoundment — and a court that sees you drove through a ban treats every future application (limited licences included) with suspicion. If you have already been caught, treat it as seriously as the original matter; if you are tempted because work demands it, that is precisely what the limited-licence application is for — make the application, not the gamble. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

Getting your licence back

Demerit suspensions end by effluxion — the points that caused it are wiped, and you resume (checking the licence status first). Court disqualifications can require formal relicensing, and longer ones trigger reinstatement conditions; the high-end alcohol cases come back through the interlock and zero-alcohol licence regime. Two practical rules: never assume the ban has ended — confirm the exact date and any reinstatement steps; and if the disqualification period itself is the problem, remember that appeals against sentence exist on their own clocks. The free line can map your route back, whatever lane you're in. Talk it through with a lawyer now →

Working out your position

Identify the lane from the paperworkDemerit letter, roadside suspension notice, or court order — each has different rules, durations and comeback routes.

Test the limited-licence question earlyEligibility, the 28-day stand-downs, and the evidence of hardship — call 0800 461 100 free, any hour, and find out whether an application is realistic for you.

Never drive through itDriving while suspended or disqualified converts a temporary problem into a criminal one. If the licence is essential, book a NZ$295 (GST inclusive) consultation with a New Zealand traffic lawyer on the call and make the application properly.

Licence Suspension — your questions answered

How do I find out how many demerit points I have?

Your accumulated points are on your driver-licence record, which you can request from the licensing authority. If you are near 100 within a rolling 2-year window, every infringement matters — including ones you could contest instead of paying.

Can I get a work licence for a demerit suspension?

Often yes — limited licences are available for demerit suspensions, subject to the 28-day stand-down and the hardship test. The application needs to be prepared properly with evidence of what the suspension does to your work or your dependants.

I need to drive for my job — is that enough for a limited licence?

It is the right starting point, but the test is hardship, proved: what you drive for, why no alternative works, and what happens to you (or your employer or family) without it — with conditions the court can trust. "I'd prefer to drive" loses; documented livelihood consequences win.

What actually happens if I drive while disqualified?

Arrest or summons, a criminal charge, and on conviction penalties that escalate with repetition — further disqualification always among them, imprisonment available for repeat offending, and the vehicle can be impounded. It also poisons every future discretionary application you make.

My suspension ends next week — do I just start driving?

Check first. Some endings are automatic; others require reinstatement steps or a new licence application, and the high-end alcohol cases return through interlock and zero-alcohol licence stages. Driving on an expired assumption is how people collect a driving-while-disqualified charge by accident.