Tow truck licensing fees
Find out how much you have to pay for tow truck driver certificates, licences, mutual recognition and exemption certificates.
Fees and charges related to tow truck licensing including applications for Driver Certificates, Operator Licences, Mutual Recognition and Exemption Certificate.
Important changes to tow truck licence payments
The way you pay for your tow truck licence has changed. These changes are designed to make licence processing simpler, so you can get your licence/certificate faster.
You can now pay directly through NSW Fair Trading’s secure credit card payment portal. Once you’ve applied and made the payment, you’ll receive an SMS or email notification about the status of your licence/certificate application, so you’ll know where it is up to in the approval process.
Cheque and money order payments for tow truck licences are no longer possible.
Any refund that may be made by NSW Fair Trading as a result of a refused or failed application will not be made until any internal reviews or appeals in respect of the application are finalised.
A discount of 10% or $5 (whichever is greater) applies to the processing fee for Tow Truck Driver Certificates and Tow Truck Operator Licence applications (excluding renewals) when you lodge your application online.
All fees may be subject to an annual CPI fee increase at the start of each financial year and align with your scheduled date of renewal.
Driver certificate
| Item | 1 year fee $ | 3 year fee $ | 5 year fee $ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant a Driver certificate | 257 (242 if lodged online) | 464* (449 if lodged online) | 672* (657 if lodged online) | includes $153 non-refundable application fee |
| Renew a Driver certificate | 257 | 464* | 672* | includes $153 non-refundable application fee |
| Restore a Driver certificate | 257 | 464* | 672* | Includes $153 non-refundable application fee |
| Replacement Driver certificate | 38 | |||
| Reissue conditional Driver certificate | 38 | |||
| Re-application for expired conditional Driver certificate (within 5 business days)* | 141 |
*If expired greater than 5 business days, full re-application will apply.
Operator licence
| Item | 1 year fee $ | 3 year fee $ | 5 year fee $ | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant an Operator licence (metro) | 1307 (1261 if lodged online) | 3006* (2960 if lodged online) | 4705* (4659 if lodged online) | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Grant an Operator licence (country) | 842 (796 if lodged online) | 1609* (1563 if lodged online) | 2376* (2330 if lodged online) | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Renew an Operator licence (metro) | 1307 | 3006* | 4705* | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Renew an Operator licence (country) | 842 | 1609* | 2376* | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Restore an Operator licence (metro) | 1307 | 3006* | 4705* | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Restore an Operator licence (country) | 842 | 1609* | 2376* | Includes $458 non-refundable application fee |
| Category A plate (metro) | 491 | 1473 | 2456 | Per tow truck plate |
| Category B & C plate (metro) | 466 | 1398 | 2329 | Per tow truck plate |
| Category A plate (country) | 195 | 585 | 975 | Per tow truck plate |
| Category B & C plate (country) | 186 | 558 | 930 | Per tow truck plate |
| Amendment fee | 70 | Amendment / variation to Operator licence | ||
| Replacement Operator licence | 38 | |||
| Reissue conditional Operator licence | 38 | |||
| Stand-by tow truck application fee | 442 | |||
| Re-application for expired conditional Operator licence (within 5 business days)* | 405 |
*If expired greater than 5 business days, full re-application will apply.
Restoration applies for 3 months post expiry.
Mutual recognition
| Item | 1 year fee $ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant a Driver certificate | 195 | Includes $114 non-refundable administration fee |
| Grant an Operator licence | 686 | Includes $372 non-refundable administration fee |
| Category A plate | 195 | Per tow truck plate |
| Category B & C plate | 186 | Per tow truck plate |
Note: A 1-year licence term can only be given to a tow truck licence, plate, and/or certificate granted under mutual recognition.
Exemption certificate
| Item | 2 year fee $ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grant a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (metro) | 653 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Grant a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (country) | 508 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Renew a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (metro) | 653 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Renew a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (country) | 508 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Restore a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (metro) | 653 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Restore a Scrap Metal Exemption certificate (country) | 508 | Includes $290 non-refundable administration fee |
| Tow truck fee (metro) | 109 | Per tow truck |
| Tow truck fee (country) | 72 | Per tow truck |
Other
| Item | Fee $ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation fee | At cost | Any further investigation by NSW Fair Trading to verify suitability, requiring the purchase of information from another agency (e.g. interstate records) |
| Book of 20 Towing authorisation forms | 611 | |
| Book of 5 Towing authorisation forms | 153 |