Request a review of your fine

Cautions for clear driving record

You may be eligible for a caution for some offences if you have:

• had your driver's licence for more than 10 years, and
• a clear driving record.

You may receive a caution if you are eligible unless the offence is serious or safety issues were identified at the time.

Note: The 10 year period begins from when you first obtained your provisional licence.

How do I prove a clear driving record?

The 10 year period begins from when you first obtained your provisional licence.

If you have held a NSW driver's licence for more than 10 years, no evidence is required. If you are requesting a caution due to your driving record, please call us on 1300 138 118.

If you hold a licence from another state or territory you must provide a certified copy of your driving record. The driving record must cover the full 10 years prior to the offence. Examples of interstate traffic records include:

• ACT: all years Infringement history report, including the reason/s for withdrawal of withdrawn infringements.
• QLD: the driver’s licence history page and the traffic record page.
• WA:
  • certificate of traffic infringement notices issued by Western Australia police showing no driving offences over the last 10 years,
  • letter from Western Australia Department of Transport showing the date the customer's licence was issued in Western Australia.
• NT: a 10 year traffic record.
• VIC: a complete driver history report.
• TAS: a 10 year traffic record.

Disclaimer: Revenue NSW cannot reimburse any fees associated with requesting the required documents from the relevant transport authorities.

Revenue NSW does not accept international driving records. We are unable to compare driving conditions and offences in other countries.

Requesting a fine review

Our Review Assist Guide will help you decide if you should ask for a review or dispute your fine. Review Assist includes:

• common fine scenarios
• the documents you need to provide to support your review
• the reasons we may and may not consider leniency.

If you can't find your offence listed, you can still request a review for any fine.

If you weren’t the driver at the time of the offence, you can nominate the person responsible.

You can view a camera image of the offence for more information.

Requesting a review for a failure to vote fine

If you have received a fine for failing to vote in an election, the review process is different to other fines. You can still have your fine reviewed if you:

• did actually vote
• haven’t received any previous fine notices from the NSW Electoral Commission
• legitimately could not vote (e.g. in hospital, in prison)

Request a review for a failure to vote fine or call 1300 655 805

Special circumstances

We will consider your:

• personal situation, and
• any special circumstance that resulted in you receiving your fine. 

Please tell us if you have a disability or were experiencing: 

• a medical emergency
• an illness, including mental ill health
• personal hardship
• trauma. 

You will need to supply documents to support your claims, such as reports from: 

• your doctor
• a hospital emergency department, or
• support agencies or government departments. 

Find out more about special circumstances.

Serious offences

We may not be able to give leniency for serious offences that involve a high risk to public safety. Read more about serious offences. You can still request a review.

Serious offences include: 

• red light offences
• mobile phone offences
• high speed offences
• school zone offences
• other traffic offences where safety issues were identified.

Find out if your offence is considered a serious offence in our Review Assist Guide.

Other ways to request a review

You can also request a review via post by completing the form Request for a review of a fine (PDF, 616KB) (PDF 615.26KB).

You will need to provide proof of identification such as your:

• address
• date of birth
• driver's licence number. 

You can submit documents in writing to:

Revenue NSW
PO Box 786
Strawberry Hills 2012

Make sure you request a review before the due date on the fine notice to avoid further costs or action.

How the review process works

After you submit your review, we will put your fine on hold while we investigate it. 

We will carefully review your application. We consider: 

• the seriousness of the offence, and
• the supporting documents you supply.

We may need to contact you or the authority that issued your fine for more details. Please provide us your best contact number. 

We will only take action once we have made a decision and informed you about the outcome. 

We use the following guidelines to inform our decisions: 

• NSW Government Caution Guidelines and Internal Review Guidelines under the Fines Act 1996
• Review Assist Guidelines.

This ensures the process is fair and upholds the public expectation of road safety in NSW. 

You can nominate how you would like us to contact you. 

How long will my review take?

We will respond to your request for review as soon as possible. We will usually respond within 21 days.

Complex reviews may take longer if we need to liaise with the issuing authority.

What does the outcome mean?

We will tell you about the outcome of your review in writing via email or a letter:

Fine to stand
Our review found that your fine was issued correctly.
You will need to pay or manage your fine by the due date to avoid further costs or action.

Caution 
We have found you responsible, but due to the circumstances we are giving leniency. 
You are not required to pay the fine but it may still appear on your driving record. 

No actioned –
The fine was issued in error.
The fine will be cancelled, and you do not have to pay.  It will not appear on your driving record (if applicable).

Cancelled 
The issuing authority has requested the fine be withdrawn.

If you disagree with our decision

If you disagree with the outcome of your review, your options are:

• submit a new request for review if you have new or extra information that you have not provided to us, or apply to have your matter heard in court. Learn about the process to go to court.

Other fines

Fines issued to companies

Request a review for a fine issued to a company

If you have a fine for failure to appear for jury service

You can have your fine reviewed if you:

• did attend jury service
• did not receive previous notices from the NSW Sheriff’s Office
• had a legitimate reason for not attending jury service.

Request a review for a jury service fine or call 1300 655 805