You need to apply to renew your P endorsement at least 30 working days before it expires.
The date it expires is listed on the back of your photo driver licence.
Current application processing times
We'll send you a reminder about 6 weeks before your endorsement is due to expire. If you've recently changed your address, you can update it with us online.
Update your address online now
You can choose to renew your P endorsement for one or five years. Its new expiry date will depend on when you apply.
| If you apply: | then your new expiry date will be: |
| within 60 days of your current expiry date | 1 or 5 years from your existing expiry date |
| more than 60 days before your current expiry date | 1 or 5 years from the date the renewal is granted |
| after your current expiry date |
NZTA uses real-time monitoring to assess whether commercial drivers continue to meet our fitness and propriety criteria. This includes maintaining good standards of driving behaviour on our roads. We use this real-time data, along with other assessment criteria, to determine if your passenger (P) endorsement renewal can be released quicker than applications that need more assessment. If you meet all the assessment criteria and have maintained your fitness and propriety status, your application may be completed faster.
To renew your endorsement, you must apply at a driver licensing agent.
Find a driver licensing agent in your area
You'll need to:
If you need a medical certificate or documents from another country, you must provide these documents when you apply to renew your endorsement at the agent. If you don’t, your application won’t be accepted.
Track your PVIO on our online tracking portal
You don't need to provide evidence of your immigration status to NZTA
Go to the Immigration New Zealand website for more information about working in New Zealand.
You can choose whether you want your P endorsement to last for 1 year or 5 years. The application fee is the same no matter which term you choose.
|
Type |
Term |
Application fee |
Vetting fee |
Total |
|
Small passenger endorsement |
1 year |
$102.70 |
$9.70 |
$112.40 |
|
5 years |
$48.50 |
$151.20 |
||
|
Large passenger endorsement |
1 year |
$92.00 |
$9.70* |
$101.70 |
|
5 years |
||||
|
*Drivers with only large P endorsements only pay the vetting fee once every 5 years. |
||||
You’ll need to provide official documents from each country you’ve lived in for more than 12 months at a time since your last application.
They must be from the relevant authority (police, embassy, consulate, or other approved government agency).
The documents should include your:
If we can’t easily match the details on your foreign documentation to the details on your application, there could be delays in processing your application.
If the documents aren’t in English, they must be translated into English by an authorised translator.
Getting these documents is your responsibility, and at your cost. NZTA can't get these documents for you.
| Country | Contact details | Average timeframe |
| Australia | Australian Federal Police afp.gov.au/our-services/national-police-checks(external link) |
Approximately 20 working days |
| Canada |
Royal Canadian Mounted Police |
Approximately six months |
| Fiji |
Fiji Police Force |
Approximately three months |
| India |
High Commission of India |
Approximately 20 working days |
| Japan |
Consulate General Of Japan |
2-3 months |
| Philippines |
NBI Clearance |
Approximately six months |
| Samoa |
Samoan High Commission |
Approximately three months |
| South Africa |
South African Police Service |
Approximately six months |
| United Kingdom (including Scotland, Wales, Ireland) |
ACRO Criminal Records Office |
Approximately 20 working days |
| United States of America | Approximately six months |
You must provide certified copies with the form when you apply at the agent. If you don’t, your application won’t be accepted.
If you’ve already provided documents to Immigration New Zealand, you may be able to supply them again to us. If you don’t have copies of the documents, contact Immigration New Zealand.
If you have a small P endorsement, the unique ID that displays on your ID card must be approved by NZTA. This is to make sure it meets the Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2017 criteria.
Land Transport Rule: Operator Licensing 2017.(external link)
If you want to change your unique ID when you renew your P endorsement, you'll need to get our approval first.
Email us to request your new unique ID before you make your application at an agent. Remember to include your driver licence number and your full name with your request.
Your application will be sent to NZTA to be processed.
If you’ve provided all the necessary information with your application and all the endorsement requirements have been met, please allow up to 30 working days for your application to be processed.
If some information hasn’t been provided yet, or if some requirements haven’t been met, your application will take longer to process.
If you're cleared and your application is granted, your endorsement will be approved and your new licence will be made and sent to you.
If you’re not cleared, you’ll receive a letter explaining this and the process you may take to appeal the decision in the district court.
Use our online tracking tool to view your application status. It can be take up to a week for an application to show in the tracking system and if your application is completed faster it won't be uploaded onto the online portal.
| Status | What does this mean? |
|---|---|
| Received | We’ve got your application, but we haven’t started working on it yet. We’ll send you an email to let you know it’s been received. |
| Gathering information |
We’re waiting for something. For example, we could be waiting for vetting information from the police, more information from a foreign country, or reviewing your medical certificate. We’ll contact you if we need more information from you. |
| Processing | We’ve got all the information we need, and we’re now assessing your application. |
| Completed |
We’ve finished processing your application.
|
| Unable to find the information you submitted |
You may have entered your details incorrectly. Try entering them again. If your details are correct, this means we haven't received your application yet, or your application was completed before it reached our tracking system. |
If you hold more than one endorsement and want to renew them at the same time, you only have to pay one renewal fee and one vetting fee. This will renew all the P, V, I or O endorsements you hold.
Download Factsheet 61: Renewing driver licence endorsements [PDF, 255 KB]
