For most people, your driver licence is valid for 10 years. We'll send you a renewal reminder letter about 8 weeks before your photo driver licence is due to expire (provided we have your current address on our system).
Download the application form to renew your driver licence [PDF, 202 KB]
Find a driver licensing agent in your area
In most cases it takes less than 10 minutes to renew your licence.
To renew your licence, you must apply at a driver licensing agent.
You will need to:
You'll then receive a temporary licence which is valid for 21 days. Keep this on you whenever you're driving until your new driver licence arrives in the mail - within 2 to 3 weeks.
Most licences will be issued for 10 years and cost $32.40.
If you’re aged 641/2 or over, your new licence will expire on your 75th birthday. If the licence is issued for less than 10 years the renewal fee will be lower.
|
Your age |
Renewal fee |
|
Up to 65 |
$32.40 |
|
66 or 67 |
$22.60 |
|
68 or 69 |
$19.00 |
|
70 or 71 |
$14.80 |
|
72 or 73 |
$10.80 |
|
74 |
$9.00 |
If you have an old style licence card, see the front of your photo driver licence for the expiry date of your licence. See the back of your licence for the expiry date of any endorsements you may hold.
If you have a new style photographic licence the classes and endorsements you hold are in a table on the back of the card. You will need to check the expiry date of each class and endorsement.
See what's on your New Zealand driver licence
You don't have to wait for the driver licence renewal pack. You can renew at anytime.
If you renew your licence:
For drivers aged 75 years and over the expiry term is different
If your licence is likely to expire while you're overseas, it's worth renewing your licence before you leave. You can only renew your licence when you're in New Zealand.
Renew your licence before you leave New Zealand
If your licence expired more than 5 years ago, you may have to pass theory and practical tests to requalify your licence. However, if you can produce evidence you've been licensed to drive during the past 5 years (for example with an overseas driver licence) you may not need to sit the tests.
If you haven’t upgraded from a paper driver licence to a photo driver licence, you are strongly advised to do so as soon as possible.
All old style New Zealand driver licences (booklet or paper) have now been expired for more than 5 years. This means you can't drive using your old New Zealand driver licence, and you'll need to requalify your licence to get it back.
Photo driver licences are one of the best ways to catch unlicensed and disqualified drivers and, along with tough roadside penalties, get them off our roads.
Licences with photos also help the police to check that new and inexperienced drivers (those in the graduated driver licensing system) do not break the conditions under which they're allowed to drive.
You should carry your driver licence with you at all times when driving, as drivers are required by law to produce their driver licence immediately on request to a police officer. If you're caught driving on an expired licence you could face a $400 fine and, if summonsed to court, you could be fined up to $1000. Driving on an expired licence could also affect your ability to get car insurance, delay any insurance claim or result in a claim being declined.
To requalify your licence if it has been expired more than 5 years, you must apply at a driver licensing agent.
You'll need to:
If you've been licensed to drive overseas within the last five years, you may not need to sit the tests to requalify your licence. Bring your overseas driver licence with you when you make your requalification application at an agent.
You’ll need to pay the same application fee as a licence renewal.
Most licences will be issued for 10 years and cost $32.40.
If you’re aged 641/2 or over, your new licence will expire on your 75th birthday. If the licence is issued for less than 10 years the requalification fee will be lower.
|
Your age |
Requalification fee |
|
Up to 65 |
$32.40 |
|
66 or 67 |
$22.60 |
|
68 or 69 |
$19.00 |
|
70 or 71 |
$14.80 |
|
72 or 73 |
$10.80 |
|
74 |
$9.00 |
If you need to sit tests, you’ll also need to pay a one-off test fee for each test type you have to sit. There’s no fee to change, cancel or rebook the test.
|
Test type |
One-off test fee |
|
Theory test |
$45.70 |
|
Restricted practical test |
$86.60 |
|
Full practical test |
$59.90 |
You can renew a learner or restricted licence the same way you renew any other licence.
