If a fine is not paid, it can be registered with Fines Victoria and a Notice of Final Demand is issued. If you do not deal with your fine by the due date, the fine can be enforced. Once a fine is registered with Fines Victoria, it does not expire and can be enforced at any time.

If you do not take action to resolve your outstanding fine(s), Fines Victoria may apply a driver and/or vehicle sanction against you.

What are driver and vehicle sanctions?

Fines Victoria has power under section 89 of the Fines Reform Act 2014 to apply a sanction on a driver licence or permit and/or vehicle registration, to encourage you to deal with your outstanding fine(s).

The sanctions that can be applied include:

• suspending your driver licence
• not allowing you to get or renew a driver licence
• suspending the registration of any vehicle you are the registered owner of
• not allowing you to renew the registration of your vehicle(s)
• not allowing you to transfer the registration of your vehicle(s)
• not allowing you to register a vehicle(s) in your name

If your driver licence is suspended, you cannot drive any vehicle for the period of the suspension. If your vehicle registration is suspended the vehicle cannot be driven by anyone for the period of the suspension.

Heavy penalties apply for driving unlicenced and for driving an unregistered vehicle.

Why have I received a letter advising of a pending suspension?

You have received a ‘Suspension of Driver Licence and/or Vehicle Registration Pending’ letter from Fines Victoria because you have an outstanding fine(s).

You must take immediate action to deal with your outstanding fine(s) or a sanction may be applied to your driver licence and/or vehicle registration. 

The options available to deal with your fine(s) are listed on the letter you received. Your options include:

• paying the outstanding amount
• asking to pay in instalments
• requesting an enforcement review under one of the eligible grounds
• applying for a Work and Development Permit scheme, if you meet certain criteria
• applying for the Family Violence Scheme, if you meet certain criteria

What happens if my driver licence or vehicle registration is suspended?

If you did not take action on your fine(s) and your driver licence and/or vehicle registration is suspended, you will receive a letter from VicRoads with the details of your suspension.

You must deal with the fine(s) included in the sanction for the suspension to be lifted. Heavy penalties apply for driving unlicenced and for driving an unregistered vehicle.

You can deal with your fine(s) by:

• paying the outstanding amount
• asking to pay in instalments. You may be required to make an upfront payment towards your fine debt
• applying for an enforcement review under one of the eligible grounds. If you apply for an enforcement review, the suspension of your driver licence and/or vehicle registration may not be lifted until after your application is decided
• applying for the Work and Development Permit scheme, if you meet certain criteria
• applying for the Family Violence Scheme, if you meet certain criteria

Help and assistance 

If you have received a Pre Sanctions Letter or your driver licence or vehicle registration has been suspended and you would like information on the options available to you, contact Fines Victoria on 1300 396 851.

When you call us, you can ask to speak to someone in your preferred language. An introduction to the fines system in Victoria is also available in 15 languages.

If you need legal assistance, visit Federation of Community Legal Centres to find your local community legal centre or visit Legal Aid. For assistance with managing your finances visit Financial Counselling Victoria to find your local financial counsellor.