Infringement Notice or Penalty Reminder Notice

If you have received an Infringement Notice or Penalty Reminder Notice, you may be able to apply to have your fine reviewed by the agency that issued your fine. This type of review is called an Internal Review. You can request only one internal review for each infringement.

You can request an Internal Review under one of the following grounds:

Person unaware: you did not know about the fine

You can request a review under this ground if all of the following apply:

• you found out about the fine within the last 14 days, and
• the fine was not personally given to you by an officer
• the fine was not for a traffic offence (see below) or tolling offence (Melbourne CityLink/Linkt or Eastlink).

If you moved house but you did not change your authorised address with the relevant agency (for example, VicRoads) within 14 days of moving, your application may not be successful.

Your application may not be successful unless you provide evidence showing you did not know about the fine. This could be a copy of your passport or boarding pass showing you were overseas, an invoice from a removalist showing that you moved house, a VicRoads address change confirmation or a report about mail theft.

You must submit your application within 14 days of the date you became aware of the fine.

If your application is successful, you will be granted a further 21 days to deal with your fine.

Contrary to law: the fine is invalid or was improperly issued to you

You can apply under this ground if you believe that the enforcement agency's decision to fine you was inconsistent with the law.

For example, the officer who issued the fine acted unlawfully, improperly or outside their authority or the fine does not comply with the legal requirements of an infringement notice.

Mistake of identity: the fine was issued to the wrong person

You can request a review under this ground if you have been incorrectly identified as the person who committed an offence, and you have evidence to support your claim. For example, someone provided your licence or gave your details to police, or you have the same name as another person or family member and the wrong person received the fine.

This review ground does not apply if someone else was driving your vehicle at the time of the offence, you are the registered owner of the vehicle and you received a camera-detected fine. If this applies to you or your company, do not use this review ground to request a review. You should instead nominate the driver.  You need to do this quickly – for some fines, you need to nominate the driver within 28 days to avoid your licence being suspended.

Exceptional circumstances: the offence occurred due to an extraordinary or unavoidable situation

You should only select this ground if you can show that the offence occurred due to circumstances that were out of the ordinary, unavoidable or exceptional – such as a medical emergency or a vehicle breakdown.

Special circumstances: you have serious personal issues, conditions or difficulties

These circumstances are very specific. You should only select this ground if you committed the offence and can show that:

• at the time of the offence you:
  • had a mental or intellectual disability, disorder, disease or illness
  • had a serious addiction to drugs, alcohol or a volatile substance
  • were homeless
  • were a victim of family violence, or
• you cannot deal with your fines because of severe disabling long-term circumstances, even if those circumstances did not exist at the time of the offence.

You will need to provide evidence from a qualified practitioner or agency to support your application. For more information on what is required and how to apply, see: Special Circumstances.

Following the commencement of the Road Safety (Drivers) Amendment Regulations 2023 on 27 March 2023 there are changes to the way demerit points are applied to your driver licence for eligible driving-related offences.

If your application for enforcement review on the ground of special circumstances is successful, any demerit points you received for an eligible driving-related offence will remain on your licence.

The Family Violence Scheme

If you have been impacted by family violence, the Family Violence Scheme is another option to help victim survivors deal with fines if there is a link between the family violence and their fines.

See: Family Violence Scheme for more information and assistance.

Internal review is not available for:

• excessive speeding offences
• drink-driving offences
• drug-driving offences
• drink or drug-boating offences
• court issued fines

See: Excessive speed, drug and alcohol offences for more information on these offences.

See Court fines for more information on how to deal with court fines.

Was someone else driving your vehicle? If you have received a camera-detected fine, and someone else was driving your vehicle at that time, do not request a review. You should instead nominate the driver so we can re-issue the fine to them. You should nominate as soon as possible – for some fines, you need to nominate within 28 days to avoid licence cancellation.

Official warnings

Information about official warnings for fines issued by Victoria Police is available on the Victoria Police website.

What you need to provide

Evidence to support your claims should be provided with your application.

Examples of supporting evidence can include, but are not limited to:

• medical reports
• bank statements
• hospital admissions documentation
• police statements or reports (including mail theft reports made to Victoria Police or Australia Post)
• images of the alleged offence (if relevant to your grounds) – for images of Victoria Police issued fines visit view your fine
• travel documentation (for example, copies of flight itineraries, date-stamped passports, boarding passes, or international movement records)
• removalist invoices
• tow truck or mechanic's invoices
• identification documents (for example, driver's licence, birth certificate)
• Motor Vehicle Transfer documents or other proof of sale of a motor vehicle.

Please provide as much information and supporting documentation as you can, as this will help the enforcement agency make a decision. Under the legislation, you can only request one internal review for each infringement.

More information

For more information on the Internal Review process, including the grounds for review, how to make an application, and the possible outcomes of an internal review, see: Guide to Internal Review.

To continue, please select the boxes to acknowledge the following statements:

Notice of Final Demand or Enforcement Warrant

Before you continue, you must read through the information below and, if you are eligible, acknowledge your acceptance.

If you did not deal with your fine and the fine has reached Notice of Final Demand stage, you may be able request a review. This type of review is called an Enforcement Review.

Fines Victoria can only accept your Enforcement Review application under one or more of the following grounds. The grounds available depend on the type of fine and the relevant legislation:

Person unaware: you did not know about the fine

You can only request a review under this ground if all of the following apply:

• you found out about the fine within the last 14 days, and
• the fine was not personally given to you by an officer, and
• the fine was not for a traffic offence (see below) or tolling offence (Melbourne CityLink/Linkt or Eastlink).
  or:

• the fine was not for a littering or waste offence that happened in a vehicle.

You can apply for a review of a parking fine if you were not personally served with the fine.

If you moved house and did not change your address with the relevant agency (for example, VicRoads) within 14 days of moving, your application may not be successful.

You should provide evidence to support your application. This could be a copy of your passport or boarding pass showing you were overseas, an invoice from a removalist showing that you moved house, a confirmation from VicRoads of an address change or a report about mail theft.

If your application is successful, the fine is sent back to the enforcement agency that issued your fine. The enforcement agency can then choose to:

• withdraw the fine
• issue an official warning
• refer the matter to court
• issue a new infringement notice
• enter into a payment plan with you.

If your fine is for a traffic offence (see below), a tolling offence or a litter or waste offence that happened in a vehicle, you can apply for an Infringement Extension through Fines Victoria within 14 days of becoming aware of the fine. If granted, you will have a further 28 days to deal with the fine.

Visit Infringement Extension for information on how to apply.

 

What is a traffic offence? A traffic offence is an offence: under the Road Safety Act 1986, the Road Safety Road Rules 2017 or road safety regulations that is prescribed for the purposes of Part 7 of the Road Safety Act, including offences captured by fixed or mobile cameras. for depositing litter or waste from a vehicle, under section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017. for failing to produce a licence, learner permit or other document on request or within seven days, under section 59 of the Road Safety Act 1986 or section 216 of the Transport (Compliance and Miscellaneous) Act 1983.

 

Contrary to law: the fine was invalid or improperly issued to you

You can request a review under this ground if you believe that the enforcement agency's decision to fine you was inconsistent with the law.

For example, the officer who issued the fine acted unlawfully, improperly or outside their authority or it does not comply with the legal requirements of an infringement notice.

Mistake of identity: the fine was issued to the wrong person

You can request a review under this ground if you have been incorrectly identified as the person who committed an offence, and you have evidence to support your claim. For example, someone provided your licence or gave your details to police, or you have the same name as another person or family member and the wrong person received the fine.

This review ground does not apply if someone else was driving your vehicle at the time of the offence, you are the registered owner of the vehicle and you received a camera-detected fine. You cannot request a review under this ground if someone else was driving your vehicle.

Exceptional circumstances: the offence occurred due to an extraordinary or unavoidable situation

You should only select this ground if you can show that the offence occurred due to circumstances that were out of the ordinary, unavoidable or exceptional – such as a medical emergency or a vehicle breakdown.

Special circumstances: you have serious personal issues, conditions or difficulties

These circumstances are very specific. You should only select this ground if you committed the offence and can show that:

• at the time of your offence you:
• had a mental or intellectual disability, disorder, disease, or illness
• had a serious addiction to drugs, alcohol, or a volatile substance
• were homeless
• were a victim of family violence, or
• you cannot deal with your fines because of severe disabling long-term circumstances.

You will need to provide evidence from a qualified practitioner or agency. For more information on what is required and how to apply, see: Special Circumstances.

Following the commencement of the Road Safety (Drivers) Amendment Regulations 2023 on 27 March 2023 there are changes to the way demerit points are applied to your driver licence for eligible driving-related offences.

If your application for enforcement review on the ground of special circumstances is successful, any demerit points you received for an eligible driving-related offence will remain on your licence.

The Family Violence Scheme

If you have been impacted by family violence, the Family Violence Scheme is another option to help victim survivors deal with fines if there is a link between the family violence and their fines.

See: Family Violence Scheme for more information and assistance.

Enforcement Review is not available if:*

• your fine has already been paid in full.
• your fine is not registered with Fines Victoria and a Notice of Final Demand from Fines Victoria has not been issued. In these circumstances, you should contact the agency that issued the fine to discuss your options.
• your fine was ordered by a court. See Court fines for more information on how to deal with court fines.
• your fine was issued for an excessive speed, drink or drug-driving offence.
• a sheriff's officer served you with a 7 Day Notice, and the 7 day period has now expired or you have agreed to waive it.
• you have previously had an enforcement review determined for the fine, on the grounds of exceptional circumstances, mistake of identity, contrary to law or person unaware (unless you are eligible to apply under Special Circumstances).

If any of the above applies to you, you are not eligible to apply for a review.

* There are other factors that disqualify you from applying for an enforcement review. For a full list of disqualifying factors, see the Guide to Enforcement Review.

What you need to provide

Examples of evidence can include, but are not limited to:

• medical reports
• bank statements
• hospital admissions documentation
• police statements or reports (including mail theft reports made to Victoria Police or Australia Post)
• images of the alleged offence (if relevant to your grounds) – for images of Victoria Police issued fines visit view your fine
• travel documentation (for example, copies of flight itineraries, date-stamped passports, boarding passes, or international movement records)
• removalist invoices
• tow truck or mechanic's invoices
• identification documents (for example, driver's licence, birth certificate)
• Motor Vehicle Transfer documents or other proof of sale of a motor vehicle.

Please provide as much information and supporting documentation as you can, as this will help us make a decision. By law, you can generally only request one enforcement review.

For more information on the Enforcement Review process, including the grounds for review, how to make an application, and the possible outcomes of an enforcement review, see: Guide to Enforcement Review (PDF).

To continue, please select the boxes to acknowledge the following statements: