A Fixed Penalty is a fine for a motoring offence. Some Fixed Penalties carry penalty points on your licence and some don’t. There is information below on types of Fixed Penalty and Graduated Penalty Notices.
If you receive an email purporting to be from the HM Court Service advising that you need to pay a £25 penalty, the email is a scam and should be deleted if received.
Fixed Penalty Notices issued in Northern Ireland are not sent out via email.
There are four different types of Fixed Penalty, which can be paid in the Fixed Penalty Office. A description of each is outlined below.
A non-endorsable Fixed Penalty (for example, a parking offence) carries a fine of £30.
These notices have to be paid within 21 days. However, if the driver was not seen by the issuing officer in person when the ticket was issued, the police will complete a search on the car registration and issue a notice to the owner giving them a further 21 days to pay.
You do not need to hand in your driving licence.
An endorsable Fixed Penalty (for example, being caught by a Police Officer for speeding or having no insurance) carries a fine between £60 and £200.
These notices are to be paid within 21 days. You must hand in your full driving licence, including the paper part, to your local police station within seven days of the offence. The police will then pass this on to the Fixed Penalty Office. Your driving licence be returned in around four to six weeks.
A conditional Fixed Penalty (for example, being caught speeding on camera) carries a fine of £60.
These notices are to be paid within 28 days and you must hand in your full driving licence, including the paper part, to the Fixed Penalty Office with your payment.
Driving licences are returned by first class post within five weeks. You can either post your payment and driving licence in to the office or if you call in to the office in person, your licence will be endorsed and returned to you immediately while you wait.
The Fixed Penalty Office can only accept payments for tickets issued in Northern Ireland.
Fixed Penalties can be issued to drivers who do not hold a Northern Ireland driving licence. A driving record will be created and held by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).
If you accept the Fixed Penalty and abide by whatever other conditions apply, you will not be taken to Court. However if you dispute the Fixed Penalty then you may request a court hearing within the time allowed.
The DVA issue Graduated Penalty Notices (tickets), which can be:
The penalty charge for these tickets can vary.
These notices are to be paid within 21 days. If issued with an endorsable Graduated Fixed Penalty, you must hand your full driving licence, including the paper part in to your local police station within seven days of the offence. The police will then pass this on to the Fixed Penalty Office. Your driving licence will not be returned for around four to six weeks.
The Fixed Penalty Office deals only with:
All other issues should be addressed to the Central Ticket Office at the following address
For tickets issued outside of Northern Ireland, you should contact the relevant processing office in the jurisdiction where the ticket was issued.