Fit and proper person check

Detailed information about the fit and proper person check required for P, V, I and O endorsements. 

What is a fit and proper person check?

If you are applying for a passenger (P), vehicle recovery (V), driving instructor (I) or testing officer (O) endorsement, your application will be sent to the NZ Transport Agency for a fit and proper person check. 

Some of the factors that will be taken into account are:

• transport-related offences, especially relating to safety
• history of behavioural problems
• past complaints about a transport service you may have operated
• history of persistent failure to pay fines for transport-related offences
• criminal convictions (in New Zealand or overseas), including charges and convictions relating to violence or sexual offences, drugs or firearms offences, or offences involving organised criminal activites
• serious convictions – persons convicted of these serious offences and sentenced to imprisonment for more than 12 months are prohibited from holding a P endorsement:
• • murder
  • a sexual crime under Part VII of the Crimes Act 1961 punishable by seven or more years imprisonment, including sections 144A and 144C
  • crimes under any of the following sections of the Crimes Act 1961: 173, 174, 175, 176, 188, 189(1), 191, 198, 199, 200(1), 201, 208, 209, 210, 234, 235 and 236
  • any offence committed outside New Zealand that, if committed in New Zealand, would constitute one of the above offences. 

List of offences in section 29A of the Land Transport Act 1998
List of offences in section 144A of the Crimes Act 1961
List of offences in section 144C of the Crimes Act 1961

Any other information can also be taken into account in the fit and proper person check, where that information is relevant to the interest of public safety.

This includes medical fitness – such as any medical conditions you may have and whether those conditions may affect your ability to drive safely. 

If in doubt, check first

If you have any concerns about the fit and proper person check, contact a commercial road transport administrator at the Transport Agency office before submitting your application.

Extra checks for P endorsement applicants

Every P endorsement applicant, irrespective of their country of origin, will be vetted by the NZ Police as part of the ‘fit and proper person’ check. This is arranged by the Transport Agency once you submit your application and pay the vetting fee.

If you have spent 12 months or more outside New Zealand, then you must also contact the appropriate authority (embassy, consulate or other approved government agency) of your country of origin and/or any countries you visited, and arrange for official documentation verifying the full details of any traffic offences and criminal history (or the absence thereof) to be made available to the Transport Agency.

This applies where:

• you are applying for a new P endorsement, and
• you have been overseas for a continuous period of more than 12 months, and were at that time aged 14 years or older

OR

• you are applying to renew or requalify a P endorsement, and
• you have been overseas for a continuous period of more than 12 months since your last P endorsement application.

This ensures all applicants are assessed to the same standard and enables the Transport Agency to make the thoroughly informed assessment necessary before a P endorsement may be granted.

Note: The Transport Agency can only accept original documents that are received directly from the approved authority. However, copies of documents may be accepted directly from other New Zealand government departments (eg Immigration or Customs), where that department received the original document directly from the appropriate issuing authority and will verify any copy provided as true and correct.

Result of the check

Not cleared

If you’re not cleared by the fit and proper person check, you’ll be sent a letter explaining why, with advice on your right of appeal to the district court.

Cleared

If you meet the fit and proper person requirements, and all other relevant tests have been completed, your application will be approved and the new licence will be mailed to you.

Where you have chosen to have the fit and proper person check completed before the other tests are done, you’ll be sent a Notice of determination (valid for 90 days). Show the notice to the driver licensing agent when you go to complete your application. If the notice expires before you finish the relevant courses or tests, call our contact centre on 0800 822 422.

What does it cost?

The fee for a fit and proper person check is called the vetting fee. 

If you're applying for more than one endorsement at the same time, you will only pay one vetting fee.

You will be vetted once every year, unless you are applying for a P endorsement only to drive large passenger service vehicles (ie you are not applying for an ID card)

Fees that you will pay when applying for a P, V, I or O endorsement