Licence fees, ages and how long it lasts
The amounts NZTA charges for a learner, restricted and full car licence, the ages the driver-licensing Rule sets for each stage, and how long the licence itself is good for once issued — three questions this page keeps separate, because the Rule answers them separately.
Classes and ages
What each class permits, and the ages that apply to it
Class 1 (car) and Class 6 (motorcycle) run the same staged structure — learner, restricted, then full — with their own age floors at each stage.
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| Class | What it permits | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars and most other motor vehicles up to 6,000 kg (Class 1) |
|
| 6 | Motorcycles (Class 6) |
|
Source — Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (SR 1999/100) — "Latest version as at 06 August 2026", retrieved 18 August 2026
Fees
What NZTA charges (NZD)
| Fee | Amount | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Fee for issuing Class 1 learner licence | $83.57 | — |
| Fee for issuing Class 1 restricted licence | $145.65 | — |
| Fee for issuing Class 1 full licence | $86 | — |
| Fee for renewing driver licence | $28.17 | — |
| Additional theory test fee (Class 1) | $47.48 | The first two attempts at the theory test carry NO additional fee — they are bundled into the licence-issuance fee above. This fee applies only from the THIRD attempt onward. |
| Additional practical driving test fee, restricted licence | $89.39 | The first two attempts carry no additional fee; this applies from the third attempt onward. |
| Additional practical driving test fee, full licence | $62.52 | The first two attempts carry no additional fee; this applies from the third attempt onward. |
Payable to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. What a driving school itself charges for lessons is not a government fee and is not in this table.
Source — Land Transport (Regulatory Fees) Regulations 2023 (SL 2023/212) — "as at 08 July 2024", retrieved 18 August 2026
How long it lasts
Licence validity, by age at issue
- Issued to a person under 64 years of age — runs for 10 years.
- Issued to a person at least 64 but younger than 75 years of age — runs to your 75th birthday.
- Issued to a person at least 75 but younger than 80 years of age — runs to your 80th birthday.
What is left out, deliberately
Renewal from 80 onward is not modelled here
The Rule carries a fourth band for a licence issued at 80 or older, and this page does not attempt to state it as a fixed renewal age. Clause 60(1)(c) runs that licence to "the next birthday of the applicant that is a whole multiple of 2" — someone issued at 80 runs to 82, someone issued at 83 runs to 84 — so the true answer depends on exactly when in that cycle you were issued, not on a single number this table could print honestly as "renews at such-and-such an age".
Source — Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (SR 1999/100) — "Latest version as at 06 August 2026", retrieved 18 August 2026
On a restricted licence
What a restricted licence does not let you do
Conditions attached to the restricted stage, before it becomes a full licence.
- Restricted licence held from age 18+, no approved course
- Minimum holding period: 18 months
- Restricted licence held from age 17y6m+, with an approved course under cl 93(a)
- Minimum holding period: 12 months
- Restricted licence held from age 25+, no approved course
- Minimum holding period: 6 months
- Restricted licence held from age 25+, with an approved course
- Minimum holding period: 3 months
- Must not carry a passenger other than the holder's spouse, partner, parent, guardian or dependant, and must not drive between 10 pm and 5 am — both unless accompanied by a full NZ licence holder of 2+ years' standing for the vehicle class.
Source — Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (SR 1999/100) — "Latest version as at 06 August 2026", retrieved 18 August 2026
Renewing
There is no separate renewal fee beyond the cycle above
A licence simply expires on the date the tiers above set — there is no extra annual or periodic renewal step to plan for. Where a medical certificate is required for a renewal application, it must have been issued within 60 days of the date you produce it — a freshness window on the certificate itself, not on the licence. The Rule also allows an earlier certificate to the same standard to substitute for a fresh one in some circumstances, with its own age limits and exceptions set out in cl. 44.
Source — Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999 (SR 1999/100) — "Latest version as at 06 August 2026", retrieved 18 August 2026