An infringement notice alleges that an offence has been committed and requires payment of a fine. Infringement offences and fine amounts are set by law.

Note that infringement fines for TIES (Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989) border offences must be paid, or disputed, within 14 days. There are no reminders or payment plans.

On this page:

• How to pay your fine
• What happens if you don’t pay on time
• Disputing your infringement fine
• Someone else can act on your behalf
• What happens to the fine money

How to pay your fine

View and pay your infringement fine within 28 days.

Pay your fine online:

• You’ll need your infringement notice number – found at the top-right of the notice.
• You can pay using any form of credit or debit card, eg Visa, Mastercard, Visa Debit Card. 

When you pay online, your information and transaction is secure. DOC does not retain credit or debit card information you enter.

When an online payment is complete a page will appear confirming the fine has been paid. You will be able to print the receipt. Or, you can print and save the screen image.

Seized gear will be made available for collection after DOC has received confirmation that the fine has been paid. (Note that items seized under the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 are forfeit to the Crown and are not returned).

What happens if you don’t pay on time

Payment for infringement notices is due within 28 days of you receiving the notice. If you don’t pay within 28 days, we will send you one reminder notice, giving you an extra 28 days to pay. 

If the fine is still unpaid, it is referred to the Ministry of Justice (Courts) for debt collection. You have to pay an extra administration cost on top of the fine if this happens.

The courts can take action against people and organisations who don’t pay their fines. This can include taking money from your income or bank account and stopping you travelling overseas.

If you need time to pay you can set up a payment plan

If you cannot pay the whole fine amount on time, you can contact DOC to pay via instalments. You need to do this within 28 days of receiving the notice.

1. Write to DOC (within 28 days). Email  infringements@doc.govt.nz. Include:
   • your infringement notice number and date
   • your name, address and a contact phone number
   • an indication of what instalment amount and frequency (eg, weekly, monthly) you seek. The fine must be paid within 12 months.
2. DOC will contact you
   • We will contact you to agree the payment plan (in particular, to set the instalment amount and frequency). We’ll then email you to confirm the plan. Once it’s agreed, it can’t be changed.
3. Make instalment payments
   • To make payments, see ‘How to pay your fine’ (above). You won’t be able to pay an amount different from your agreed instalment amount.
   • We will send you an email reminder five days before each instalment is due. If you miss an instalment, you’ll get one reminder notice for the full balance. Then, if the fine is still not paid, it is referred to the Ministry of Justice for collection.

Disputing your infringement fine

You are entitled to dispute the infringement fine, if you think you should not have received it, within 56 days (14 days for a Trade in Endangered Species Act border offence). The main grounds to do so are outlined below.

View further details of your rights and obligations on this website or on the back of the notice.

You can:

• seek that DOC cancel the notice (include an explanation of the facts you want DOC to consider)
• request a hearing in Court to contest the notice or the fine amount (you may want to seek legal advice first)
• submit that DOC should transfer the notice to another person (that is, you think someone else should have got the notice).

You need to write to DOC at infringements@doc.govt.nz within 56 days of the infringement notice date (14 days for a Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989 border offence). Include the notice number and date. (If you have no email address, write to the DOC address on the notice envelope.)

We will acknowledge your communication, consider it, and inform you of our decision in writing.

Someone else can act on your behalf

If you want someone else to communicate with DOC about your notice instead of you, email infringements@doc.govt.nz. Include:

• your name
• the infringement notice number and date
• the name and contact details of the person who will act for you, including their relationship to you.

What happens to the fine money?

DOC must pass all infringement fine monies to the Crown (the Treasury).