Your limited licence logbook: get it before you drive
You've done the hard part. Your application went in, the Judge signed the order, and you're allowed to drive to work again. Before you turn the key, there's one more step that catches people out, and it is the one that can cost you everything.
No logbook, no driving
A limited licence isn't a normal licence with a few days crossed off. It lets you drive only for the reasons, at the times and inside the boundary the Court has written into your order [2]. To prove you're sticking to it, you have to record your trips in a logbook.
You can buy a logbook from VTNZ, the AA, Whitcoulls, Paper Plus or most supermarkets. Whichever you choose, you must have it before you drive under your limited licence for the first time.
The same goes for the licence itself. The court order only authorises you to obtain a limited licence from the NZ Transport Agency, and the NZTA then issues it to you [1][2]. You can't drive on the court order alone.
Every trip goes in the book, in the detail the logbook asks for. It applies whether you lost your licence for demerit points or were disqualified by a court for anything else.
What a logbook is not
A logbook has to be an actual logbook: it says logbook on it, and it has NZTA Logbook on it. Anything else is not a logbook, however neatly you fill it in. That means none of these:
- a pad you have ruled up so it looks exactly like a logbook
- the back of a magazine
- a book
- a notebook
- a diary, a spreadsheet printout, or notes on your phone
- any other document that does not say logbook and have NZTA Logbook on it
And for those who think they can bend the words: it cannot be a digital logbook or an app either, unless the Judge has ordered that a digital logbook is OK.
We are not sure how to make this any clearer, but it is pretty clear English.
If you don't want to be arrested, GET A LOGBOOK.
"It's ridiculous"
We hear it every week. It's ridiculous. It's over the top. It's pointless, petty, a joke, a waste of time. Pure red tape, box-ticking, a nanny-state rule, bureaucracy gone mad. Nobody checks anyway, so what's the point?
You're entitled to that opinion. Here's where you'll get to share it.
If you drive without your logbook, or outside the times, places or reasons in your order, you're no longer driving on a limited licence. You're driving contrary to it, in breach of a Court Order [1]. When Police stop you, you'll be arrested and put before a Judge in the District Court. That's the right time to explain how over the top you think the logbook is.
What it will cost you
Driving contrary to a limited licence is a criminal offence under section 32 of the Land Transport Act 1998 [1]. If you're convicted:
- Your limited licence is gone. It's revoked, and your original suspension or disqualification comes back into force [1].
- The Judge must disqualify you for at least another 6 months [1], on top of what you already have. For a demerit suspension, that means it starts when the suspension ends, around day 90.
- Your vehicle is impounded for 28 days. Police must seize and impound a vehicle for 28 days when they believe it was driven by someone suspended or disqualified [1], and outside your limited licence that is exactly what you are. The towing and storage bill for those 28 days comes to around $930, and that cost alone is yours to pay before you get the car back.
- You can face up to 3 months in prison or a fine of up to $4,500 [1].
- You can never get another limited licence for it. The law bars anyone disqualified for this offence from applying [1]. That's now a criminal driving offence, and there's no work licence to get you through it.
So instead of three months off the road with a way to keep your job, you're looking at nine months or more with no way to drive at all.
Do it properly
Keeping a logbook takes a couple of minutes a day. It's the price of being allowed to drive to work while everyone else with a suspension stays home. Treat it that way.
- Collect your limited licence, and buy your logbook from VTNZ, the AA, Whitcoulls, Paper Plus or a supermarket.
- Keep the logbook in the vehicle every time you drive.
- Fill in every trip, every time.
- Drive only the vehicles, times, days and routes in your order. Nothing extra.
Suspended or disqualified right now?
NZ Limited Licence prepares your limited licence application, affidavits and complete court bundle, ready for you to file at your local District Court anywhere in New Zealand. We don't represent you in court and we don't give legal advice. We make sure the paperwork is right the first time, so you can get back to work legally.
Start your application at limitedlicences.co.nz/apply or call 0800 437 005.
Sources
- Land Transport Act 1998 (version as at 4 September 2026), sections 32, 96, 103 and 105, New Zealand Legislation, https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0110/latest/whole.html (accessed 27 September 2026)
- Get a limited licence, Ministry of Justice, https://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/criminal/get-a-limited-licence/ (page last updated 1 July 2026, accessed 27 September 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the logbook for my limited licence?
From VTNZ, the AA, Whitcoulls, Paper Plus or most supermarkets. Get it before you drive under your limited licence for the first time.
Can I drive as soon as the Judge signs my limited licence order?
No. The order only authorises you to obtain a limited licence. You have to apply to the NZ Transport Agency, which then issues the licence.
What happens if I drive outside my limited licence conditions?
It is an offence under section 32 of the Land Transport Act 1998. The court must disqualify you for at least 6 months, your limited licence is revoked, and you can face up to 3 months in prison or a $4,500 fine. Police must also impound the vehicle for 28 days, and the towing and storage alone comes to around $930.
Can I apply for another limited licence after breaching one?
No. A person disqualified for driving contrary to a limited licence cannot apply for a limited licence for that disqualification.