No rush to renew recently expired driver licences

Recently expired driver licences and endorsements remain valid and there’s no need to visit a driver licensing agent or ring or email the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) contact centre to renew them yet.

Waka Kotahi says the contact centre is experiencing some of its highest ever call volumes as Kiwis look to renew expired licences and endorsements.

“If your driver licence expired on or after January 1 2020, you can rest assured that it is still valid, and you can continue to use your licence legally until a new expiry date has been set,” says Kane Patena, Waka Kotahi general manager regulatory services. “There is no need to stress or rush to get it renewed.”

New expiry dates are currently being set and will be communicated to ensure people have plenty of time to renew. Updates on expiry dates will be posted on the NZTA website.

Under Alert Level 2, most NZTA services are open, but capacity is greatly reduced to ensure government health and safety guidelines are followed, particularly social distancing and cleaning of equipment.

“We’re currently experiencing high demands for practical test booking, including via our online booking service. Our priority is to ensure those that had booked tests prior to Alert Level 4 are rescheduled,” Patena says.

“If your driver test or driver licensing need is not urgent, we’re asking New Zealanders to please consider delaying booking, contacting or visiting us and our service providers.

“We understand that this is frustrating and appreciate your patience as we do our best to catch up and adjust to working with reduced capacity.”