Do you have to pay your fines before renewing your license?

No, you do not have to pay your fines before renewing your license if the fines have not been converted into enforcement orders. According to the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, licence renewals cannot be blocked by outstanding AARTO infringement notices (i.e., fines that have not been converted into enforcement orders). Withholding licence renewals for this reason is not permitted by law. If a licensing authority insists that you pay your outstanding traffic fines before your licence can be issued, you should report this to the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) and/or the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and stand your ground.

However, if an infringement notice has been converted into an enforcement order, it can block your ability to renew your vehicle or driving licence. In such cases, you would need to address the enforcement order, either by paying the fine or contesting it, before you can renew your licence.

It’s important to regularly check whether you have any enforcement orders, especially before renewing your licences. If you find an enforcement order that you do not agree with, you can apply for its revocation.

Following a meeting with OUTA, the RTIA has temporarily lifted the block on all enforcement orders issued while they investigate the allegations of improper conversion of infringement notices into enforcement orders. This means that, for now, enforcement orders should not prevent you from renewing your licences. However, you should still verify this with the issuing authority if you encounter any issues.