Frequently Asked Questions

You may choose to either pay the penalty within 28 days of issue of the notice, or request a Court hearing by completing and posting Part B of the penalty notice. If payment is not made within 28 days of issue, and no court hearing is requested, the penalty will be increased by 50% and registered as a Court fine.

A Payment must be made within 28 days of the date of issue of the penalty notice. If you do not make payment within 28 days, the penalty will be registered as a Court fine. You may instead choose to request a Court hearing by completing and posting Part B of the penalty notice within 28 days.

You will not get a criminal record for the penalty offence.

You may pay the penalty notice by completing Part A of the penalty notice and sending a cheque to the address listed in that Part. You may also pay by credit or debit card by calling the telephone number listed in Part B of the penalty notice. You may make payment by cash to any court office. Cash should not be sent by post. Please note that full payment of the amount listed on the penalty notice must be made – part payment will not be acceptable.

Payment by cash may only be made by visiting any Court office, although payment through the Customer Service Centre is preferred. Cash should not be sent by post. Full payment of the amount listed on the penalty notice must be made – part payment will not be acceptable.

If you do not wish to accept the penalty notice, you may instead request a Court hearing by completing Part B of the penalty notice and sending to the address stated on that part of the notice within 28 days of issue.

If you have a note of the reference number of the penalty notice, it will still be possible to make payment. If you have no record of the penalty notice, then you should contact the OCMT manager in Lislea Drive, Belfast to get the reference number of the penalty notice which will enable you to make payment. Please note that you will still be required to make payment within 28 days of issue.

If you disagree with the issue of the penalty notice, you may request a Court hearing by completing Part B of the penalty notice and sending to the address shown in Part B to arrive within 28 days of issue of the penalty notice.

Failure to pay a penalty notice within 28 days of issue will result in the penalty being registered as a Court fine. This means that the value of the penalty will be increased by 50%. If a court hearing is requested within the 28 day period, then no payment is necessary – you will be informed of the outcome of your request for a Court hearing.

Failure to pay a penalty notice within 28 days will result in the penalty being registered as a Court fine. This means that the value of the penalty will be increased by 50%. If you do not wish to pay the penalty notice, you have the option of requesting a Court hearing instead, as set out in Part B of the penalty notice.

Payment of a penalty notice within 28 days means you will not have a criminal record as a result of the offence for which the penalty notice was issued. However, a record that a penalty notice has been issued to you will be kept and will be available to police and to the courts in the event of any further offending.

No. You are not required to admit guilt for an offence to receive a penalty notice.

A penalty notice may only be issued by a police officer. Unless the notice is issued in a police station, the police officer must be in uniform.

A penalty notice may be issued in any location, provided the police officer issuing the penalty is in uniform. A penalty may be issued by a police officer out of uniform only in a police station.

A record of a penalty notice having been issued will be kept and will be available to police and to the courts in the event of any further offending.

No. The full amount stated on your penalty notice must be paid. If the full amount of the penalty notice is not paid within 28 days, it will be registered as a Court fine and increased by 50%. In this case, payment by instalment may be arranged with the Court.

A penalty notice may be withdrawn if it is found to have been issued in error, for example, for an offence for which a penalty notice cannot legally be issued. In circumstances where a penalty notice is withdrawn, the police may consider an alternative disposal for the offence committed.

The Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 requires a mandatory £5 Offender Levy to be applied to a penalty notice. The levy is used exclusively to enhance support services to all victims and witnesses of crime impacted by the actions of those that break the law.