How to Pay Driver Civil Penalties Online

1.  Determine if you are eligible:

You can use this transaction to pay driver civil penalties. To pay a civil penalty related to a vehicle registration suspension for a lapse in automobile liability insurance, use the Insurance Civil Penalty Payment transaction.

A driver civil penalty results from a revocation of your driver license or driving privilege or from a suspension under the NYS Zero Tolerance Law for drivers under age 21. The related civil penalty must be paid before you can receive approval to apply for new driver license or driving privilege at the end of the revocation period or to end a Zero Tolerance Law suspension.

There are civil penalties for driver license revocations imposed for the following reasons:

• You refused to take an alcohol or drug chemical test.
• You operated or permitted the operation of a motor vehicle that was not covered by required automobile liability insurance.
• You were the driver of a vehicle involved in a traffic crash when the vehicle was not covered by required automobile liability insurance.
• You had a second alcohol "Zero Tolerance" finding against you as a driver under age 21.

If you have a suspension for a first alcohol "Zero Tolerance" finding against you as a driver under age 21, you must pay a civil penalty before the suspension can be terminated.

2.  Determine what you must have and what you need to know:

To pay driver civil penalties online, your web browser must permit cookies.

To pay driver civil penalties online, you must have these items or this information:

• Your client ID number from a NYS photo document or your name.
• Your date of birth and your gender.
• If your Social Security Number (SSN) was filed with the NYSDMV, the last four digits of your Social Security Number. If your Social Security Number is not on file with the NYS DMV, you can enter 9999 for the last four digits of your SSN.
• A credit card or a debit card that the DMV accepts.
• An email address that is not blocked and not protected so the DMV can send your order confirmation to you. Your email program must be able to receive email from addresses that include the domain: dmv.ny.gov.
• A pen or a pencil and a piece of paper, or a printer, to record your Confirmation Number.

When you pay driver license civil penalties online, you need to know that:

• The transaction will list all of the driver license civil penalties that you owe and the amount and reason for each civil penalty and the total amount due for all civil penalties you owe.
• Each civil penalty payment will be listed as a separate charge on your credit card statement.
• The transaction cannot be used to pay civil penalties for lapses in automobile liability insurance. Use the Insurance Civil Penalty Payment transaction.
• Your payments do not terminate the driver license or driving privilege revocations related to the civil penalties. You must request and receive approval from the DMV to apply for a new driver license or have your NYS driving privilege (out-of-state drivers) and pay required fees. You are responsible to determine that your driver license or driving privilege is valid before you drive a motor vehicle.
• If you do not pay all of your civil penalties during the transaction, you can later return to the transaction and pay additional driver civil penalties.
• You cannot cancel the transaction after you submit your payment.
• If you have a question about the online civil penalty payment transaction, read the FAQs below.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs about the Requirements and the Restrictions for this Transaction:

• What is a driver civil penalty and how much is the penalty?
• What information and documents do I need to do this transaction online?
• Can I pay more than one civil penalty online?
• Can I make a partial payment?

FAQs about Hours, Payment, and Other General Information for this Transaction:

• Is this transaction always available? What are the hours for this transaction?
• What is the cost to do this transaction online? Does the DMV charge a higher fee to do this transaction online?
• How do I pay for this online transaction?
• Does the DMV protect my credit card information and my personal information on the Internet?
• How will I know the amount that the DMV charged to my credit card?
• Why do I need a Confirmation Number?
• How will I know if the DMV processed my transaction?
• Will I receive a receipt or other proof that the DMV processed my transaction?
• Can I cancel this transaction?

FAQs about the Requirements and the Restrictions for this Transaction:

What is a driver civil penalty and how much is the penalty?

For certain types of driver license or driving privilege revocations, the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law requires payment of a civil penalty before the DMV can consider approval for you to apply for a new driver license or approval for restoration of your driving privilege. If you owe one or more driver civil penalties, you must pay all the penalties you owe before you can receive approval. Payment does not guarantee that DMV can approve you for a new driver license.

The amount of a civil penalty varies based on the reason for the revocation. The transaction will show you the reason for and the amount of each civil penalty you must pay, plus the total dollar amount of all your penalties. Each civil penalty payment will be listed as a separate charge on your credit card statement.

Can I pay more than one civil penalty online?

You can pay multiple civil penalties per transaction. You are not required to pay all of your civil penalties in one transaction, but you cannot be approved for a new driver license or restoration of your driving privilege until all the civil penalties you owe are paid. You can return to the transaction later to pay additional civil penalties.

Can I make a partial payment?

No, you cannot make a partial payment. You must pay the entire amount of each civil penalty you owe.

FAQs about Hours, Payment, and Other General Information for this Transaction

Is this transaction always available? What are the hours for this transaction?

This transaction is normally available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What is the cost to do this transaction online? Does the DMV charge a higher fee to do this transaction online?

There is no additional cost to do this transaction online. The fee you pay online is the same fee that you pay when you do this transaction by mail or at a DMV office.

The transaction page will show the amount of your payment before you complete the transaction.

NOTE:   Each civil penalty payment will be listed as a separate charge on your credit card statement.

How do I pay for this online transaction?

You must use a credit card or a debit card to pay for this transaction online. The DMV accepts these credit cards:

• American Express® Card
• Discover Card®/Novus®
• MasterCard®
• VISA® Card

You can use a debit card if the debit card was issued by MasterCard®; or VISA® and the card does not require a personal identification number (PIN).

Does the DMV protect my credit card information and my personal information on the Internet?

The DMV uses secure socket layering (SSL) to protect your information. The DMV encrypts your credit card information and your personal information so other Internet users cannot read the information. Read the DMV Privacy and Security Statement.

How will I know the amount that the DMV charged to my credit card?

When you verify the information about your civil penalty fee payment, you will see the amount that the DMV will charge to your credit card. You will see the amount before you submit your payment. If you do not submit your payment, the DMV will not charge the fee to your credit card. The amount of the payment is also displayed on the confirmation page, the confirmation email message, and your credit card statement.

NOTE:  Each civil penalty payment will be listed as a separate charge on your credit card statement.

Why do I need a Confirmation Number?
How will I know if the DMV processed my transaction?
Will I receive a receipt or other proof that the DMV processed my transaction?

You need your Confirmation Number if you contact the DMV about your online transaction. After you select the button that displays the words, "Submit My Payment," you will see a confirmation page in your browser window. The confirmation page displays your Confirmation Number and other information about your transaction.

When the confirmation page appears in your browser window, write your Confirmation Number on a piece of paper. Do not try to print or to reload the confirmation page. Some browsers can erase your transaction information from the page if you try to print or to reload this page.

The confirmation page can take several seconds to appear. If the confirmation page does not appear immediately, do not select the button to submit your payment again. If you select the button more than one time, you can receive an error message. Wait for the confirmation page to appear.

Your Confirmation Number also appears in the email confirmation message that you will receive after you submit your payment.

Can I cancel this online transaction?

No. After you select the button that displays the words "Submit My Payment", your payment is submitted. You cannot cancel this online transaction after you submit your payment.