Applying for exemptions to provisional licence restrictions
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Certain restrictions apply when you drive using a P1 or P2 licence. These restrictions also apply if you are driving on a probationary P1 or P2 licence after completing a suspension.
You may apply for an exemption for the following restrictions if eligible:
- High-powered vehicle restriction
- Late night driving restriction
Lodging an application for an exemption does not guarantee the exemption will be granted. Before lodging your application, please ensure you have considered the eligibility criteria and have provided the required documentation.
High-powered Vehicle Exemptions
There are two types of high-powered vehicle exemptions that you can apply for –
We will carefully consider both your safety and the safety of others on the road before granting you an exemption to drive a high-powered vehicle.
Your application will be assessed against legislative criteria based on the information and supporting documents you provide. Your application will not be approved just because it would be convenient or beneficial for you to drive a high-powered vehicle – it must be a ‘need’, as opposed to a ‘want’. To make a fair assessment, supporting evidence as outlined below is required. Should additional information be required, the assessment team may contact you or the supporting person(s) listed in your application so please be sure to provide accurate contact information.
If you are under the age of 25 and hold a P1 or P2 licence, it is a good idea to check before you purchase a vehicle whether it is high-powered. You can do this by reviewing the definition of a high-powered vehicle and assessing the vehicle’s specifications. The purchase of a high-powered vehicle is not in itself a reason to grant an exemption. If granted, you will be given a certificate which you must always carry while driving the high-powered vehicle.
Individual exemptions
For an individual exemption, there are three grounds under which you can apply:
- personal circumstance
- vehicle ownership
- moderately powered vehicle
Each situation has a set of eligibility requirements that must be met for an exemption to be granted.
Personal circumstance grounds
You may be eligible to get a high-powered vehicle exemption if you can prove you need to drive a high-powered vehicle either:
- to or from your place of employment
- as part of your employment
- to or from the education institution you attend
- to get medical treatment for yourself or a family member.
In addition, you must prove that:
- there is no other transport reasonably available to you
- refusal to issue you a certificate of exemption will cause severe hardship to you or your family because you have special responsibilities.
What we mean by severe hardship
Severe hardship is more than inconvenience. You must show that refusing the exemption would have a significant impact on you or your family because of your special responsibilities.
Example of severe hardship to applicant:
- you are living independently due to family circumstances and require transport to and from employment to financially support yourself.
Examples of severe hardship to applicant’s family because applicant has special responsibilities:
- you are the main financial provider in your family and are responsible for paying bills such as rent and electricity and buying food.
Example of what is not considered severe hardship:
- your parents work full time and require your assistance to take siblings to and from school and work
Other transport options you must consider before applying include:
- Public transport
- Community transport services
- Active transport (walking, cycling)
- Taxis and rideshare services
- Travelling with family members, friends or workmates.
Your traffic history will also be taken into consideration.
Proof you need to provide
- You must provide a signed letter on official letterhead from a doctor, employer, or person in charge of your educational institution explaining your need to drive a high-powered vehicle.
- You must demonstrate that there is no other transport reasonably available. Please note, if there is another vehicle being used by a member of the household who is eligible to drive a high-powered vehicle, you might consider swapping vehicles.
- You must also demonstrate that not having a high-powered vehicle exemption would cause severe hardship for you or to your family because you have taken on a role of special responsibility in relation to your family. It’s a good idea to include things like bank account statements and rental receipts to support your application.
Vehicle ownership grounds
You may be eligible to get a high-powered vehicle exemption if you can prove the only car reasonably available to you is a high-powered vehicle that:
- if manufactured on or after 1 January 2010—was owned by you on 1 January 2014 and you still own it
- if manufactured before 1 January 2010—was owned by you on 30 June 2007 and you still own it
- is owned or leased by an immediate family member
- is in the possession of an immediate family member under an employment or salary package.
In addition, you must prove that:
- there is no other transport reasonably available to you
- refusal to issue you a certificate of exemption will cause severe hardship to you or your family because you have special responsibilities.
What we mean by severe hardship
Severe hardship is more than inconvenience. You must show that refusing the exemption would have a significant impact on you or your family because of your special responsibilities.
Example of severe hardship to applicant:
- you are living independently due to family circumstances and require transport to and from employment to financially support yourself.
Examples of severe hardship to applicant’s family because applicant has special responsibilities:
- you are the main financial provider in your family and are responsible for paying bills such as rent and electricity and buying food.
Example of what is not considered severe hardship:
- your parents work full time and require your assistance to take siblings to and from school and work
Other transport options you must consider before applying include:
- Public transport
- Community transport services
- Active transport (walking, cycling)
- Taxis and rideshare services
- Travelling with family members, friends or workmates.
Proof you need to provide
- You must provide a signed statement from your immediate family member that confirms your circumstances and details the days and times and why you need to drive a high-powered vehicle.
- Your application must be supported by either:
- evidence you owned the car on the stated date and still own it; or
- evidence your immediate family member owns, leases or possesses the car under an employment or salary package.
- You must demonstrate that there is no other transport reasonably available. Please note, if there is another vehicle being used by a member of the household who is eligible to drive a high-powered vehicle, you might consider swapping vehicles.
- You must also demonstrate that not having a high-powered vehicle exemption would cause severe hardship for you or your family because you have taken on a role of special responsibility in relation to your family. It’s a good idea to include things like bank account statements, supporting letters from medical practitioners, and/or rental receipts to support your application.
Your traffic history will also be taken into consideration.
Moderately powered vehicle grounds
You may be eligible to get a high-powered vehicle exemption if you can prove the car you wish to drive was manufactured before 1 January 2010 and has:
- a turbocharged or supercharged engine that is not diesel powered
- a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 125kW/t
- no other features of a high-powered vehicle as outlined previously.
You can calculate the power-to-weight ratio of a car by dividing its maximum engine power in kilowatts by the kerb weight and multiplying the result by 1,000. For example, a vehicle with a maximum engine power of 195kW and a kerb weight of 1,667kg would have a power-to-weight ratio of 117kW/t.
Proof you need to provide
Your application must be supported by documentation detailing your vehicle’s specifications. Acceptable forms of supporting documents are either:
- a copy of a document published by the manufacturer of the high-powered vehicle showing the specification information for the vehicle verifying the vehicle’s kerb weight (the weight of an empty vehicle with a full tank of fuel, without any accessories), maximum engine power of the calculated ‘power-to-weight ratio’; or
- a specification information test report issued by an automative service provider (this must include: the name and address of the organisation(s) that conducted the test(s); the date of the test(s); details about the measuring system used to conduct the test; and the vehicle’s kerb weight and maximum engine power);
You must also provide:
- the vehicle make, model, year of manufacture, VIN/chassis number and engine number.
Unacceptable forms of supporting documents
- As maximum engine power is required to assess your application, results from a roller dynamometer/chassis dynamometer (which test the power after it has been dispersed to the axle) will not be accepted.
- As weighbridge results can be tampered with, a weighbridge report is insufficient documentation to demonstrate the weight of a vehicle.
- As owners’ manuals are not specific to an exact vehicle, these are not acceptable forms of supporting documents.
- Dealership information is not sufficient documentation – it must be a document published by the manufacturer.
Apply in person
You will need to:
- complete a high powered vehicle restriction exemption application (individual) (F4467) and provide the required supporting documents
- bring your application to a transport and motoring customer service centre
- pay the exemption application fee
Apply by mail
You can send your exemption application form and fee (cheque or money order payable to the Department of Transport and Main Roads) to:
Department of Transport and Main Roads
CPU (Exemptions)
PO Box 272
LOGAN CENTRAL QLD 4114
Business exemptions
Businesses that employ P1 and P2 licence holders under 25 years old may be eligible to apply for a business certificate of exemption to allow their employees to drive high-powered vehicles when they are at work.
A business can apply if they can prove that:
- driving high-powered vehicles is necessary to the operation of your business, for example, your business services high-powered vehicles
- your employees are required to drive high-powered vehicles as part of their duties
- driving high-powered vehicles is an essential part of the tasks your employees are required to perform and the tasks cannot be undertaken in a vehicle that is not a high-powered vehicle.
Apply in person
To apply, a business representative will need to:
- complete a high powered vehicle restriction exemption application (business) (F5158)
- bring your application to a transport and motoring customer service centre
- pay the exemption application fee
Note: when filling out the high-powered vehicle restriction exemption application (business) (F5158), you will need to provide the full name(s) and Customer Reference Numbers (CRNs) of any employees to whom the exemption would apply.
Apply by mail
You can send the application form and fee (cheque or money order made out to the Department of Transport and Main Road) to:
Department of Transport and Main Roads
CPU (Exemptions)
PO Box 272
LOGAN CENTRAL QLD 4114
What happens next?
We will assess your application and let you know in writing what we’ve decided.
Should the application for the business certificate of exemption be granted, any employees to whom the exemption applies must:
- carry a copy of the certificate at all times while driving the high-powered vehicle;
- only drive the high-powered vehicle to carry out a duty for the named business;
- drive the high-powered vehicle in accordance with the certificate; and
- hold a valid Queensland driver licence.
Late night driving restriction exemptions
You can apply for an exemption from the late night driving restriction if you can prove that both of the following circumstances apply to you:
- You need to drive for a purpose
You must need to drive late at night:- to or from your place of employment
- as part of your employment.
- Refusal of an exemption will cause severe hardship
You must prove that you or your family will suffer severe hardship if an exemption is refused.
This means severe hardship suffered by you, or your family, because you have taken on a role of special responsibility for your family, like providing financial support.
Some examples of this special responsibility include:
- You will lose your job if you can’t drive to work between 11pm and 5am and you provide financial support to your family.
- You are a shift worker and your job requires you to drive between 11pm and 5am and you need to work to provide financial support to your family.
Your employer must support your application.
We will tell you the result of your application in writing within 28 working days of you submitting your application.
Apply online
You will need to:
Apply in person
You will need to:
- complete a late night driving exemption application (F4468)
- bring your application to a transport and motoring customer service centre
- pay the exemption application fee.
Apply by mail
You can send your exemption application form and fee (cheque or money order payable to the Department of Transport and Main Roads) to:
Department of Transport and Main Roads
CPU (Exemptions)
PO Box 272
LOGAN CENTRAL QLD 4114