Legislation.govt.nz blocks automated access, so we read the Crimes Act 1961 in the reprint as at 11 May 2014 and the Land Transport Act 1998 in the reprint as at 1 December 2020. The sections quoted below were in force in those versions. Amendments since may have changed them, so read the current text on legislation.govt.nz before relying on any figure. Every number here is a maximum, not what courts typically impose, and this is information, not legal advice.
What counts as a false document
Section 255 defines a false document as one where all or a material part purports to be made by a person who did not make it, or by a fictitious person, or by someone who did not authorise it; or that has been altered so it purports to have been altered by someone who did not alter it; or that is a reproduction purporting to be made by someone who did not make it; or that is made in a person’s name with the intention that it pass as made by someone else. A card made to look like an NZTA licence fits that definition.
The offences, section by section
| Section | Conduct | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Crimes Act 256(1) | Making a false document with intent to use it to obtain property, a privilege, a service, a pecuniary advantage, a benefit or valuable consideration | 10 years’ imprisonment |
| Crimes Act 256(2) | Making a false document, knowing it is false, intending it be used or acted on as genuine, in New Zealand or elsewhere | 3 years’ imprisonment |
| Crimes Act 257(1) | Knowing a document is forged: using it to obtain a benefit; using, dealing with or acting on it as if genuine; or causing another to do so | 10 years’ imprisonment |
| Crimes Act 257(2) | A document made or altered outside New Zealand in a way that would be forgery here is treated as forged | Applies to s 257(1) |
| Crimes Act 258(1) | With intent to obtain something by deception or cause loss, altering, concealing or destroying a document, or making a reproduction of one | 10 years’ imprisonment |
| Crimes Act 259(1) | Knowing a document was altered or reproduced in that way, using or acting on it with intent to obtain by deception or cause loss | 10 years’ imprisonment |
| Crimes Act 240 and 241 | Obtaining or causing loss by deception, for example by taking a fee for a licence that is never delivered | 7 years where the value or loss exceeds $1,000; 1 year over $500 up to $1,000; 3 months up to $500 |
| Land Transport Act 44 | Knowingly giving false or misleading information when the Act requires information, or in a statutory declaration | Fine of up to $10,000 |
| Land Transport Act 31 | Driving without an appropriate licence or contrary to conditions, expired licence, failing to produce | Fine of up to $1,000 |
| Land Transport Act 32 | Driving while disqualified, suspended or revoked, or contrary to a special licence | First or second offence: 3 months or $4,500, plus 6 months’ disqualification at least. Third or later: 2 years or $6,000, plus at least 1 year |
What this means for the people involved
- Sellers who take payment for a licence they cannot deliver fall within sections 240 and 241. Those who make a card fall within section 256.
- Buyers who use a forged licence to show they can drive, hire a car or get a job risk section 257. Whether a given person is charged, and with what, depends on the facts.
- People who give NZTA false documents, for example in an overseas conversion, risk section 44. NZTA’s July 2026 factsheet repeats the $10,000 figure and says it could revoke the New Zealand licence.
Press reports on the 2025 conversion fraud quoted a fine of up to $750 for false information in an application. That is different from the section 44 maximum on conviction; we have shown both so you can see where each comes from.
Passports and other documents
A DIA statement, undated on the page we read, records the conviction of a person who acted as a false witness of identity on a passport application, under the Passports Act, and the jailing of a co-offender for 15 months. It states that DIA refers detected passport fraud to Police for prosecution. We have not read the Passports Act, so we state no maximum for it.
Real examples
- The 2009 Auckland case of forged age-proof licences, where the maker was charged with forgery and police cautioned some cooperating buyers: see fake driver licences.
- The 2025 audit that led NZTA to revoke 440 licences: see conversion fraud.
- The 2018 case in which licensing staff were charged: see bribery at driving tests.
Where to get legal advice
If you have a document you now think is false, or NZTA or the Police have contacted you, speak to a lawyer or a community law centre before you reply. If you are a victim of a seller, see I paid a scammer.
Common questions
What is the penalty for forging a document in NZ?
Under section 256(1) of the Crimes Act 1961, up to 10 years’ imprisonment for making a false document to obtain a benefit, as a maximum. Section 256(2) is up to 3 years where the maker knows it is false and intends it to be used as genuine.
What is the penalty for using a forged document in NZ?
Section 257(1) provides up to 10 years’ imprisonment for using a document knowing it to be forged. Real outcomes depend on the facts and are usually lower than the maximum.
What is the penalty for lying to NZTA?
Section 44 of the Land Transport Act 1998 sets a fine of up to $10,000 on conviction for knowingly giving false or misleading information when required.
Is a fake driver licence from overseas covered?
Section 257(2) treats a document made or altered outside New Zealand as forged if it would amount to forgery had it been done in New Zealand.
Where can I read the current text?
On legislation.govt.nz. We read reprints from 2014 (Crimes Act) and 2020 (Land Transport Act), so check the current versions.