In Western Australia, demerit points are managed by the Department of Transport. On a full licence you’re suspended once you reach 12 points; learners and provisional drivers have much lower limits. Points last three years from the offence date. Here’s how the limit, the suspension periods and the good behaviour option work, and how you get your licence and points back.
Demerit points expire three years after the date of the offence, unless you reach your limit within a three-year period first, which triggers an Excessive Demerit Points Notice.
Your limit before a suspension depends on your licence type:
| Licence type | Limit before suspension |
|---|---|
| Full licence | 12 points |
| Provisional licence, second year | 8 points |
| Learner and provisional first year | 4 points |
WA doesn’t use the P1/P2 labels. You hold a single provisional (P plate) licence for two years, and your demerit limit steps up from 4 points to 8 after the first year.
Once you reach your limit, the Department of Transport suspends your licence. For a full licence the time off the road steps up with the number of points:
| Points | Off the road for |
|---|---|
| 12–15 points | 3 months |
| 16–19 points | 4 months |
| 20 or more points | 5 months |
The disqualification starts 28 days after your Excessive Demerit Points Notice. Novice drivers get a flat 3 months, and their licence is cancelled rather than suspended.
Full licence holders can elect a 12-month good behaviour period, WA calls it "Double or Nothing", within 21 days of being served the notice. Keep to no more than 1 point for the year and you avoid the suspension; incur 2 or more and you’re disqualified for double the original period. Novice drivers aren’t eligible.
At the end of the disqualification your demerit points go back to zero. If your licence is still current you can drive again without a test; if it was cancelled, as novice licences are, you have to re-apply for a new one. There’s no extraordinary ("hardship") licence available for a demerit-points disqualification.
WA uses a graduated novice limit: 4 points from your learner’s permit through the first year of P plates, then 8 in the second year, before the full 12-point limit applies once you’ve held a licence two years. Novice licences are cancelled on disqualification, so you re-apply afterwards, and novices can’t take the good behaviour period.
These limits and suspensions are about your licence, but the points themselves come from a fine, so there is a separate path worth remembering. You can request a review of the underlying fine through the issuing authority, and if the fine is withdrawn the demerit points that came with it are removed too, which can stop you reaching your limit in the first place. Fight My Fine helps you draft that review letter.
Official sources: Department of Transport WA · WA driving offences & novice drivers · Legal Aid WA.
On a full licence, 12 points. Learners and provisional drivers reach their limit much sooner (4, then 8).
They generally stay on your record for three years, from the date of the offence.
Learners and provisional drivers have a much lower limit (4, then 8), so a single serious offence can be enough to lose the licence.
Yes, at the end of the disqualification your points go back to zero.
If the fine that added the points looks wrong, Fight My Fine helps you draft a review or leniency letter, structured around what the reviewing officer looks for. You get a free case-strength check first, and if your grounds are weak we tell you before you pay. Flat price: $10 for parking and toll fines, $15 for all other fines.
Fight My Fine is a self-help tool, not a law firm, and this page is general information, not legal advice. You are the author and sender of every letter. The issuing authority makes the final decision on any review. For serious matters or court, speak with a qualified lawyer or a free service such as LawAccess NSW.