Charged with a traffic or regulatory offence

Common traffic offences include (but are not limited to) speeding, illegal parking or reckless driving. If you have committed a traffic offence, you will be issued a traffic ticket notice or notice from a prosecuting agency such as the:

• Traffic Police
• Land Transport Authority (LTA)
• Housing and Development Board (HDB)
• Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)

Common regulatory offences include (but are not limited to) smoking in prohibited areas or camping without a permit.

If you have committed a regulatory offence, you will be issued a notice ⁽¹⁾ from a prosecuting agency such as the:

• National Environment Agency (NEA)
• National Parks Board (NParks)
• Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS)
• Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board

A traffic offence is considered minor if there is an offer of composition stated on the notice ⁽¹⁾ or traffic ticket notice ⁽²⁾ you receive. This is the sum of money you will have to pay to settle the ticket or notice without going to court.

View a sample of a traffic offence notice.

You can pay the amount stated by NETS or credit card at AXS kiosks located island-wide, on the AXS website or through the AXS app. This action of paying the offer of composition is also known as compounding an offence.

Find out how to pay your offer of composition.

A regulatory offence is considered minor if there is an offer of composition stated on the notice you receive. This is the sum of money you will have to pay to settle the ticket or notice without going to court.

You can pay the amount stated by NETS or credit card at AXS kiosks located island-wide, on the AXS website or through the AXS app. This action of paying the offer of composition is also known as compounding an offence.

Find out how to pay your offer of composition.

If you have committed a traffic or regulatory offence and there is no offer of composition on your notice ⁽²⁾ or summons ⁽⁵⁾, you are required to attend Night Court or Traffic Court. The same notice or summons will state the date, time and the location of the court you are required to attend.

Refer to Chapter 3: Mentions Court of the Guidebook for Accused in Person (PDF, 385 KB)

Refer to I have a Town Council Case (PDF, 829 KB)

You should compound your offence before the expiry date of your offer of composition. If you fail to do this, you will have to attend Night Court on the time and date stated on the same traffic ticket or notice to answer the charges against you.

If you are convicted in court, the fine imposed will generally be higher than the amount offered for composition. The court may potentially also impose some other punishments. It is therefore in your interest to:

• Check with the prosecuting agency from which you received the notice for more information about your offences and the offer of composition.
• Compound your offence early.

This must be done through the Automated Traffic Offence Management System (ATOMS) at an AXS kiosk by 5pm on the court date stated in your ticket or notice.

Composition is offered by the prosecuting agencies, subject to their discretion. Some reasons why you are not offered composition may include:

• The facts of your case are more serious than the facts of your friend's case.
• You have previously compounded or been convicted of a similar offence.
• You have previously been offered composition for this case but you did not act on it and the offer of composition has since lapsed or been withdrawn.

You may wish to contact the prosecuting agency for further information.

This could be due to:

• Composition not being offered for the case.
• Composition offered for the case has expired or has been withdrawn.
• Composition cannot be made via the AXS system, but only at the prosecuting agency’s office.
  • You may wish to contact the prosecuting agency for further information.

You may wish to approach the relevant prosecuting agency to seek permission to pay the composition sum in instalments.

It is up to the prosecuting agency to decide whether this will be allowed.

• The preferred mode of submitting your representations.
• The postal or email address your representations should be sent to (where applicable).
• Whom the representations should be addressed to (where applicable).

You may then include your reasons or circumstances with supporting documents (if any) in your representations. Bring a copy of your representations along on the day of your court hearing, together with the acknowledgement (if any) by the prosecuting agency of its receipt of the representations.