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Charged with a traffic or regulatory offence
In this section:
- What are traffic and regulatory offences
- Attend Night Court or Traffic Court
- When you can plead guilty by letter
Attend Night Court or Traffic Court
Depending on the severity of your offences, you may have to attend the Night Court or Traffic Court.
At the Night Court or Traffic Court, you will be:
- Formally charged for the alleged offences you have committed.
- Given the opportunity to plead guilty or to claim trial.
When you have to attend court
The date, time and the location of the court you must attend is stated in the traffic ticket notice (1), notice (2) or summons (3) issued to you.
Depending on your case, you may have to attend court more than once. If you are required to attend further court hearings, you will receive a new mention slip with the date, time and venue of your next hearing, at the end of any court proceeding you attend.
Tip
Keep your mention slip and take note of your court dates. If you cannot remember when your next court date is, you can log on to the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) to access your case file.
Attendance is compulsory
A Warrant of Arrest may be issued against you if you do not attend court. If you have valid reasons why you cannot attend court on the date and time stated, you should apply to change your court date via ICMS or in writing.
If you do not attend court while on bail (also known as jumping bail), your bailor will have to explain to the court whether they took reasonable steps to carry out their bailor duties. If the court finds that the bailor was in breach of duty, the money or property pledged as security may be forfeited.
If you are ill on the day of your court hearing, you will need to provide an original medical certificate (MC) that excuses you from attending court.
The court will only accept your MC if it is completely and properly filled in with all of the following:
- The name of the medical practitioner who issued the certificate.
- The name of the hospital or clinic at which the medical practitioner practises.
- The signature of the medical practitioner in full (must not be merely initialled).
- A rubber stamp authentication showing the medical practitioner's full name and designation in the hospital or clinic.
- A statement which specifically indicates you are medically unfit to attend court.
- Your full name and the dates on which you are unfit to attend court.
If you are out on bail, you should arrange for your bailor to submit the MC to court on the day of your court hearing. Other supporting documents such as a medical report, doctor’s or hospital memo may also be submitted.
You will need to present a valid letter of authorisation (4) if you are attending court on behalf of:
- A body corporate
- A partnership
- A limited liability partnership
- An unincorporated association
Find out how to prepare a letter of authorisation.
You must bring the letter of authorisation along to every court hearing. This is because the court needs to be certain that the person appearing in court is duly authorised and appointed by the organisation that they are representing.
Note
You cannot attend court on behalf of a person from your organisation if they are being charged as an individual.
For example, if the Managing Director of your company is the accused, they have to attend court personally to face the charge. You cannot attend court as their proxy.
Arriving in court
The procedure of a court hearing at the Night Court or Traffic Court is similar to a hearing at the Criminal Mentions Court. Refer to the following to find out:
- The documents you should bring.
- The court etiquette to observe.
- The court processes and procedures to expect.
- The orders the judge may make.
Tip
If you are scheduled to attend Night Court, you will need to first register at the kiosk outside the Night Courts with your identity card (NRIC), work permit, passport or other official identification document that has your photo and personal particulars (photo ID) before entering.
If you have lost your NRIC, work permit or passport and do not have any other photo ID, you can bring documents which support your reasons for not having a photo ID.
For example, you should bring along a police report as evidence of the loss of your NRIC. Alternatively, you can also show correspondence with the relevant agencies such as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) as evidence of your attempts at obtaining a replacement NRIC or passport.
Need help?
The information here is for general guidance as the courts do not provide legal advice. If you need further help, you may want to get independent legal advice.
Find out more
Go to Step-by-step guide
Step-by-step guide
Check bailor's eligibility and requirements
Post bail at the Bail Centre
Receive a refund of bail
2021/07/23
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