Hospitalised Driver Charged $650 After Missing Scheduled Licence Renewal Appointment

A Trinidad and Tobago motorist is questioning the application of the country’s $650 late driver’s licence renewal fee after she says a medical emergency prevented her from attending an appointment scheduled before her licence expired. Documents provided to TG News support key parts of her account. The motorist had an appointment at the San Fernando Licensing Office for September 4, 2026, two days before her driver’s licence was due to expire on September 6. She said she was taken to hospital by ambulance on September 3 after suddenly becoming ill and was subsequently admitted. A discharge document reviewed by TG News records her hospital admission as September 4 and her discharge as September 7. Her licence expired on Sunday, September 6, while she was still in hospital. Despite saying she was still recovering, the woman went to the San Fernando Licensing Office on September 8, the day after her discharge, and attempted to renew her licence. She said she explained what had happened to an officer and presented her hospital discharge paperwork as evidence that she had been medically unable to attend the September 4 appointment. However, she said her request to have the late fee waived was denied. According to the woman, she was told that her circumstances did not qualify her for an exemption. A receipt provided to TG News and dated September 8 shows a $650 charge described as a penalty for late renewal of a driving permit six months or less, in addition to the normal five-year renewal fee. The woman believes documented hospitalisation should be considered when determining whether a motorist should face a late penalty, particularly when an appointment had already been booked before the permit expired. “I personally think that in my situation I should have gotten an exemption because I had legitimate documentation,” she told TG News. The case raises a broader question about whether the Licensing Division’s late-renewal policy should provide discretion for circumstances beyond a motorist’s control, including emergency hospitalisation. The motorist asked that TG News not publish her name.