Policy

ATTENTION:
Please refer to COVID-19 Emergency Interim Policies which provides details for temporary exceptions to this policy.

A registry agent must:

• Provide at no charge a MOVES screen print to a client requesting a print of their own fine information.
• Process payments for current/overdue fines; see 1.10.04 Payment Processing for acceptable forms of payment.
  • A registry agent must not accept a cheque for payment of overdue fines.
• Complete a fine override authorization service when applicable, see Fine Override Authorization section below in this policy for details.

When processing payments for any type of current / overdue fine (Traffic Violation Notices and Notice of Administrative Penalties), a registry agent must ensure that no other MOVES service is processed in the same payment transaction envelope as the fine payment(s).

Current Fines

A registry agent must not process partial payments of current Traffic Violation Notices and Notice of Administrative Penalties.

Traffic Violation Notices (Violation Tickets)

MOVES is used to process and collect the fine payment for tickets labelled "Violation Ticket" or "Notice of Conviction" on behalf of Justice.

For Notices of Administrative Penalty, including Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS); see section “Notices of Administrative Penalty (Immediate Roadside Sanctions)” below.

When paying a current violation ticket or notice of conviction fine, a client must present one of the following documents:

• Original yellow copy of the ticket.
• An original printed electronic ticket (printed roadside by traffic enforcement off of a portable terminal).
• A current Notice of Conviction. 
• An Offence Notice.
  • Ensure the violation ticket is labeled Offence Notice at the top of the form and Part 3 in the lower right hand corner. 

A registry agent must:

• Examine the ticket to ensure the appearance date is not in the past.
  • If the appearance date is in the past, check MOVES to determine if the fine is overdue. 
• Process the ticket payment on MOVES under the MVID of the person who has attended a registry office to pay the ticket.
  • A registry agent may accept payment from someone other than the person named as the accused on the ticket. As the payment must be processed under the MVID of the person who has attended the registry office to pay the fine, the payment must not be processed under a joint or organization MVID.
    • If the payer does not have an MVID, a registry agent must process the service under their office MVID.
  • The ticket number must be electronically scanned into Current Fines when the clerk has access to a hand held bar code scanner and when the photo enforcement ticket has a scannable ticket number.
• Enter the required information into the Current Fines service option.
• Print the MOVES TX receipt on a blank piece of paper, attach it to the original ticket and retain for one year; see QR 1.1 Records Retention and Disposal Chart.
• Provide the client with a receipt that contains the ticket number.

Notice of Administrative Penalty (Immediate Roadside Sanctions)

A Notice of Administrative Penalty payment (for a penalty which is not overdue) is paid using the SafeRoads (APIS) application.

Tickets beginning with the prefix C, D or F will always be paid using MOVES and APIS. IRS suspensions may have a ticket number starting with an “A”. These are also paid through the MOVES/APIS process.

When paying a Notice of Administrative Penalty current fine, a client must present the original copy of the Administrative Penalty Notice. If the original copy is not available, the client will have to pay the fine directly online through www.saferoads.com.

The service is processed by accessing MOVES and selecting SafeRoads/APIS Payments service. MOVES will redirect the clerk to APIS to process the service.

A registry agent must:

• Confirm the contravention number and the recipient's name.
• In APIS determine:  
  • if there is a pending review. If a review is pending, the client must be advised:
    • The review will be cancelled automatically upon payment of the fine.
    • Review fees are non-refundable when canceled at the request of the client.
    • The contravention is confirmed, meaning the driver or recipient is accepting the Notice of Administrative Penalty and the contravention will remain on the driver’s record and abstract.
  •  if the due date is in the past.
    • If the due date is in the past, see Overdue Fines section below to process payment.
• After processing the service in MOVES/APIS, print the MOVES TX receipt on a blank piece of paper, attach it to the photocopy of the notice and retain for one year; see QR 1.1 Records Retention and Disposal Chart.
• Print two copies of the transaction confirmation. One copy is for the client, the other must be retained by the registry agent for one year; see QR 1.1 Records Retention and Disposal Chart.

Returned Cheque For Current Fine Payments

Justice will reimburse the registry agent for the fine amount (less service charges) when a current fine payment of a Violation Ticket or Notice of Administrative Penalty has been returned from a financial institution. 

• Collection of service fees or bank charges is the responsibility of the registry agent.
  • Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction will not reimburse the registry agent for the service charge.
  • A registry agent can place an alert on MOVES to assist in the collection of their service charges only.

For Traffic Violation Tickets:

The registry agent must, within 24 hours of receiving notification of the returned cheque(s) fax the following information to the Base Court that holds the original ticket:

• Office name and P#.
• Complete address.
• Contact individual and telephone number.
• Amount of fine payment (excluding agent service charge).
• Date payment was originally made.
• Ticket number.
• The accused (client) name from the Offence Notice.
• A copy of the Part 3 Offence Notice.

Note:
The Base Court may be different from the Appearance Court indicated on the Offence Notice.

The court receiving the fax will:

• Pull the file to verify the information.
• Issue a reimbursement cheque within two weeks for the fine payment amount (excluding the agent service charge).
• Reactivate the ticket.

For Notices of Administrative Penalty:

The registry agent must, within 24 hours of receiving notification of the returned cheque(s), email the following information to APIS Support:

• Office name and P#.
• Amount of fine payment (excluding agent service charge).
• Date payment was originally made.
• Contravention number.
• The recipient's name from the Notice of Administrative Penalty.
• A copy of the Notice of Administrative Penalty.

The file will be reviewed and a reimbursement cheque will be issued for the fine payment amount (excluding the agent service charge).

Daily Balancing of Penalties

Notice of Administrative Penalties (APIS)

Balancing screens are accessible from the “Daily Balance Report” link in SafeRoads (APIS); see SafeRoads APIS System Guide.

Overdue Fines

For overdue fines that restrict motor vehicle services, see 1.10.07 Restriction of Motor Vehicle Services.

When additional information regarding an overdue fine violation is required:

• For violation tickets, the client must contact the court displayed on the MOVES fine display screen.
• For Notices of Administrative Penalty related to an Immediate Roadside Sanction, the client must go to the SafeRoads Alberta website as instructed on the Notice.

Fine Override Authorization

A registry agent must complete a fine override authorization service for the following:

• Processing an Identification (ID) card service.
• Processing a parking placard or disabled plate service.
• Processing a Driver's Medical Credit service for a senior.
• Processing a duplicate service when a client has not received their permanent driver’s licence/ID card in the mail within 30 days.
• When a client produces one of the following documents:
  • A payment receipt(s) issued by Justice, an eServices printed or electronic receipt, or a SafeRoads printed or electronic receipt.
  • The case number(s)/contravention number(s) must match the case number(s) on MOVES and must be dated within the last five days.
    A registry agent must:
    • Enter the reason for the override as 'other'.
    • Record 'courthouse', 'eservices' or ’saferoads’ in the comment field, depending on the receipt the client presents.
    • Record the order or confirmation number from the receipt.
  • A current Fine Order Issued from Justice, Court Services with a future fine due date.
  • A copy of processed Time to Pay request in APIS.
  • A police report indicating the vehicle was stolen prior to the offence date on the ticket.
    • Client must contact Justice, Court Services to have the fine quashed or overturned.
  • A Fine Stayed Order pending appeal.

Note:
Approval from Registries Assurance is not required for the above fine overrides.

Audit

A registry agent must maintain for audit purposes the following documents for a one year retention period for current violation ticket payments:

• Original yellow copy of the violation ticket (if applicable).
• An original printed electronic violation ticket (printed roadside by traffic enforcement off of a portable terminal) (if applicable).
• A current Notice of Conviction (if applicable). 
• An Offence Notice (if applicable).
• MOVES TX receipt printed on a blank piece of paper.

A registry agent must maintain for audit purposes the following documents for a one year retention period for current Notice of Administrative Penalty payments:

• Photocopy of the Notice of Administrative Penalty.
• MOVES TX receipt printed on a blank piece of paper.
• APIS transaction confirmation.

Imaging

All supporting documents must be sent for imaging; see 1.15 Imaging.

Service Charge

A registry agent may charge a service charge for each fine payment; see Registry Agent Product Catalogue (pdf).

Date Originally Issued: Apr 17, 2001
Date Last Revised: Aug 11, 2025