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A TV licence summons in Ireland: An Post's prosecution and what the court does
Checked 15 Oct 2026the Road Traffic Acts, the Criminal Justice Acts and the District Court Rules as amended.
An Post prosecutes an unlicensed television set in the District Court under the Broadcasting Act 2009; the fine is up to €1,000. Buying the licence before the court date is taken into account.
Written for the person who has to go to court. This guide covers the District Court of the Republic of Ireland.
Who is prosecuting you
A TV licence summons is unusual among District Court summonses because the Garda are not involved. An Post, as the licence agent, brings the prosecution in its own name. The offence is having a television set at an address without a licence, under the Broadcasting Act 2009. An Post's inspector calls to the address, records the set, and if no licence is bought within the period on the notice they leave, applies for a summons.
The summons itself is an ordinary District Court summons, issued by the court office under the Courts (No. 3) Act 1986 and served by post or in person. It names the court, the date and the time, the address the set was found at, and the date of the inspector's visit. Everything in a court summons about reading the date, finding the courthouse and what happens on the day applies here.
Buying the licence before the date
The question people type most is whether buying the licence makes the summons go away. The honest answer is: not by itself, but it changes what the court does.
The offence is complete on the day the inspector found the set without a licence. A licence bought afterwards does not undo that. But the District Court is a court of practical outcomes, and a person who turns up with a current licence is in a very different position from one who does not. In practice An Post's solicitor and the court both take a licence bought before the date into account, and a case where the licence has been bought is often dealt with by the Probation of Offenders Act or a modest fine rather than the maximum.
So if you can buy the licence, buy it before the court date, and bring the licence or the receipt with you. An Post's own staff at the court will want to see it. The annual fee is set by the Minister and An Post publishes the current figure; this site has not verified the figure and does not state it.
What the court can do
The Broadcasting Act 2009 fixes a maximum fine of €1,000 for a first conviction, and a higher maximum for a later one. That is the ceiling, not the usual figure. The court chooses within it, and under the Fines Act 2010 it must take your financial circumstances into account before fixing the amount.
The outcomes the court can reach are:
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| Struck out | An Post does not proceed, for instance because the licence has been bought and the case is not pressed. No conviction. |
| Probation of Offenders Act, section 1(1) | The judge finds the facts proved but dismisses the charge without a conviction, sometimes on a donation to the court poor box. |
| Probation of Offenders Act, section 1(2) | A conditional discharge: a conviction is recorded, but no penalty, on a condition such as keeping a licence. |
| A fine | Up to €1,000 on a first conviction, fixed with regard to your means, with time to pay. |
If the court does fine you, it fixes a date by which the fine is due and the court office tells you how to pay. Bring evidence of your means on the day: a payslip, a social welfare statement or a note of your rent and dependants. The Fines Act 2010 obliges the judge to consider them, and the judge can only consider what is in front of the court.
There is no custody for a TV licence offence. The Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014 means a fine over €100 can be paid by instalments over up to twelve months on application to the court office, and an unpaid fine is pursued by a receiver, by attachment of earnings or by community service before anything else; no one goes to prison for a fine without a further court hearing. The fine and payment planner lays out the schedule.
The Probation Act is explained in the Probation Act, section 1(1) and 1(2), and the court's full range is in what the District Court can do.
On the day
TV licence cases are usually listed together, often dozens on one morning, and An Post's solicitor goes through them in order. When your name is called, you stand, say whether you plead guilty or not guilty, and the judge asks about the licence. If you have bought it, say so and hand it up. If you have not and cannot, say why: the court hears means, and a person on a welfare payment or with dependants is not expected to pay what a person in work would.
Most people do not have a solicitor for a TV licence summons, and legal aid is unlikely: the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 requires the charge to be serious enough, usually a real risk of imprisonment, and this offence carries none. You can still ask the judge, and /legal-aid explains the two tests.
If you cannot attend, ring the court office before the date. The court can proceed in your absence on a summons for a minor matter, and a conviction in your absence starts the fourteen-day appeal clock on that day; see missed a court date.
Pleading not guilty
The defences the court hears are narrow: there was no television set at the address capable of receiving a broadcast; the address was not yours or you were not the person responsible for it; or a licence was in force on the date of the visit. "I only watch streaming" is not a defence under the 2009 Act as it stands, which turns on possession of a set, and proposals to change the licence model have not become law; see /changes for the position.
A not guilty plea gets a hearing date, at which An Post's inspector gives evidence and you can question them and give your own. The guide to pleading guilty or not guilty covers what each plea involves.
The record
A fine for a TV licence offence is a conviction. It is recorded in the ordinary way and an employer running Garda vetting for a listed role can see it. Under the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016 it becomes spent seven years after the fine was paid, provided it is your only conviction: the Act allows one conviction to be spent, and the TV licence offence is not among the minor motoring and public order convictions that sit outside that limit. The spent conviction calculator gives the date.
A Probation Act dismissal under section 1(1) is not a conviction. A conditional discharge under section 1(2) is. If the difference matters to you, say so to the judge when the case is called; it is a reason to bring the licence.
Where this leaves you
Put the date from the summons into the court date and appeal clock, buy the licence if you can before that date, and bring it. If you may qualify for legal aid, ask the judge for it at your first appearance, though for this offence it is seldom granted; /legal-aid explains why. /solicitor explains how to find a solicitor if you want one to appear for you.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you get a court summons for a TV licence in Ireland?
The summons brings you to the District Court on the date it names, where An Post prosecutes the offence of having a television set without a licence under the Broadcasting Act 2009. The court can fine you up to €1,000, or apply the Probation of Offenders Act, and it takes into account whether you have bought a licence by the court date.
Can I just buy the TV licence before the court date?
You can, and most people do. Buying the licence does not withdraw the summons by itself, because the offence was committed on the date the inspector called, but the court takes a licence bought before the date into account and An Post may not press the case. Bring the licence, or the receipt, with you.
How much is the fine for no TV licence in Ireland?
The Broadcasting Act 2009 fixes a maximum fine of €1,000 for a first conviction, and a higher maximum for a later one. The court fixes the actual figure, bound by the Fines Act 2010 to consider your means, and can allow time to pay or instalments under the 2014 Act.
Is a TV licence conviction a criminal record?
A conviction for a TV licence offence is a conviction, recorded in the ordinary way. It is not one of the minor motoring or public order convictions the spent convictions Act leaves out of its one-conviction limit, so it counts as that one conviction and becomes spent seven years after the fine is paid. A Probation Act dismissal is not a conviction.
Do I have to go to court for a TV licence summons?
The summons orders you to attend. If you do not, the court can hear the case and convict you in your absence, and the fourteen days to appeal then run from that date. If you have bought a licence and cannot attend, ring the court office before the date; a solicitor can appear for you.