How to Fill In the PE3 Form Correctly for the Traffic Enforcement Centre

The SDW Team · 10 July 2026 · 8 min read

If you have received a charge certificate or a county court order for a bus lane or moving traffic contravention and you were not aware of the original penalty charge notice, the PE3 form is the statutory declaration that allows you to ask the Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC) to set aside the enforcement order. Getting the form right matters enormously. An incorrectly completed PE3 will be rejected, leaving the enforcement order in place and potentially exposing you to bailiff action. This guide explains exactly how to fill in the PE3 correctly, step by step.

What the PE3 Form Actually Is

The PE3 is a statutory declaration. That means it is a formal legal statement made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. When you sign it, you are declaring to a court that the contents are true. Making a false statutory declaration is a criminal offence, so accuracy is not just procedurally important, it is a legal obligation.

The PE3 applies specifically to bus lane contraventions and moving traffic contraventions, such as box junction or banned turn penalties, that have been registered as debts at the TEC. It is not the correct form for parking penalties. If your penalty relates to a parking contravention, you need the TE7 and TE9 forms instead. Using the wrong form will result in your application being rejected.

When You Can Use a PE3

You can submit a PE3 in two main circumstances:

You did not receive the original penalty charge notice. This typically applies where the notice was sent by post and never arrived, or where the vehicle was registered to a previous keeper who did not update the DVLA record.
You did not receive the notice to owner or the charge certificate. If correspondence was sent to an old address or was lost in the post, you may have had no opportunity to appeal through the normal channels.

You must act promptly once you become aware of the enforcement order. The TEC does not have unlimited patience with delay, and an unexplained gap between discovering the order and submitting the PE3 can undermine your application.

The Witnessing Requirement: Why It Matters

This is the step that catches the most people out. Unlike the TE9 form used in parking cases, which can be completed without a third-party witness, the PE3 is a statutory declaration and must be sworn in person before an authorised independent witness. That witness must administer the oath or affirmation and sign the form to confirm they have done so.

Authorised witnesses include:

A solicitor
A Commissioner for Oaths
A Justice of the Peace (magistrate)
A notary public
Certain court officers

You cannot simply sign the PE3 at home and post it. If you do, the TEC will reject it. The witness must be present when you sign, they must confirm your identity, and they must complete their section of the form in full, including their name, address, qualification, and signature.

This requirement exists because the declaration carries legal weight equivalent to sworn evidence. The independent witness acts as a safeguard against false declarations.

How to Fill In the PE3: Section by Section

Your Personal Details

The first section asks for your full name, address, and contact details. Use the name that appears on the enforcement order or the original penalty charge notice. If there is any discrepancy between the name on the form and the name on the order, the TEC may query the application.

The Vehicle and Penalty Details

You will need to enter:

The vehicle registration number
The penalty charge notice reference number
The name of the enforcing authority, such as the local council or Transport for London
The date of the alleged contravention

All of these details appear on the charge certificate or the county court order you have received. Copy them exactly. Do not abbreviate or paraphrase.

The Grounds for Your Declaration

This is the most important section. You must state clearly which ground applies to you:

You did not receive the penalty charge notice. State that you were not aware of the penalty charge notice before the charge certificate was issued.
You did not receive the notice to owner. State that you were not aware of the notice to owner before the enforcement order was made.
You made representations that were not considered. This applies if you submitted a formal appeal that was ignored or lost.

Be concise and factual. You do not need to write an essay. A clear, honest statement of the relevant ground is sufficient. Avoid adding speculative comments or arguments about whether the original contravention was valid. The PE3 is about the process, not the underlying merits of the penalty.

The Witness Section

Leave the witness section blank until you are in front of your authorised witness. The witness must:

Watch you sign the declaration
Complete their own details in full
Sign and date the form themselves

If any part of the witness section is incomplete, the TEC will reject the form. Common errors include the witness failing to include their full address or omitting their professional qualification.

Practical Tips to Avoid Rejection

Use black ink if you are completing a paper form. Some printed versions of the PE3 specify this.
Do not use correction fluid. If you make an error, obtain a fresh form.
Keep a copy of the completed and witnessed form before you send it.
Send by tracked post so you have proof of delivery.
Include any supporting documents the TEC requests, such as proof of address at the relevant time if you are claiming non-receipt due to an address issue.
Check the deadline. Once you are aware of the enforcement order, you should act without unnecessary delay.

Finding an Authorised Witness

Many people find the witnessing requirement the most inconvenient part of the process. Solicitors and Commissioners for Oaths can witness statutory declarations, but you will usually need to book an appointment, attend in person, and pay a fee. Court offices can sometimes assist, but availability varies and waiting times can be long.

Our service offers a straightforward solution. For £49, we book an in-person witnessing appointment with an authorised independent witness, so you can have your PE3 correctly witnessed without having to search for a suitable professional yourself. This fee is charged by us for arranging and facilitating the appointment. It is not a statutory fee set by any court or government body, and the cost of witnessing can vary between providers. We do not guarantee any particular outcome from the TEC, as the decision on whether to set aside the enforcement order rests entirely with the court.

After You Submit the PE3

Once the TEC receives a correctly completed and witnessed PE3, it will consider whether to set aside the enforcement order. If the order is set aside, the case is typically referred back to the enforcing authority, which may then decide whether to pursue the penalty through the normal appeals process. This means submitting the PE3 is the beginning of resolving the matter, not necessarily the end.

If the TEC rejects your application, it will usually give reasons. You may have grounds to reapply or to seek legal advice depending on the circumstances.

Taking the Next Step

If you have received a charge certificate or enforcement order for a bus lane or moving traffic penalty and you believe the PE3 route applies to you, the most important thing is to act quickly. Gather the documents you have received, identify the correct grounds for your declaration, and arrange your witnessing appointment. If you would like help booking an authorised witness for your PE3 without the hassle of finding one yourself, our service is designed to make that part of the process straightforward.