Rego, roadworthy and pink slip all mean something different depending on the state you buy or sell in. Rego is the yearly registration, a roadworthy or safety certificate is a mechanic's check that a car is safe to drive, and a pink slip is the New South Wales name for a safety inspection. This guide answers the common questions by state, lists the checks to run before you pay, and points to the road authority that has the final word.
The words, in plain English
Rego is registration: the yearly fee that lets a vehicle use public roads, with the plates and a sticker or an online record that shows it is current. In most states the fee already includes compulsory third party insurance, which covers injury to other people in a crash, and in a few states you pick a CTP insurer yourself.
A roadworthy certificate, called a safety certificate in Queensland, is a licensed inspector's statement that the car met the minimum safety standard on the day. It is not a mechanical warranty and it says nothing about the engine's future. A pink slip is the New South Wales word for its safety inspection, and a blue slip is a New South Wales inspection that checks a vehicle's identity, used for cars coming from interstate or overseas.
Comprehensive insurance is separate from all of this. Rego and CTP cover other people, not your own car, so arrange comprehensive or third party property cover before you drive away.
- Rego is the yearly registration
- CTP covers other people's injuries
- A certificate is not a warranty
Which state wants what
The table is a guide to the usual rule for a private sale, not a promise. Rules change and have exemptions, so read your state's page before you advertise or hand over cash.
Where a state has no certificate requirement for a private sale, the buyer can still book an independent inspection, and for a car that is more than a few years old it is money well spent.
| State or territory | Inspection and certificates | Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Safety inspection called a pink slip, with rules that have changed; a blue slip for identity checks on cars from interstate or overseas | Seller reports the sale at once; buyer transfers within 14 days |
| Victoria | Roadworthy certificate from the seller, issued no more than 30 days before a private sale, unless exempt | Seller reports within 14 days; buyer transfers within 14 days |
| Queensland | Safety certificate from the seller, valid 2 months or 2,000 km on a private sale, unless exempt | Buyer lodges the transfer with the certificate within 14 days |
| Western Australia | No general certificate for a private sale; an inspection can apply to vehicles from interstate or unlicensed ones | Seller notifies within 7 days; buyer transfers within 14 days |
| South Australia | No general certificate for a private sale; ask Service SA about inspections | Notice of disposal within 14 days |
| Tasmania | Certificates apply in some cases, such as unregistered vehicles; ask Transport Tasmania | Notice of disposal within 7 days |
| Northern Territory | Ask the Motor Vehicle Registry; an inspection can apply to a vehicle coming from interstate | Notice of disposal within 14 days |
| ACT | Inspection can apply to older vehicles at transfer; ask Access Canberra | Ask Access Canberra |
- Victoria and Queensland usually need a certificate
- NSW calls it a pink slip
- Check exemptions
Checks before you buy
Start with a PPSR search, the national register that shows whether money is owed on a car and whether it has been written off or reported stolen. It costs a couple of dollars online, and it is the single best protection a private buyer has. Match the vehicle identification number on the car to the one on the paperwork and on the search.
Look at the rego record, which in most states you can check online with the plate, to see that it is current and to see the expiry. Ask for the service history, check the odometer against it, and take the car for a test drive that includes a motorway stretch and a cold start. If you can, pay for an independent inspection by a mechanic who is not connected to the seller.
Remember what the law gives you. The ACCC says a licensed dealer must meet consumer guarantees and often a state warranty, and that a private seller gives no warranty or cooling-off period but must still hold clear title. Buying privately is cheaper because the buyer carries more of the risk.
- Run a PPSR search
- Match the VIN everywhere
- Dealers carry more of the risk than private sellers
Selling: what you hand over
Give the buyer a signed receipt or sale agreement with the names, the price, the date, the odometer reading and the vehicle identification number, and keep a copy. Hand over the registration papers, the service history, the keys and the certificate your state needs.
Tell the road authority about the sale straight away or within the time your state gives, through the authority's online account or form. Keep the confirmation, and cancel or move your insurance and toll account the same day. The selling guide for campervans has the steps state by state, and the same steps apply to a car.
- Receipt with date and VIN
- Notify the road authority on the day
- Move your tolls and insurance
Visitors and working holiday travellers
A visitor can buy and register a car in most states, but the authority wants proof of identity and an address, and some states want an address inside the state. A friend's or a hostel's address does not always satisfy that, so ask first.
If you are staying a year or less, a car or a campervan with several months of rego left sells more easily, because the next buyer inherits the registration. The campervan buying guide covers the visitor rules in more detail, and the licence guide explains which licence you can drive on.
- Proof of identity and an address
- Leave months of rego on the car
- Check your licence is valid
Plan the trip once you have the car in AussieCamps
AussieCamps does not list or sell cars and cannot check a car's registration or history. What it can do is help you plan a trip with the car you have bought: campgrounds, national parks and rest areas, each with the facilities and fees the agency publishes.
You can save places to a trip with ordered stops, dates, notes and route distance, which is handy for a loop that ends in the city where you plan to sell. AussieCamps runs on iPhone.
- No car listings or history checks
- Trips with stops and distances
- iPhone only
Places along the way
Check before you go
Rules and conditions change. Recheck the official source and the page for your exact park or campground before departure.
- Service NSW: submit a notice of disposal
- VicRoads: selling a vehicle
- Queensland Government: safety certificates
- Queensland Government: transfer vehicle registration
- WA Department of Transport: sell a vehicle
- SA Government: lodge a disposal notice
- Service Tasmania: dispose of a vehicle registration
- NT Government: former owner responsibilities
- PPSR: do a used car or vehicle search
- ACCC: new and second-hand cars
Common questions
What is rego in Australia?+
Rego is short for registration, the yearly permission to drive a vehicle on public roads. It is paid to the state or territory road authority, and in most states it includes compulsory third party (CTP) injury insurance, which in a few states you buy separately from an insurer.
What is a pink slip?+
A pink slip is the New South Wales name for a safety inspection of a vehicle, done at an authorised inspection station. The rules for when one is needed have changed over the years, so check Service NSW for your vehicle before you buy or sell.
What is a roadworthy certificate?+
A roadworthy certificate, or safety certificate in Queensland, is a mechanic's statement that a vehicle met the minimum safety standard on the day it was inspected. Victoria and Queensland generally need one when a private seller sells a registered vehicle, and other states have their own rules.
Do I need a roadworthy to sell my car?+
In Victoria and Queensland, usually yes for a private sale, unless an exemption applies. In other states the seller often needs no certificate, but the buyer may need an inspection to register the car. Ask your state's road authority before you advertise.
How long do I have to transfer a car into my name?+
Most states give the buyer about 14 days to transfer the registration, and the seller must tell the authority about the sale straight away or within a short window. Do both on the day of the sale, because until the transfer is done the old owner can be chased for tolls and fines.
Can a visitor buy and register a car in Australia?+
Yes in most states, but each authority wants proof of identity and an address in the state. Queensland, for example, wants a Queensland address, so check the rules of the state where you buy before you hand over any money.
Take it on the road
Save the stops. Plan the whole trip.
Build an ordered route from saved places, calculate the distance and keep dates, notes and to-dos attached.
