6 July 2012

What happens if you don't transfer interstate rego?

| longshanks
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Hey all – quick query for the hive mind…

We’re thinking about buying a car up in Sydney, which has 9 months NSW rego left. Now, as I understand it (never having bought a car interstate before) when you transfer rego to the ACT you can apply to the NSW RTA for a refund of the unused NSW rego.

Now if you fail to transfer interstate rego within 14 days you pay a $90 fine – but given that ACT rego is so damn expensive ($970 for this car, compared to about $470 in NSW), I would still end up a couple of hundred dollars ahead if I let the NSW rego expire before registering the car in the ACT.

I’m thinking it’s probably not worth the effort, but I’d be interested to know if there are any additional penalties for failing to transfer interstate rego, beyond a $90 late fee?

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screaming banshee said :

rosscoact said :

I moved to NSW from Queensand for work. My license ran out so I got a NSW license but continued to ride a Qld registered motorcycle.
Pulled over by cops, fined for unregistered and uninsured vehicle because it wasn’t registered in the state where my licence was held and I could not prove that I bought it less than two weeks before the offends. $100 fine for each offense 30 years ago, I believe it’s closer to $1000 for each offence now.

Did the whole thing start with “you ain’t from around here, are’ya boy?”

:-))

Elizabethany10:22 am 08 Jul 12

screaming banshee said :

Elizabethany said :

From the ACT rego page: If you acquire, or become the operator of, an interstate vehicle, you must establish the vehicle registration in the ACT within one month of the purchase date. An establishment fee and duty is payable. (http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regobuyinginterstate.htm)

Tell that to all the hire companies that operate vic registered motor vehicles. I must say its a smart move on Victorias behalf, collecting registrations dues on thousands of vehicles that they do not have to maintain roads for.

Hire companies have a legal address where the cars are registered. The OP doesn’t.

screaming banshee9:44 am 08 Jul 12

Elizabethany said :

From the ACT rego page: If you acquire, or become the operator of, an interstate vehicle, you must establish the vehicle registration in the ACT within one month of the purchase date. An establishment fee and duty is payable. (http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regobuyinginterstate.htm)

Tell that to all the hire companies that operate vic registered motor vehicles. I must say its a smart move on Victorias behalf, collecting registrations dues on thousands of vehicles that they do not have to maintain roads for.

screaming banshee9:40 am 08 Jul 12

rosscoact said :

I moved to NSW from Queensand for work. My license ran out so I got a NSW license but continued to ride a Qld registered motorcycle.
Pulled over by cops, fined for unregistered and uninsured vehicle because it wasn’t registered in the state where my licence was held and I could not prove that I bought it less than two weeks before the offends. $100 fine for each offense 30 years ago, I believe it’s closer to $1000 for each offence now.

Did the whole thing start with “you ain’t from around here, are’ya boy?”

Elizabethany9:27 am 08 Jul 12

From the ACT rego page: If you acquire, or become the operator of, an interstate vehicle, you must establish the vehicle registration in the ACT within one month of the purchase date. An establishment fee and duty is payable. (http://www.rego.act.gov.au/registrations/regobuyinginterstate.htm)

I moved to NSW from Queensand for work. My license ran out so I got a NSW license but continued to ride a Qld registered motorcycle.
Pulled over by cops, fined for unregistered and uninsured vehicle because it wasn’t registered in the state where my licence was held and I could not prove that I bought it less than two weeks before the offends. $100 fine for each offense 30 years ago, I believe it’s closer to $1000 for each offence now.

The previous owner will fill out a notice of disposal and send it to the RTA so they will know who is responsible for the vehicle. It’s rego is still valid, therefore so is the ctp. I’ve never had any hassles with letting interstate rego run it’s course.

Innovation said :

You might want to check your CTP. I don’t know if any insurance company has given it a go but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a clause that says they won’t cover you for very long if you don’t notify them of a change of address – especially if you move interstate.

I would agree (not a lawyer) but if you deliberately don’t transfer rego and you are an ACT resident (easy to prove), then that would seem to be fraud.

Also you are not to lie to insurance companies…e.g from NRMA CTP, if you said you were a NSW resident with NSW rego, but reside ACT…
“We will also refuse a claim if: you are not truthful and frank in any statement you make in a claim or in connection with a claim”

You are unlikely to be left without some sort of CTP cover, outright refusal is technically possible.

Also please register in ACT so that the community benefits from the additional funds and (theoretically) lower CTP premiums for all.

CTP is valid for the period of the certificate, and is valid in all states and territories until it expires.

As for insurance companies in police? lol … I’ve had 2 cars written off here in ACT, 1 was owned by me and still registered in SA, insurance had no issue, … another was owned by me, driven by housemate and registered still in NSW … once again no issue. In the last case, the person involved was an international driver on an international drivers licence for the past 2 years living in the ACT and the police didnt care.

Just run out the rego, then transfer to ACT. .. You cant transfer to your name in the ACT without a Safety Certificate either

If you are involved in a car accident, the cops will fine you.

Trust me.

My understanding that if you buy the car, you have to transfer the rego into your name (can’t imagine the seller wanting to be responsible for any potential speeding fines etc that may happen after the sale). To register it in NSW, you will have to provide evidence that you have an entitlement to the car (i.e. a copy of the Notice of Disposal or a receipt for the sale) and show that you live in NSW (which would usually be a NSW licence).

Unless you do have a NSW licence, you might risk having an unregistered car – I’m not sure what the status of the rego is after the seller has lodged the Notice of Disposal??

SnapperJack said :

dungfungus said :

A Queenslander was garaging his private Qld. rego Prius at the lodge for over 2 years and he didn’t change to ACT rego.
Why should anyone else?

He’ll be paying his rego from his parliamentary pension after the election. The same goes for Swan, Emerson and all the other Qld Labor MPs.

Gold!

dungfungus said :

A Queenslander was garaging his private Qld. rego Prius at the lodge for over 2 years and he didn’t change to ACT rego.
Why should anyone else?

He’ll be paying his rego from his parliamentary pension after the election. The same goes for Swan, Emerson and all the other Qld Labor MPs.

johnboy said :

Probably still had a qld residence during that time.

I understood it is about where the vehicle is garaged. I doubt if he was driving it back and forth to Queensland every weekend but he was probably capable of that. It wouldn’t have been the first time he was asleep at the wheel though.

A Queenslander was garaging his private Qld. rego Prius at the lodge for over 2 years and he didn’t change to ACT rego.
Why should anyone else?

Probably still had a qld residence during that time.

longshanks said :

vg said :

If you don’t transfer the rego within the specified time your car is technically unregistered and if you prang it you will be screwed. Unless you’re in the military (who have a form of exemption) I’d get the rego changed.

Chance your arm, have a prang, no matter whether its your fault or not your car will be unregistered. No 3rd party personal coverage

I’m pretty sure that’s not the case – if it’s registered in NSW it has CTP coverage (i.e. the green slip) and both rego and green slip are valid in the ACT until the expiry date.

Let me clarify that there’s no way that I would ever consider driving an unregistered car – I was simply investigating possibilities to save a bit of money. It might not seem like much to some, but every little bit helps.

However, as I suspected all along, the potential hassle is probably not worth the financial gain, so if we do buy the car, I guess I’ll do everything by the book!

He did say technically. As others have said if you had an accident and it was found you did not transfer rego in time the insurance company will try and weazzle their way out of it (and in this case probably quite rightly too). It’s just not worth the risk to be honest.

Nothing happens. We did it with a car we bought had 10 months NSW rego didnt get a late fee just the usual stamp duty, new plates etc

vg said :

If you don’t transfer the rego within the specified time your car is technically unregistered and if you prang it you will be screwed. Unless you’re in the military (who have a form of exemption) I’d get the rego changed.

Chance your arm, have a prang, no matter whether its your fault or not your car will be unregistered. No 3rd party personal coverage

I’m pretty sure that’s not the case – if it’s registered in NSW it has CTP coverage (i.e. the green slip) and both rego and green slip are valid in the ACT until the expiry date.

Let me clarify that there’s no way that I would ever consider driving an unregistered car – I was simply investigating possibilities to save a bit of money. It might not seem like much to some, but every little bit helps.

However, as I suspected all along, the potential hassle is probably not worth the financial gain, so if we do buy the car, I guess I’ll do everything by the book!

btw just a heads up as I had to do this in the last 10 mths for a car i got from NSW, the Queanbeyan Shopfront can’t do the transfer even though i got told by about 3 people they could (from Dickson pits and CC) when I got there they said I should have just got the form from the NSW RTA website (sorry can’t get the link at work) they gave me one there but it was a huge waste of my time. Plus seeing as it HAS to be sent with snail mail it took FOREVER to get the money back, by you guessed it CHEQUE. *faceplam*

also there is no point in trying to save money, if you have a crash you are gonna possibly spend thousands for repairs to both cars? Just a thought….

Check Chapter 4 Part 4.1 of the Road Transport (Vehicle Registration) Regulation 2000.
http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/sl/2000-12/current/pdf/2000-12.pdf
Maximum Penalty 20 Penalty Units = $2200

In addition consider the following….
You (or a family member) is involved in an accident. For whatever reason, the emergency services are unable to locate any ID on your person. Whilst you are lying in hospital about to die, NSW Police are knocking on the door of the previous owner trying to find your next of kin.
I bet you wish you transfered the rego to your name now huh?

Its not always about the money……

If you don’t transfer the rego within the specified time your car is technically unregistered and if you prang it you will be screwed. Unless you’re in the military (who have a form of exemption) I’d get the rego changed.

Chance your arm, have a prang, no matter whether its your fault or not your car will be unregistered. No 3rd party personal coverage

You might want to check your CTP. I don’t know if any insurance company has given it a go but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a clause that says they won’t cover you for very long if you don’t notify them of a change of address – especially if you move interstate.

The $970 includes CTP insurance, adding in the same cost in NSW make it comparable. Anyway, if it’s a dealer bought car, leave it with the NSW rego, the dealer won’t care. Have them leave the transfer date blank and when you go to transfer it, fill it in and you won’t pay the $90.

When transferring a car from interstate you dont pay the late fee. I just transferred my car from NSW , 6 months after i bought it (once the rego ran out) and was told the late fee only applies with local cars. Bear in mind you will end up needing to pay for new number plates though.

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