How to Transfer a Vehicle Registration After Buying a Car in NSW

Transfer the registration within 14 days

When you buy a vehicle with current NSW registration, you must transfer the registration into your name within 14 days of acquiring the vehicle. The seller and buyer have separate responsibilities: the seller submits a Notice of Disposal and the buyer completes the registration transfer.

The standard transfer fee is $42 when the transfer is completed within 14 days. If you transfer after 14 days, the transfer fee increases to $193. NSW Government guidance also warns that failing to transfer within the required period can result in fines.

If the seller has not yet completed their part, the separate Helpydo guide explains the NSW Notice of Disposal process.

Can you transfer the registration online?

You can generally transfer a NSW-registered vehicle online when the vehicle is registered in NSW and the previous owner has submitted a Notice of Disposal. For the standard online service, you use a MyServiceNSW Account with the NSW Driver Licence and vehicle registration service added.

You will need the vehicle's purchase date and the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher. You should also have any concession details that apply and a payment method for the transfer charges.

The online route is not available for every transfer. You need to attend a Service NSW Centre in circumstances including:

• the previous owner has not submitted a Notice of Disposal
• you bought the vehicle on behalf of an organisation or business
• the vehicle is a heavy vehicle with a gross vehicle mass over 4.5 tonnes
• you are entitled to a motor vehicle duty exemption
• you do not want to keep the existing special or personalised number plates
• the previous NSW registration expired more than 3 months ago
• the transfer involves certain special circumstances, such as the death of the registered operator.

What do you need for an in-person transfer?

If you cannot use the online service, visit a Service NSW Centre. For a standard in-person transfer, you need:

• a completed Application for Transfer of Registration
• proof of identity
• proof of your entitlement to register the vehicle, such as the vehicle's certificate of registration completed and signed by the seller or other accepted proof of registration entitlement
• concession or pensioner details if applicable
• payment for the applicable fees and duty.

If someone attends as your representative, additional authority and identification requirements apply. If you are not already recorded in Transport for NSW systems, you may need to attend in person yourself.

Keep proper proof of the vehicle purchase

Service NSW recommends obtaining a receipt or invoice without alterations. It should record the vehicle's plate number, VIN or chassis number, engine number, colour, make and model, as well as the date and time of sale and the names, addresses and signatures of both buyer and seller.

Proof of purchase is particularly important if the seller has not completed the Notice of Disposal and you need to attend a Service NSW Centre to complete the transfer.

How much is the NSW registration transfer fee?

Current NSW registration transfer fees are:

• $42 when the registration is transferred within 14 days of acquiring the vehicle
• $193 when the registration is transferred more than 14 days after acquiring the vehicle.

These amounts are the registration transfer fees only. Motor vehicle duty, number plate charges and, in some circumstances, motor vehicle tax can be additional.

How is motor vehicle duty calculated?

When registration is transferred to another person in NSW, motor vehicle duty, commonly called stamp duty, generally applies unless an exemption is available. Transport for NSW collects the duty on behalf of Revenue NSW.

The duty is calculated using the market value of the vehicle or the purchase price, whichever is higher. For most vehicles, duty is $3 for every $100, or part of $100, of the vehicle's value. For passenger vehicles valued above $45,000 and seating up to 9 occupants, the rate is $1,350 plus $5 for every $100, or part of $100, above $45,000.

Do not deliberately understate the vehicle's value. Revenue NSW checks vehicle values and can impose interest and penalty tax when motor vehicle duty has been underpaid because a vehicle was undervalued.

Can there be other charges?

Additional charges depend on the vehicle and transfer circumstances. Motor vehicle tax can be payable if the previous operator received a tax concession and you are not entitled to that concession.

Special or personalised number plates can also involve additional fees. If you do not want to keep the existing special or personalised plates, the transfer must be handled at a Service NSW Centre and the plates must be returned. A fee can apply for a replacement set of general issue plates.

Does the green slip transfer with the vehicle?

Yes. When a vehicle has current NSW registration, its Compulsory Third Party insurance, or green slip, transfers automatically to the new registered operator when the registration transfers.

You do not need to arrange a new CTP policy solely because ownership changed. The existing CTP remains associated with the registration until renewal is due.

Do you need a pink slip to transfer current registration?

No safety inspection report, commonly called a pink slip, is required merely to transfer a current NSW registration. Different requirements can apply when a vehicle is unregistered or its registration has expired far enough that it must be registered again rather than transferred.

Checks to make before buying a used car

Registration transfer changes the registered operator but it does not replace the checks a buyer should make before purchasing a used vehicle. In particular, you can check the car for finance, write-off or stolen status through the PPSR process.

You can also check the vehicle on the Register of Approved Vehicles by VIN where relevant. These checks address different risks from the NSW registration transfer itself.

What should you do after the transfer?

Once the transfer is complete, check that your vehicle information is correctly associated with your NSW registration records. If you have an eTag, toll account or toll pass, contact your provider or update the account so the correct number plate and vehicle details are recorded.

When the registration later approaches expiry, the separate process for renewing NSW vehicle registration online applies.