Selling is not enough: until the vehicle leaves your name, you can still be liable for fines and tolls. The seller has to give a notice or sign a transfer, and the deadline and certificates depend on the state. If your flight arrives before you sell, in some states you can cancel the registration and claim back part of the money.
All amounts are in Australian dollars.
What does the seller do in each state?
| State | Step | Deadline | Seller's certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales (NSW) | Notice of disposal, online or on paper | Straight after selling | Not needed if the NSW registration is current |
| Victoria | Form signed by both parties | The buyer sends it within 14 days | Certificate of Roadworthiness less than 30 days old |
| Queensland | Form F3520. The buyer takes part A and you keep part B | The buyer has 14 days | Safety certificate up to 2 months or 2,000 km old, and a gas certificate if there is a gas installation |
| Western Australia (WA) | DoTDirect or form MR9 | 7 days, with a penalty if not | Not shown on the page |
| South Australia (SA) | Notice of disposal, free online | No published deadline. The buyer has 14 days | Not shown on the page |
| Tasmania | Disposal notice, at Service Tasmania | 7 days | Not confirmed |
The Queensland certificate costs $102.70 for vehicles up to 4,500 kg, at July 2026 prices. Queensland provides for on-the-spot fines if it is not given to the new owner.
We could not read the rules for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
What happens if the buyer does not do the transfer?
- NSW: once the notice is lodged, you are no longer the holder and you are not liable for the buyer's fines.
- Queensland: you may be liable until the transfer is completed. If the buyer does not lodge it, the seller can lodge part B with a copy of the certificate.
- SA: the notice can protect you from the buyer's offences and stops automatic charges.
- Victoria: you can notify VicRoads in writing with a copy of the form.
What is usually closed off when you hand over the keys?
- Payment. Consumer Affairs Victoria warns not to sign any transfer until you receive payment.
- Tolls. NSW asks you to remove the plate from the toll account and remove tags and permits. Queensland says to remove the tag and update Linkt.
- Automatic charges. Queensland says to remove the registration from direct debit, if possible on the day of sale.
- Paperwork. NSW says to keep a copy of the notice. In Queensland you keep part B.
- Insurance. In NSW, CTP passes automatically to the new owner, and comprehensive insurance has to be updated with the insurer. More in CTP and third-party insurance.
What if the buyer is from another state?
It is common to sell far from where the vehicle was registered, and it complicates the sale:
- WA: a WA registration cannot be transferred to someone who does not live there. You have to return the plates and sell it unregistered. There is only a refund if they are returned before the sale.
- NSW and SA: with a buyer from another state, the notice is made on paper, in both NSW and SA.
- Queensland: registering the vehicle in another state does not by itself cancel the Queensland registration. The refund is claimed with the plate surrender receipt.
The buyer will have to register it again. What they will be asked for is in rego, inspections and transfer by state.
What if my flight arrives and I have not sold it?
Cancel the registration
- NSW: you can cancel at any time, before expiry to get a refund. If you have already left, a representative can do it, and an overseas address is accepted for the money. Unused vehicle tax is refunded, not registration or plate fees, and the cancellation fee is deducted. The plates are handed in: keeping them is an offence.
- Queensland: with form F3517. There may be a refund of unused registration and of the CTP premium, if the registration is current and in your name. A fee is deducted. The page does not cover leaving Australia.
- WA: when you return the plates, the refund counts from that date, and there is a proportional part of the injury insurance. It is paid only to the holder.
Selling unregistered or to a licensed dealer
- In Queensland, an unregistered vehicle is sold without an inspection, and the buyer needs a permit to move it.
- In Victoria no certificate is needed in that case either, and the buyer takes on registration, plates and certificate.
- Queensland describes selling to a licensed dealer as the simplest option, and does not ask for a safety certificate if the buyer is a trade dealer.
Someone who arrives later and looks for a vehicle reads the same thing from the other side in what to check before buying.
What we could not confirm
- The rules for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, and the certificate in Tasmania: we could not check their transport websites. The Tasmanian figure comes from its revenue office.
- We also could not check the VicRoads website. The Victorian information comes from Consumer Affairs Victoria.
- How to cancel in Victoria, SA and Tasmania.
- Amounts of cancellation fees.
Sources
All official and viewed on 5 November 2026.
- Service NSW: notice of disposal
- Service NSW: transfer registration
- NSW: cancelling registration
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: selling a car
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: unregistered vehicles
- Queensland: in-person transfer
- Queensland: selling a used vehicle
- Queensland: safety certificate
- Queensland: cancelling registration
- WA: selling a vehicle
- WA: refunds
- SA: notice of disposal
- SRO Tasmania: vehicle duty