This is a guest post from Harry Sarkissian owner of Reliance Auto Centre in Chatswood.
Are You Planning on Buying a Car in Sydney?
Well, you might want to start applying the brakes because it’s not quite that simple Down Under.
Registration, or ‘rego’ as Australians refer to it, is a rather complicated process that requires the acquisition of a green slip and either a pink or blue slip on top of the actual registration of your vehicle to get your wheels legally on the road.
While a complicated ordeal, vehicle registration in NSW is not only essential but also somewhat easier than it sounds.
What You Need Before You Register Your Car in Sydney.
Before we get into the details, let’s be clear that all vehicles whether it be a car, motorbike or caravan needs to be registered in NSW if they are to be driven lawfully. Such registration needs to be put under one name or organisation; with that party then deemed responsible for the vehicle.
But before actually registering your vehicle, there is the matter of gathering those various coloured slips first.
Proof of insurance is compulsory in New South Wales.
The first of these will be a green slip, otherwise known as Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance. These slips are usually arranged by a car dealer if you buy a new car but must be obtained from an insurer such as AAMI or the NRMA when you take the plunge on a second-hand vehicle.
Green slips are of utmost importance to any person on NSW roads as it provides coverage for injury and death when you are responsible for an accident. While we like to think we are infallible drivers, the road is an inherently dangerous place, and green slips are there to cover the costs when the worst does inevitably happen. They can also potentially provide cover when you are not at fault for a vehicular accident, and the person responsible doesn’t themselves have cover. Thus giving you that little bit extra piece of mind as you zip around Sydney streets.
Green slips usually last for 12 months, so they are something you’ll have to keep an eye on if you’re going to be driving long-term on NSW roads. They are also a necessary first step before registering a car or motorbike in NSW but aren’t actually required, though recommended, for trailers and caravans.
Obtaining a safety inspection for your car.
Now that you as a potential driver are covered on NSW roads, your attention must now turn to your vehicle in the form of a pink slip or a blue slip.
These are obtained in the form of an eSafety Check, which involves an inspection of your vehicle to determine whether it is road worthy. These are done through accredited inspection stations which include all mechanics that have themselves been authorized by Roads and Maritime.
Veteran Sydney mechanic Harry Sarkissian has operated an accredited inspection station for many years and can’t stress just how important these inspections are. “Vehicles can turn vicious when they haven’t been properly maintained, so these inspections really are necessary in order to keep our roads safe,” he said.
If your vehicle has been previously registered and hasn’t had its registration expired for more than three months, these safety checks once passed will warrant you a pink slip.
If, however, your vehicle has never been registered, has been out of registration for more than three months, has come from another state or country, or has no number plates, a blue slip is what you will get at the end of a successful inspection. Blue slips are otherwise known as Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspections and like pink slips, are required before any attempt to register or renew the registration of your vehicle in NSW.
Now You're Ready to Head to the Roads and Maritimes Service Centre.
Once you’ve got a green slip and either a pink or blue slip, you can finally go about registering your vehicle in NSW. This involves a trip, not in your unregistered vehicle, to a Roads and Maritimes service centre. Before you get there though, save yourself and them some hassle by completing an Application for Registration form from the comfort of home.
When you do head to a Roads and Maritimes service centre, be sure that you bring this completed form as well as proof of identity, proof of address, proof of entitlement and those various coloured slips with you. Also, be prepared to pay registration fees that will likely include costs relating to general registration charges, stamp duty, and a number plate fee.
Once paid and approved, your vehicle will officially be registered, and you can legally drive around NSW to your heart’s content.
There you have it, a crash course in registering a vehicle in NSW that will hopefully help you avoid any unwanted roadblocks as you explore Sydney in the freedom of a vehicle.
About the Author: Harry Sarkissian has been a Sydney mechanic for over 22 years. He owns and operates Reliance Auto Centre in Chatswood and has serviced well over 10,000 cars making him something of an expert on this stuff.
