How to register a car in Queensland
Any car driving in Queensland needs to be registered with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR). If you’re buying a car or moving to Queensland from another state, you’ll need to register the vehicle in your name.
If the car hasn’t been registered in Queensland before, you may need to:
- Have a safety certificate from an Approved Inspection Station (this can be handwritten or issued electronically)
- Visit a transport and motoring customer service centre to apply for registration. In rural areas you might be able to go to a Queensland Government Agency Program (QGAP) service office, a Magistrates Court, or a local police station.
- Organise compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, which covers you for legal liability if you’re at fault in an accident that hurts or kills someone. You need CTP insurance before you can legally drive in Queensland, so if you’re moving from interstate and you’re driving to Queensland you’ll need to have CTP cover from your state of origin.
- Pay any vehicle registration fees or duties that apply. These can differ depending on the vehicle you’re registering, including its dutiable value, number of cylinders, fuel type, and the registration period.
Licensed dealerships often sort out registration and CTP insurance for you — you’ll usually just need to provide proof of identity like your driver's licence.
How do you change your registration when moving to Queensland?
If you’re moving from interstate, you’ll typically have 14 days to get registered in Queensland before fines apply. Once you’ve registered, you must hand in your old number plates at a Queensland transport and motoring customer service centre.
You’ll then get a receipt for the surrender of the number plates, which you can use to apply for a refund on the remaining time you already paid for on your interstate registration. Contact the registration authority in your previous state or territory to cancel your old registration.
If you’ve got personalised plates you want to keep, you’ll probably have to reapply with Personalised Plates Queensland. You might be able to keep hold of your old plates, but you likely won’t be allowed to use them.
Transferring registration in Queensland
If you’re buying or selling a car that’s already registered in Queensland, you can transfer the existing registration. Registration needs to be transferred any time a vehicle changes ownership, including:
- Buying/selling
- Inheriting a vehicle when someone dies
- Taking possession of a vehicle owned by an organisation that isn’t a legal entity any more.
Transferring registration as a buyer
If you buy or receive a car that’s already registered in Queensland, you’re responsible for transferring the rego into your name. That needs to happen within 14 days of you taking ownership, and transfer fees and charges may apply.
You can submit a registration transfer request to the TMR either online (if you’re eligible) or in person.
Online
You might be able to transfer the registration online and save yourself a trip. However, there are some circumstances where you have to do it in person, including if:
- The vehicle is fitted with a gas fuel system or other gas system
- You’re buying a bus, minibus, or special interest vehicle
- The vehicle is conditionally registered
- You’re applying for the pensioner concessional registration rate for the first time
- You’re buying a motorised mobility device like a mobility scooter.
If you can transfer online you’ll likely need to provide the dutiable value and odometer reading to the TMR, as well as share the purpose of use — private, commercial, taxi, etc.
In person
If you’re submitting your registration transfer request in person, TMR advises you’ll need to provide the following documents:
- Part A of the vehicle transfer application form (F3520), which can be found online through the TMR website
- A completed new customer application form (F3503), if you have not previously done any business with TMR (such as if you’re an interstate or overseas licence holder who’s recently moved to Queensland)
- A current Queensland safety certificate or certificate of inspection. The seller should give you an original or a copy of the certificate you need. If it’s a handwritten certificate, then you’ll need to bring in the original blue copy to TMR. If it’s electronic, bring in a printed copy or include the certificate number in the transfer application form
- Your driver’s licence or other evidence of your identity
- Evidence of the Queensland address where the vehicle will be garaged.
If there’s already CTP insurance on the existing registration, it should transfer over to you.
Transferring registration as a seller
If you’re selling a vehicle to someone else in Queensland, paying for and getting hold of a safety certificate is your responsibility. If the car is fitted with a gas fuel system, you’ll also need to provide a gas inspection certificate.
The buyer typically pays the transfer fees, but as the seller you’ll still need to fill out a few details either online or in person. The same circumstances that mean a buyer has to do it in person may also apply to the seller.
Details you’ll need to provide might include:
- The buyer’s details (possibly including their licence number)
- The transfer details, like the date of sale, the vehicle value, and the odometer reading at the time of sale.
How much does it cost to transfer registration in Queensland?
There are a few different fees that might apply when you’re transferring registration:
Safety certification
When you’re selling a vehicle you typically need to provide the buyer a certificate from an approved mechanic that it’s safe to drive. TMR says the following fees usually apply:
Vehicle type | Fee |
|---|---|
Vehicles | $102.70 |
Trailers | $51.45 |
Motorbikes | $66 |
If you transfer registration to the buyer and don’t provide them with a valid, in-date safety cert, you might be charged over $700. For private sellers, safety certificates are valid for 2 months or 2000km, whichever comes first.
Registration transfer fee
The buyer generally pays the registration transfer fee. It’s usually a flat fee regardless of how long is left, and is $33.65 as of July 2026. Exemptions sometimes apply, e.g. if you’re transferring registration from a deceased owner.
Personalised number plate transfer fee
If you’re buying a car with a personalised number plate that you’re keeping, you’ll likely need to pay an additional fee. As of 1 July 2026 this is $122.10.
Vehicle registration duty
When you’re buying a used car you might also need to pay duty on top of the registration fee, similar to stamp duty in property buying. What you’ll pay is based on the dutiable value of the vehicle (the higher of either the purchase price or market value).
Here are the duty rates for light vehicles as of August 2026:
Type of vehicle | Rate | Rate |
|---|---|---|
Hybrid or | $2 for every $100 | $4 for every $100 |
1-4 cylinders, 2 rotors | $3 for every $100 | $5 for every $100 |
5 or 6 cylinders, 3 rotors | $3.50 for every $100 | $5.50 for every $100 |
7 or more cylinders | $4 for every $100 | $6 for every $100 |
Special vehicles | $25 | $25 |
In some circumstances you might qualify for a transfer duty exemption. TMR says examples include if:
- The vehicle is a gift to a family member
- You receive the vehicle from a person who has passed away
- You receive the vehicle as part of a matrimonial matter
- You are an ex-service person
- You are a vehicle dealer
- You use your vehicle for primary production.
