Moving unregistered vehicles
You can apply for an unregistered vehicle permit to drive an unregistered vehicle on the road. This is only for special circumstances when you need to move the vehicle from one place to another. The vehicle must be in a safe condition and must comply with the applicable safety and design standards – if it is not in a safe condition or does not comply with the standards, it must be transported or towed by a tow truck.
How to apply for a permit
To apply for a permit you will need to submit:
- Completed Unregistered Vehicle Permit Application (form F3523)
- Evidence of identification – The Unregistered Vehicle Permit Application (form F3523) advises what identification will be required
- Class 22, CTP insurance certificate for the required time
- Any permit issued under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (if applicable) for example:
- Police permit
- Excess mass permit
- A permit issued for an exemption from a vehicle standard
- Payment of prescribed fee. Permits are calculated on the number of calendar days required and a fee is charged for each day the permit is issued.
Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance
In general, Class 22 CTP insurance is required to obtain an unregistered vehicle permit. CTP is not required however, for caravans or trailers that are towed by either a Queensland registered vehicle or a vehicle with a Queensland unregistered vehicle permit.
For all compulsory third party insurance information, including premium rates and links to the individual insurers*, view the Motor Accident Insurance Commission* website.
When a permit is not required
There are some circumstances when you can move your unregistered vehicle without an unregistered vehicle permit. For example, you may need to obtain the following in order to register the vehicle:
- gas certificate
- weighbridge certificate
- safety certificate/COI certificate (including road testing as part of a safety certificate/COI inspection)
- written-off vehicle inspection (allowed for repairable write-offs only)
- Queensland Police Service inspection (surrogate)
- surrogate identification number/s stamped on the vehicle
This may be done provided:
Period of issue
Depending on the journey and type of vehicle, a permit may be issued for up to seven days. However, the application must be for the most direct route in the shortest possible time. A permit will be granted only for the length of time required to make the journey and is valid until midnight on the last day of the journey.
A permit is issued per calendar day, not for 24 hours from the time of purchase (for example, if purchased at 4 pm it will still expire at 12 midnight).
Travelling interstate
When moving a vehicle from interstate to Queensland, an unregistered vehicle permit must be issued by the state or territory where the journey starts. A new permit must be obtained from the interstate authority if a vehicle has been moved from Queensland to another state and is being returned to Queensland. All states and territories (other than Western Australia) recognise unregistered vehicle permits issued interstate. This means that a vehicle may travel through other states and territories (other than Western Australia) with a Queensland-issued permit.
Number plates
Standard number plates must be surrendered before an unregistered vehicle permit will be issued. Customised or personalised plates must be removed while using the permit. You could be fined for having number plates attached to the vehicle while using an unregistered vehicle permit.
Quote for registration fees
A quote for new registration fees can be calculated using eQuote.
*The content found by using this link is not created, controlled or approved by this department. No responsibility is taken for the consequences of viewing content on this site.
