Australian personal number plates- need help from an Aussie

Australian personal number plates- need help from an Aussie

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TopTrump

Original Poster:

3,308 posts

181 months

Tuesday 7th February 2023
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My brother is selling his car in Australia (Melborne) and has private plates on his car. He no longer lives there and is back in the UK. Are his options;

1./ sell the car with the plates
2./ sell the plates separately to the car

In any instance does he physically have to be in Australia to do this? Or can any paperwork be Fedexed to him the UK? I'm obviously trying to save him an airfare and his mate is selling on his behalf.

Thanks

Jader1973

4,289 posts

207 months

Thursday 9th February 2023
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He should be able to set up a My VicRoads account which allows transfers to take place online.

I think you can remove a personal plate and put it on retention through the portal but I’m not sure how the general plates would then be issued (either collect from VicRoads or posted to his address). I’ve never removed a plate, only purchased and fitted - last time was a brand new car so the dealer did it somehow.

Is the rego still current? I’m not sure what happens if a personal plate lapses. VicRoads might cancel it and then the plate is possibly lost.

I think his options are:
1) Remove the plate and sell the car unregistered (unless his friend can get new plates and fit them).
2) Leave the plate on the car and sell it registered

2) is probably the best bet unless the plate is worth a lot, and personally I’d avoid an unregistered car being sold on behalf of someone overseas. A registered Rolls with RR1 would be more attractive than an unregistered Rolls that is being “sold on behalf of my mate who is overseas”. smile

What sort of car is it?







Edited by Jader1973 on Thursday 9th February 06:46

TopTrump

Original Poster:

3,308 posts

181 months

Thursday 23rd February 2023
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Thanks Jader- appreciate the response. It is a Landcruiser

rodericb

7,260 posts

133 months

Monday 27th February 2023
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Have a look through the Vicroads website: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/

If one wants to keep personalised plates they'd need to get some standard issue plates assigned to the vehicle. It's a transfer of sorts you can do at Vicroads (or you can nominate someone to act as an agent in your place). The personalised plates will then not be assigned to any vehicle but will be owned by your brother. Due to his situation, your brother would need to appoint an agent. The agent will then get the aforesaid standard issue plates at the Vicroads office, they'll be married up to the vehicle on the computer and you then physically swap them over on the vehicle. You keep the actual personalised plates (don't hand them back to Vicroads). As like anything, there's a charge of sorts for this - I can't remember what it was but I do remember having to pay some admin fee plus plate fees when I did this a couple of years ago (not with agent though).