I've seen the question asked a few times here on the forum, so I thought I'd give my experience of the transfer of an interstate car onto Victorian plates.
I finally managed to get through it today after a number of hiccups along the way. Not a moment too soon, as the Qld registration of the previous owner was due to expire tomorrow!!
The Vicroads component was actually quite simple, albeit with one small bureaucratic issue along the way. I'd been told that a physical inspection wasn't required but certain paperwork was, so I trundled into VicRoads last week with the required papers.
"Ahh, that's great, we see you have all the appropriate paperwork, but you haven't made an appointment" says the friendly girl behind the counter.
"But I was told over the phone that I just needed to provide the paperwork," says I.
"Unfortunately this has been transferred from interstate, but it was previously owned / registered by someone other than you, so we need an inspection. No, not a physical inspection but an inspection to evaluate your paperwork," she says, again with a smile.
"But I have all the paperwork here, why don't you take a photocopy and call me if there are any dramas?"
"No, you'll need to make an appointment. But unfortunately there aren't any spots free today, so you'll have to come back after Easter."
Off I go with my tail between my legs.
I'm not certain of the minimum set of papers that are required, but the ones cited on my return to VicRoads today were:
- proof of ownership (I provided a contract of sale and also had a fully completed set of part A and part B of the Qld transfer forms available as backup). The contract of sale must be signed by the new & previous operators and state the full name and address of the new & previous operator, as well as the agreed $'s (obviously), but I also included VIN, engine number, etc on it
- roadworthy certificate (a small drama with this, as the certifier had made a small typo on the VIN, so VicRoads suggested that I go home and collect the Cobra for a visual inspection of the VIN just to make sure. Luckily I'm only 10 mins from VR and VR agreed to allow me to come back later, which they weren't obliged to do).
- proof of current registration (I simply pulled the old rego sticker from the car window to prove that it expires tomorrow, but I'm sure other paperwork would also suffice)
- other VR staff had indicated I needed to provide proof of address (to prove I reside in Vic), so a bill, rates notice, etc with my name would do the trick. I wasn't asked to show this one though
- Current driver's licence
- I think that's all they needed, but I had bundles of other paperwork that was available for x-ref purposes
- it might also be worthwhile checking out the VR interstate transfer form to ensure you have all the facts n figures about your car (eg make = INDCONV, outward facing wheels = 4, engine number, intial registration date, etc, etc). Given that most of you know every intricate statistic about your Cobra, this one should be easy
They then looked up the system to confirm that the new VIC personal plates were registered in my name and said all was ready to go following payment.
And one final important note for the un-initiated - you have to pay on the day, or else you'll have to come back for another appointment. With stamp duty, rego, plate transfer, etc, the damage will probably come in well over $2k, so if you have an EFTPOS limit of $1k for example, I'd suggest you pre-plan the financials.
Anyway, despite the various sagas along the way, it was way easier than building it myself (not that I could even if I wanted to!!)
Thanks to the VicRoads staff at Bundoora who were really helpful. Luckily for me, they were keen to see my INDCONV on the roads, a situation that others haven't experienced.
Happy transferrals.