How to Notarise a Vehicle Registration in Australia

To notarise a vehicle registration in Australia, a notary sights the original registration record and certifies a copy, and DFAT then apostilles or authenticates it for overseas use. The catch is that Australian registration names the registered operator, not the owner. Most overseas customs authorities want proof of ownership, so the registration alone is rarely enough.

Key takeaways

• The usual reason is that the vehicle is leaving Australia: shipped when you move, or taken abroad on a long trip.
• Registration shows the registered operator. Add purchase evidence, a PPSR search and, if the car was financed, a discharge letter.
• Many registration records are now online only. Ask the road authority for a formal certificate or extract rather than printing your own.
• A notary certifies copies and witnesses declarations. A notary never inspects the vehicle, checks the VIN or confirms ownership.
• For overseas use, a Justice of the Peace's certification is not recognised and cannot be apostilled.

Why would an overseas body want your vehicle registration?

The usual reason is that the vehicle is leaving. You are moving overseas and shipping your car, or taking a caravan or motorbike on an extended trip. The customs or licensing authority at the other end wants proof that the vehicle is yours and, often, how long you have had it.

Less often, a foreign insurer wants evidence of your claims history on a vehicle registered here, a foreign court wants evidence in a dispute, or an overseas buyer wants to see the papers before paying. Each is a different receiving authority, and each may want a different set of documents. Ask for the list in writing before you start.

Is registration proof that you own the vehicle?

Not in Australia. A vehicle is registered to a registered operator, the person responsible for it on the road. That person is usually, but not necessarily, the legal owner. Registration papers commonly say as much.

A foreign authority that treats your registration certificate as a title document is relying on something it was never meant to show. Many countries issue a vehicle title that does prove ownership, so an overseas official may assume the Australian certificate works the same way. It does not, and a careful official will ask for more.

What should the ownership bundle contain?

If the receiving authority wants proof of ownership, as most import authorities do, expect to assemble a small bundle:

• the registration certificate or a formal record from the state or territory road authority;
• evidence of purchase, such as the dealer's invoice or a private bill of sale, showing when you acquired the vehicle;
• evidence it is unencumbered, usually a search of the Personal Property Securities Register and, if the car was financed, a payout or discharge letter from the lender;
• your identification, often a certified copy of your passport;
• where the destination requires it, evidence of deregistration in Australia.

Many countries give concessions on importing a vehicle as personal effects only if you have owned and used it for a minimum period before moving. The purchase date, not the registration date, is what proves that. The period and the conditions are the destination's rules, and they change. Check them with its customs authority or your shipping agent. See bills of sale for overseas use.

What if your registration is only online?

State and territory road authorities have moved much of their registration paperwork online, and practice differs between jurisdictions. You may have a paper certificate, an emailed PDF, or only an online record.

A notary certifies copies of originals the notary has sighted. A printout of an online record is not an original in the ordinary sense. Some notaries will certify a printout with wording that says exactly what it is. Others will decline. Ask the notary how they handle it.

A better route is often to ask the road authority whether it can issue a formal certificate or extract of the registration record. A document the authority issues is stronger evidence than your own printout. See originals and copies for the general rule.

The same applies to deregistration. If the destination wants proof that the vehicle is no longer registered here, ask the road authority what document it issues when registration is cancelled, and when. Do that before you hand back the plates, because the rules differ between states and territories.

What about a caravan, motorbike, trailer or boat?

The same principle applies. A caravan or trailer usually has its own registration, separate from the towing vehicle, so it needs its own bundle. A recreational boat is registered with a state or territory maritime authority, and that registration is not a title document either.

A temporary trip is different from a permanent move. Some countries require a customs document for the temporary import of a vehicle, often called a carnet, instead of the import paperwork for a permanent move. Ask the destination's customs authority whether you need one, and who issues it in Australia, before you have anything notarised. See document notarisation for the notary step itself.

What does the notary do, and not do?

An Australian notary public sights your originals and certifies that the attached copies are complete and accurate. The notary also witnesses signatures and administers oaths, and checks your identity before doing any of these.

The notary does not inspect the vehicle, check the VIN against the papers, confirm that you own it, or confirm that it is free of finance. Those are facts the receiving authority judges from the documents.

When the purchase evidence is thin, a sworn declaration or affidavit can help. In it you state when and how you acquired the vehicle and that you own it outright, and the notary witnesses it. A declaration does not replace documents the authority specifically asks for. But it can bridge a gap, such as a private purchase years ago with only a handwritten receipt.

A Commonwealth statutory declaration is made for Australian purposes. For an overseas authority, a declaration sworn before a notary is usually the form to use. Ask the receiving authority which it accepts. See declarations and powers of attorney.

Is a JP certification enough?

For use in Australia, a certified copy by an authorised witness such as a Justice of the Peace is normally enough and costs nothing. For an overseas customs or licensing authority, a JP's certification is not recognised and cannot be apostilled. You need a notary.

Certify the whole bundle at one appointment. Ask your shipping agent how many sets are needed, because customs, the licensing authority and the insurer at the destination may each want one.

Document	Where it comes from	Usual route overseas
Registration record	State or territory road authority	Notarised copy, then DFAT, unless DFAT confirms it can take the original
Dealer invoice or bill of sale	The seller	Notarised copy, then DFAT
PPSR search	The Personal Property Securities Register	Notarised copy of the search
Finance discharge letter	The lender	Notarised copy, then DFAT
Ownership declaration	You, sworn before a notary	Notary, then DFAT

How does the apostille or legalisation step work?

The notarial certificate is an Australian act. DFAT, the only body in Australia that issues apostilles, authenticates the notary's signature and seal. An apostille certifies that signature and seal. It says nothing about who owns the vehicle.

• If the destination is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, DFAT issues an apostille. Check membership on the HCCH status table on the day.
• If it is not, DFAT issues an authentication, and the destination's embassy or consulate legalises the document.

Whether a certificate issued by a state road authority can go to DFAT directly, without a notary, is a question for DFAT. Its list of documents it can legalise names several government documents, but do not assume a road authority record is among them. If the destination does not work in English, expect a certified translation, and ask whether it comes before or after authentication.

How should you prepare, step by step?

1. Ask the destination's customs authority, or your shipping agent, for the document list and any minimum ownership period.
2. Collect purchase evidence and, if the car was financed, the lender's discharge letter.
3. Run a PPSR search and ask the road authority for a formal registration record.
4. Ask about deregistration before cancelling anything, and what document the road authority issues when you do.
5. See the notary with every original and your passport, and swear any ownership declaration there.
6. Lodge with DFAT, then the embassy if the country is outside the Convention, then arrange any translation.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A Darwin couple are moving to a country that gives a customs concession on a car owned for a minimum period. Their registration names only one of them as registered operator. They add the dealer's invoice showing both names and the purchase date, a PPSR search, and the lender's discharge letter from when they paid off the loan. A notary certifies copies of all four. DFAT then apostilles them, and the shipping agent sends the papers ahead of the car.

In short

An Australian registration shows the registered operator, not the owner. For an overseas customs authority, notarise it as part of a bundle with purchase evidence, a PPSR search and any finance discharge. Ask the road authority for a formal record if yours is online only. DFAT then adds the apostille or authentication.

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