How to buy a vehicle at auction
Find out what you need to do when you buy a vehicle at an auction.
If you buy a vehicle at auction, you must notify us of the transfer within 14 days of the sale. If the vehicle will continue to be registered in Victoria, you will need to provide:
Bidding for yourself
An auction house will notify us of the transfer once the auction is complete, and the vehicle will be transferred into your name.
In most cases you will be able to complete the transfer and submit the certificate of roadworthiness online through your myVicRoads account.
Log in to myVicRoads
In some cases you won't be able to complete the transfer online. You'll need to complete the transfer at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre if:
- you have bought a boat
- you are eligible for an exemption
- the auction house hasn’t notified us of the transfer.
You will need to bring the vehicle transfer form (PDF 301 kB) and your receipt from the auction house.
Bidding on behalf of someone else
Before you bid on behalf of someone else at an auction, you must:
- nominate yourself as the bidder
- inform the auction house of the buyer’s details.
The auction house’s receipt must include the buyer’s details.
If you don’t nominate a buyer before the auction, the vehicle will be transferred into your name. You will then be responsible for any costs or steps to transfer the vehicle out of your name.
Buying a vehicle at auction from another state
If you are keeping the vehicle in Victoria
If the vehicle will remain in Victoria, you will need to have a Victorian driver licence or a VicRoads customer number before the auction.
If you don’t have this, you will need to visit a VicRoads Customer Service Centre with:
Some auction houses may be able to organise a customer number for you.
Once the auction is complete, you will be able to complete the transfer and submit the certificate of roadworthiness online through your myVicRoads account.
If you are taking the vehicle interstate
If you are intending to take the vehicle back to your own state, you can let the auction house know and they will cancel the vehicle’s registration and destroy the Victoria number plates. You will then need to get an Unregistered Vehicle Permit to drive your vehicle home.
You won’t need to supply a certificate of roadworthiness or pay a transfer fee or motor vehicle duty in Victoria.