What you need to pay
For most private vehicle transfers you (as the new owner) have to:
- pay a transfer fee
- pay motor vehicle duty (MVD)
- provide a roadworthy certificate (RWC).
Unless specifically listed below as an exception, this applies to all vehicle types, including cars, heavy vehicles, motorcycles and trailers.
You (as the new owner) pay the fees to VicRoads when you lodge the transfer. If your transfer involves a dealer, the dealer will manage the transfer process for you.
For the full transfer process when buying or selling a vehicle, go to:
Duty and transfer fee calculator
Use this calculator to find out what you pay to transfer a registered vehicle.
Vehicle registration transfer fee
The below table lists the transfer fees for different types of vehicles.
| Type | Description | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Motor vehicle | $46.20 |
| Private | Motorcycle | $7.40 |
| Private | Trailer | $7.40 |
| Private | Recreational motorcycle | $7.40 |
| Dealer | Motorcycle | $7.40 |
| Dealer | Trailer | $7.40 |
| Dealer | Motor vehicle | $23.50 |
| Financier (repossession) | All vehicles | $4.70 |
A card payment fee applies for Visa or Mastercard.
Vessel registration transfer fees
The fee to transfer a registered second-hand powered recreational vessel is $21.50.
Transfer types and exemptions
You may be exempt from paying transfer or MVD fees be based on the transfer type or vehicle type. The list below shows the different transfer types, which fees you need to pay and if you need an RWC.
| Transfer type | Transfer fee payable | MVD fee payable | RWC needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private to private (individual / company) |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Private (individual / company) to dealer | Yes | No | No |
| Dealer transfer to private (individual / company) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dealer to dealer | Yes | No | No |
| Spouse / domestic partner (current or former) | Yes | No | No |
| Family member | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nominee (on behalf of minor) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Nominee transfer to minor (on achieving eligible age) | Exempt | Exempt | Exempt |
| Change of nominee (on behalf of a minor) | No | No | No |
| Deceased estate to surviving spouse / domestic partner | No | No | No |
| Deceased estate to authorised representative of deceased estate (on a temporary basis pending settlement of the estate) |
Yes | No | No |
| Deceased estate to person with a beneficial entitlement (not spouse) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Approved Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) pensioner (one vehicle only) | No | No | Yes |
| Incapacitated person vehicle | No | No | Yes |
| Private vehicle used to carry an incapacitated person | No | No | Yes |
| Government or charitable vehicle used to carry incapacitated person | Yes | No | Yes |
| Organisations providing transport for disabled persons | No | No | Yes |
| Company in liquidation, administration or receivership | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Company restructure 1 | Yes | Yes 1 | No |
| Change of trustee | No | No | No |
| SES, CFA or municipality firefighting / emergency response vehicles | No | No | Yes |
| Primary producer (solely in the business of the registered operator as a primary producer) 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Primary producer vehicle certified by the CFA as specifically equipped and exclusively used for combating fires 3 | No | No | Yes |
| Repossession of the vehicle | Repossession fee | No | No |
| Restoration of possession | No | No | No |
| Vehicles registered to Consular officials | No | No | Yes |
1 The following vehicle type variations apply:
MVD is not payable to VicRoads at the time of transfer, the applicable MVD will be collected by the State Revenue Office.
2 The following vehicle type variations apply:
Heavy trailers - MVD and transfer fee are not payable.
3 Heavy trailers - MVD and transfer fee are required.
Special purpose vehicle Type P (includes tractors)
MVD and RWC are not required for any transfer. Transfer of a tractor to a primary producer vehicle is exempt from the transfer fee.
Special purpose vehicle Type O
RWC may be required. If you're transferring a type O special purpose vehicle to a primary producer vehicle, you don’t pay a transfer fee or MVD.
Specially constructed vehicles
RWC not required for specially constructed vehicles where the body type is not based on a truck cab and chassis.
Go to Roadworthy certificate exemptions for a list of specially constructed vehicles.
Light trailers
RWC or MVD not required. Caravans classify as trailers. If the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of a trailer is below 4.5 tonnes, it’s a light trailer. If GVM is above 4.5 tonnes, it’s a heavy trailer.