Apply for conditional vehicle registration

What is conditional registration?

Conditional registration gives you limited road access to perform specific functions with a vehicle. Conditional Registration is restrictive as conditions are placed on a vehicle’s registration.

In general, you cannot get conditional registration for a non-compliant vehicle if a vehicle that complies with Australian Design Rules, can be used instead. Some standard vehicles (aka ‘complying vehicles’) that do comply with vehicle standards can be conditionally registered in the Historic and Classic schemes if the vehicles are 30 years or older.

Factors considered in conditional registration include:

• any vehicle standards deficiencies
• the safety of the person operating the vehicle and any passengers
• how the vehicle mixes with other vehicles on the road and pedestrians
• the time of the day or night the vehicle will be operated
• where the vehicle will be operated (NSW Only)
   

Vehicles that can be conditionally registered

• farm firefighting vehicles
• agricultural vehicles
• construction vehicles
• recreational vehicles (on Stockton Beach only)
• street rods built to “Registration Requirements and Construction Guidelines for Street Rods in NSW
• purpose built vehicles
• purpose built oversnow vehicles
• rally vehicles (see the Australian Motor Sport Action Group (AMSAG) and Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Ltd for more details)
• historic vehicles (limited to compliant/standard vehicles or plant that have Conditional Registration Vehicle Sheets and are older than 30 years.
• classic vehicles.

View a full list of vehicles types and conditions

Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance

Conditional registration costs include CTP insurance. However, this insurance only covers you on road and road-related areas. It does not cover you on private property.

Operating conditions

Operating conditions apply to all conditionally registered vehicles. Conditions are designed to overcome vehicle deficiencies and restrict how the vehicle can be used.

If suitable operating conditions cannot be applied to overcome deficiencies the vehicle cannot be conditionally registered. Read the conditional registration vehicle sheet for your vehicle to understand the minimum mandatory conditions associated with your vehicle.

The Certificate of Approved Operations you receive for conditional registration outlines the conditions you must follow when you drive the vehicle on a road or road-related area. The certificate must be carried in the vehicle at all times. See the full list of condition codes and descriptions.

Road-related areas are:

• footpaths and nature strips
• service station driveways
• public and private car parks and access areas
• private roads the public drive on
• drive-in fast food outlets and other drive-in commercial areas used by the public.

How to apply for conditional registration

To conditionally register a vehicle you must attend a service centre.

Certificates of registration and number plates

If your application is successful, and you pay the required fee, you will be issued with a Certificate of Registration, a set of number plates, a Certificate of Approved Operations and a tax invoice for the CTP insurance policy.

The Certificate of Approved Operations outlines the conditions you must follow when you drive on a road or road-related area and must be carried in the vehicle at all times. These conditions are listed as codes on the certificate. To find out what they mean check our list of registration and vehicle codes.

You are not required to display a registration label and you don't need to remove any old labels.