When you move to Queensland and you own a car, one of the requirements as a new resident of the state is to obtain a valid roadworthy certificate, or safety certificate, for your vehicles so that you can transfer the registration to your new home state. If you are thinking of selling your vehicle before moving out of state, your must also secure a road worthy certificate before you can advertise it for sale.
You are required to register your vehicle in Queensland within 14 days of your transfer and the establishment of your new garage address. You could incur a fine if your vehicle is not registered within the allotted period.
What is a Safety Certificate?
You will be issued with a safety certificate after your vehicle passes a minimum safety standard inspection. The inspection will cover the basic mechanical parts of a vehicle, including tyres, brakes, steering, suspension, body rust or damage, windscreen and lights. The vehicles that require a roadworthy certificate are cars, motorbikes and trailers, including caravans, with an aggregate trailer mass of 0.751-3.50 tonnes, and any other vehicles with as much as 4.50 tonnes gross vehicle mass.
The safety certificate guarantees that the vehicle being re-registered in Queensland is safe, therefore minimising the possibility of road accidents caused by defective vehicles. You must display the safety certificate in a prominent part of your vehicle like the windscreen or window. Not displaying the safety certificate on your vehicle carries a fine of $550.
Who Issues Safety Certificates?
Safety certificates can only be issued by approved inspection stations, which are service stations, garages and mechanical workshops that have been approved by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads.
You will find approved inspection stations across Queensland and you can arrange inspections during normal business hours. Your local mechanic, who has been servicing and repairing your car for years, could be an approved inspection station. Having your mechanic do the safety inspection is a great advantage for you, as you can trust your mechanic to do a competent and upfront job for you.
Make sure the car service you choose has a valid licence to conduct safety and machinery inspections and to issue safety certificates after the vehicles have passed the inspection. If your vehicle needs repairs, the approved inspection station must also be able to competently carry out those repairs, and then issue a road worthy certificate to you after finishing the repairs.