Roadworthy Certificates in Canberra and the ACT

In the Australian Capital Territory vehicles must be inspected and provided with a roadworthy certificate before being registered in the following situations:

• A brand new vehicle being registered for the first time.
• At transfer of ownership if the vehicle is more than six years old.
• If it is being transferred from another state – regardless of age.
• If it has been unregistered for longer than 12 month.
• If the vehicle has received a defect notice.
• All vehicles powered by LPG require annual inspections.

Once registered, a vehicle in Canberra will rarely need an inspection if it doesn’t change owners and stays registered – however the ACT has a random inspection scheme which means at any time, in any road related area (including car parks) a vehicle can be subjected to a visual inspection and if any faults or defects are identified then a notice is issued and the use of the vehicle could be restricted until an inspection is performed and the vehicle is cleared.