How to change vehicle ownership in NZ

When you sell your vehicle, let the NZ Transport Agency know as soon as possible. You can do this online. You’ll need your New Zealand driver licence, the vehicle's plate number and the full name and address of the person you sold your car to. 

Letting the NZTA know of the change of ownership is important. If you don’t, any speeding tickets, tolls or other infringements that are incurred by the new owner will be sent to you to pay, as you are still the registered owner, and therefore responsible for these. 

Given it’s a simple online procedure, you can quickly do this as part of the sale process before you hand over the keys. And as stated, there is no longer any fee associated with changing ownership details. 

As a seller, the car being sold should have at least one month left on its warrant of fitness or certificate of fitness, whichever applies. The car’s licence (rego) should be up to date too. If this has lapsed, you’re still responsible for any outstanding fees prior to the date of the ownership change. 

Remember to log your vehicle out of any account its plate may be associated with, like a recurring toll account for instance. If you’re selling a vehicle and its personalised plates, you'll need to negotiate this separately with the buyer and complete a transfer agreement for the plates.

If you can’t change the ownership details online, you can in person at an NZTA agent. These are selected branches of the AA, VINZ and PostShops. Find one close to you here.

Like the seller, the buyer is legally required to let the NZTA know that they have purchased a new vehicle. You can do this online. All you need is your driver licence and the vehicle’s number plate. You can also do this by going to an agent and completing the Change of registered person - buyer (MR13B) form.

This means you’ll be recorded as the ‘registered person’ in the Motor Vehicle Register, meaning you are the person responsible for the vehicle. This isn’t the same thing as the legal owner, however. But as the ‘registered person’, you’ll be responsible for making sure the vehicle is road legal (i.e warranted and registered) and for paying any fees or infringements incurred.

If you are a company or organisation you can't complete the buyer notification online, and need to go to a NZ Transport Agency Agent. You'll need to take your certificate of incorporation, NZBN number or your NZ Transport Agency number if you have one.