First, the trailer’s identity
All three states’ pages ask a trailer to prove its identity: who built it, and when. For a new trailer that has never been registered in Australia, that starts with the national Register of Approved Vehicles (the RAV). The federal Department of Infrastructure says a trailer’s vehicle and compliance details must all be on the RAV before it is first supplied to a buyer in Australia.
Manufacturers and importers can apply for a concessional RAV entry approval, which is limited to up to 4 trailers in a 12-month period, and the department says that pathway may suit home-built and individually constructed trailers. A trailer that has already been registered in Australia counts as an in-service vehicle, regulated by the state and territory registration authorities rather than the department.
New South Wales: the build date decides
Transport for NSW sets out what a trailer must carry by the date it was built. A trailer that falls short of the rules for its date may not be suitable for registration in NSW.
- Before 1 January 1989
A chassis number, in any length or combination of characters. No vehicle plate is required.
- 1 January 1989 to 30 June 1990
A 17-character VIN. No vehicle plate is required.
- 1 July 1990 to 30 June 2021
A 17-character VIN and a vehicle plate, fixed by permanent non-tamper means, showing:
- the manufacturer’s or importer’s name, the model and the VIN
- the month and year of manufacture
- the aggregate trailer mass (ATM)
- a statement that the trailer was made to comply with the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.
- 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2023
The changeover between the old national law and the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018. A trailer from these two years may carry the old certification statement or have an entry on the RAV, and must meet the rules for whichever applies.
- From 1 July 2023
A 17-character VIN, a vehicle plate that also shows the gross trailer mass (GTM) and tare mass, and an entry on the RAV. If a trailer was built under the Road Vehicle Standards Act and its VIN is not on the RAV, it fails the NSW inspection.
One detail catches people out. Before 13 December 2021, NSW says it was common for one-off trailer builders to record the manufacturer as “homemade” or a similar generic name. A trailer presented for inspection with a name like that is now rejected unless there is evidence it was registered in NSW before 13 December 2021 under that name, or registered in another state or territory with it.
Queensland: a VIN through the Road Vehicle Regulator
For a trailer built or registered from 1 July 2023, Queensland asks you to apply for a VIN online through the Road Vehicle Regulator system and bring the number to registration, and a pre-registration inspection to confirm the trailer’s identity must be completed. For a trailer registered before 1 July 2023, you complete a vehicle details inspection sheet and provide proof of the trailer’s origin.
The inspection
All three states check trailers before registration, but the checks differ, and Victoria and Queensland tie their inspections to weight or axle thresholds.
| State | What the state’s page asks for |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | An original inspection report issued no more than 42 days before you apply: an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Scheme report (the blue slip), or a Heavy Vehicle Authorised Inspection Scheme report if the trailer’s ATM is more than 2 tonnes. The inspection checks that the trailer is safe and meets design and identity standards. |
| Victoria | Bring the trailer to your VicRoads appointment if its ATM is between 751kg and 4,500kg, and pay an appointment and inspection fee when you book. |
| Queensland | For a trailer never registered in Australia before, a pre-registration inspection if it has more than one axle or an ATM over 750kg, done as a self-assessment by the registered operator or their authorised representative on the applicable inspection sheet. Help is available at a transport and motoring service centre, though only some centres offer these inspections. A safety certificate is also needed for trailers with an ATM between 750kg and 4,500kg when an unregistered trailer is re-registered or an interstate one moves to Queensland registration. |
The forms and what to bring
New South Wales
Service NSW lists the Application for Registration form (Form 1009), proof of identity, proof that the trailer may be registered (such as an earlier registration receipt), the original number plates if you have them, the inspection report, and the registration fee. A Vehicle Safety Compliance Certificate is needed if the trailer has been significantly modified.
A weighbridge ticket is needed when the tare mass cannot be confirmed or there is no specification sheet, when the trailer is imported, or when it has had a major change. You submit the application at a service centre.
Pages: Service NSW: register a camper trailer or caravan, Transport for NSW: registering a trailer
Victoria
You must be at least 16 to register a light trailer or caravan. Which form you use depends on the ATM: the light trailer registration form up to 750kg, and the vehicle registration form over 750kg up to 4.5 tonnes. Bring evidence of identity, including evidence of your Victorian garage address if it differs from where you live, and evidence of the trailer’s weight: the tare and ATM on the trailer’s identification plate or the RAV, or a weighbridge docket if it was registered before.
VicRoads says booking online is the easiest and fastest way to get an appointment.
Queensland
At a transport and motoring service centre you no longer need the vehicle registration application form; at a QGAP office, Magistrates Court or police station that registers vehicles you still do. Bring the safety certificate where one is needed, evidence of the garage address, evidence of your identity, and pay the registration fees and any duty. New registrations cannot be lodged through Transport and Main Roads online services.
Page: Queensland Government: register your trailer or caravan
Victoria’s exempt light trailers
Victoria is the one of the three that lets some small trailers go unregistered. A light trailer can be used in Victoria without registration when it is under 200kg empty, shorter than 3 metres counting the drawbar, no wider than the vehicle towing it, kept out of business use, and not built for carrying a boat.
An exempt trailer must show the same registration number as the vehicle towing it, and VicRoads sells an exempt trailer plate through a myVicRoads account. If you plan to tow the trailer interstate, VicRoads asks you to register it in Victoria before you go.
Getting an unregistered trailer to the inspection
Queensland’s page deals with this directly. If a trailer registered in another state still has its number plate attached, you have 14 days to register it in Queensland, and you may be fined if you don’t. For an unregistered trailer, remove any number plate first, and check with the compulsory third party insurer of the towing vehicle whether the trailer is covered while towed; you can then tow it to get its safety certificate and register it. Queensland also offers an unregistered vehicle permit, applied for online.
Other states and territories
The rules elsewhere vary. The agencies’ pages are listed on the home page.