Every year, thousands of people make the long journey across the ocean to make a new home in Australia. This is certainly an adventure and requires a great deal of planning and foresight and part of this preparation will involve the purchase of a new form of transportation, upon arrival. While most countries around the world have a way of regulating the quality of vehicles on the highway, Australia has a very specific process, involving the issuance of a roadworthy certificate. What do you need to know about this important document?

Government Regulations

As you may know, Australia is made up of individual states and territories and each one of these jurisdictions has a somewhat different approach when it comes to the roadworthy certificate. However, most require that you receive this type of certificate whenever you buy a vehicle, or reregister it. If you did not, then you will need to book the vehicle in to get a new one and in order to do so, it needs to be taken to a licensed tester, who must work in a nominated facility. It's not that difficult to find these places, as many service stations or garages will be so licensed.

The Process

The state or territory in question will have competence standards set out in regulations and these are designed to make sure that a vehicle is not just free from serious defects, but does not contain any alterations that may make it unfit to be driven. Inspectors go through stringent training and must have the right type of equipment on hand and they must follow the directives laid out within the regulations, before giving the owner a certificate of roadworthiness. Should any defects be discovered, the owner will have one week to get the vehicle repaired before a secondary inspection.

Forewarned Is Forearmed

It's a good idea to take any vehicle in for a comprehensive service before booking it in for the roadworthiness check. This will almost certainly uncover any issues that could prompt the inspector to fail it and could, therefore, save time and money.

Transferring Ownership

Remember, that it will not be possible to formally transfer ownership of any vehicle without an accompanying certificate of roadworthiness. Many new arrivals fail to understand the importance of this check and may learn the hard way that the vehicle is not compliant.

Getting Ready

Have a word with a licensed mechanic to make sure that your new acquisition is fully serviced and ready for the critical eye of the inspector.