A Queensland seller starts the transfer in one of two ways: by completing the seller’s part (Part B) of the vehicle registration transfer application, form F3520, on the day of sale and having the buyer sign it, or by transferring the registration out of their name online. The buyer then finalises the transfer within 14 days and pays the transfer fee and any vehicle registration duty; the seller pays nothing.
General information, not legal advice. Registration transfers are handled by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), whose pages are listed at the foot of this page; TMR takes questions on 13 23 80.
4.1Before the day of sale
TMR’s seller pages gather a handful of things to settle before anyone signs:
- A current safety certificate to give the buyer, and a gas inspection certificate less than three months old if the car has gas fittings.
- Direct debit: if the registration is paid that way, TMR recommends taking it off direct debit before the transfer is lodged, ideally on the date of sale.
- Fines: a vehicle subject to enforcement action by the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) cannot be transferred.
- Personalised or customised plates have their own steps.
- Toll tags: remove any from the car and update your details with the toll payment provider.
4.2On paper or online
| Question | On paper, in person | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Who moves first | On the day of sale you complete Part B and the buyer signs it; the buyer then completes Part A and lodges it. | You transfer the registration out of your name (step 1), then the buyer finalises it and pays (step 2). The buyer cannot start until you have finished. |
| What you need | Form F3520, which can be printed and signed by hand, or downloaded, completed, signed digitally and emailed to the buyer. | Your details and the buyer’s, including their driver licence number, name and email address, plus the date of sale, the dutiable value and the odometer reading at the sale. |
| The safety certificate | The original blue copy of a handwritten certificate, or a printed copy or the number of an electronic one. | A current certificate recorded with TMR: electronic ones are recorded automatically, handwritten ones must first be recorded at a service centre. |
| Your proof | The completed Part B, which TMR recommends keeping until the registration is out of your name. | A confirmation email if TMR has your email address, and a copy you can view, print or send on. |
| Fees for the seller | None. | None. |
Online or not, a Queensland registration cannot be transferred to another state or territory.
4.3When the online route is closed
The online service transfers a registration to one person who holds a Queensland driver licence or customer reference number. TMR lists the cases it cannot handle; for a private car, the ones most likely to matter are:
- personalised or customised plates attached
- a registration in the name of an organisation with an Australian Company Number, or a transfer to more than one person or to an organisation
- a car fitted with a gas fuel system or other gas system
- a safety certificate exemption being claimed
- a special interest vehicle, or conditional registration
- enforcement action by SPER, which stops the transfer until the action ends
- a number plate confiscation notice issued by the Queensland Police Service.
Any of these sends the seller to a transport and motoring service centre, or in rural areas to a QGAP office, a Magistrates Court or a police station offering registration services.
4.4The day of sale, on paper
- With the buyerComplete Part B, the seller’s copy, of form F3520 and have the buyer sign it. TMR recommends doing this even if you plan to finish the transfer online.
- With the buyerHand over the safety certificate, and show the buyer an electronic certificate if they ask to check it.
- Buyer, within 14 daysThe buyer completes Part A and takes it, signed by both of you, to a transport and motoring service centre with the certificate and proof of identity.
- You, until it is doneKeep Part B. If the buyer said they would lodge the transfer and you believe they have not, TMR recommends lodging Part B yourself in person, or online if you are eligible, with a copy of the safety certificate.
The buyer’s side has paperwork of its own. A buyer doing business with TMR for the first time, such as someone holding an interstate or overseas licence, brings a new customer application (F3503), and a buyer who is new, or whose car will be kept somewhere other than their own address, brings evidence of the Queensland address where it will be garaged. A buyer acting for someone else needs an authority form and that person’s identity documents.
4.5What the buyer pays, and why the price on the form matters
The buyer pays the registration transfer fee, $33.65 as at 1 July 2026, unless an exemption applies. Where it applies, the buyer also pays vehicle registration duty, calculated on the higher of the total sale price, including any GST, and the car’s market value; TMR publishes a duty calculator. The online seller service asks you for that dutiable value, along with the date of sale and the odometer reading.
If the car had concessional registration and the buyer has no concession, the buyer may be charged the gap between the concessional and full registration amounts for the months left to run.
4.6After the sale
Once the buyer has had time to lodge, check that the car has left your name: My registrations online lists what is registered to you, or call TMR on 13 23 80. Until the car leaves your name, you remain liable for tolls and fines on it. If the money has not arrived as it should, the payment guide covers what police and Scamwatch say to do.