Transferring a car after someone dies: rego, probate and sale

When someone dies and leaves a car, the executor named in their will normally deals with it, either by transferring the rego to a beneficiary or by selling the car. In NSW the rego can also go to an administrator, a beneficiary, the surviving joint operator, the next of kin or a buyer. You’ll need proof of death, your own ID, a transfer application and the will, probate or letters of administration.

Below are the steps in the order they come up, with the detail for NSW, Queensland and Western Australia. Most of it can wait a few weeks. Insurance and the rego expiry date can’t.

What should you do with the car in the first few weeks?

Start with the things that protect the car and the estate:

• Keep the car secure. Park it off the street if you can. Put every key, the rego papers, the service logbook and the owner’s manual in one place.
• Ring the insurer. The policy was in the name of the person who died. Ask whether cover continues while the estate is sorted out, and don’t let anyone drive the car until you know who is covered.
• Check the rego expiry date. Once it runs out, the car can’t be driven on public roads. If renewal is coming up, ask the transport authority how it handles a car registered to someone who has died.
• Look for loan paperwork. Statements, direct debits or letters from a lender tell you whether money is owing on the car.
• Take out the e-tag. Keep it with the paperwork and deal with the toll account, so charges don’t build up unnoticed.

Until it’s clear who has authority over the estate, hold off on handing the car to anyone, even family.

Who has the right to deal with the car?

A power of attorney ends when the owner dies, so it no longer lets anyone sign for them. From that point the car is dealt with through the estate. These are the people transport authorities usually deal with.

If you were the owner’s attorney, our guide to selling a car with power of attorney explains why that authority stops at death.

What documents will you need?

Gather these first:

• Proof of death. Usually the death certificate. Service NSW also accepts a newspaper death notice, or a letter from a solicitor or NSW Trustee and Guardian.
• Your own proof of identity.
• Proof of your authority. The will, the grant of probate or the letters of administration, whichever fits your role. Ask whether the authority wants originals or certified copies.
• The transfer application from the state’s transport authority.
• The car’s own papers. The rego papers if you can find them, the service logbook and every key.
• Loan details, if money is still owing: the lender’s name and the account number.

How does it work in NSW?

You visit a Service NSW service centre with a transfer application and your documents. The rego can go to:

• the executor or administrator of the estate
• a beneficiary, as advised by the executor or administrator
• the surviving joint registered operator
• the next of kin
• a buyer.

Service NSW says there’s no transfer fee or stamp duty when the rego goes to the executor. A buyer pays both, as in any sale. If the rego is going to a beneficiary, the next of kin or the surviving joint operator, ask the service centre what applies.

As proof of authority, Service NSW accepts the will, probate or letters of administration, or signed written advice from a solicitor or NSW Trustee and Guardian. A beneficiary receives the rego as advised by the executor or administrator, so bring that advice in writing.

Because a buyer is on that list, the car may not need to go into the executor’s name before it’s sold. Ask the service centre which route suits your sale.

How does it work in Queensland?

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) handles the rego, and it has its own process for a vehicle from a deceased estate. Check with TMR what it needs before you lodge anything, and expect the same kinds of documents: proof of death, your own ID, and the will, probate or letters of administration.

The Queensland rule worth knowing is the safety certificate. One is normally needed when rego moves to a new owner, and each certificate covers one transfer only. TMR’s safety certificate page lists a beneficiary of a deceased estate among the exemptions, so a car passed to a beneficiary doesn’t need one.

Cars traded to licensed motor dealers are on that exemption list too, and if you sell to us we confirm what applies to your car on the call. If the estate sells privately instead, the seller has to give the buyer a current safety certificate. TMR says not doing so can mean a fine of over $700.

How does it work in Western Australia?

The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) handles vehicle licences, which is WA’s word for rego. The executor, or an administrator if there’s no will, deals with the transfer. DTMI sets out its own requirements for a deceased estate, so check them before you go, and expect to show proof of death, your ID and the will or letters of administration.

Selling works differently. Most WA sellers can notify DTMI online through DoTDirect, but DTMI’s selling page lists a deceased estate among the sales that need the paper MR9 form. The seller lodges the blue seller’s copy by mail or in person within 7 days of the sale. As with any WA sale, the buyer pays the transfer fee and vehicle licence duty.

What about Victoria and the other states?

In Victoria, VicRoads handles the transfer and the State Revenue Office sets motor vehicle duty. Ask both what applies to an estate car, including whether a duty exemption is available, before you agree a sale.

For South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT, expect to show the same kinds of documents, and check the detail with the authority before you sell.

Do you need probate before the car can be sold?

Not always for the rego. Probate is the Supreme Court’s confirmation of the will and the executor’s authority, and transport authorities don’t all insist on it. Service NSW, for example, accepts the will itself, or signed advice from a solicitor or NSW Trustee and Guardian, as well as probate. Other states set their own rules, so check with the transport authority.

Whether the estate as a whole needs probate is a question for its solicitor, and a lender may want to see proof of authority before it deals with you. Either way, a careful buyer will want proof that the person signing can sell, so have it ready before you accept an offer.

What if the car still has finance?

A car loan doesn’t end when the borrower dies. Moneysmart notes that with a secured car loan, the lender can take and sell the car if repayments aren’t met. Call the lender early, tell them about the death, and ask how repayments are handled meanwhile and what the payout figure is.

Not sure whether there’s a loan? A search of the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) shows whether a security interest is recorded against the car. It costs $2 online as at October 2026, and you need the VIN, not the plate number. Any buyer who searches sees the same record, so the loan has to be paid out at or before the sale.

Our guide to car loan payout letters explains the lender’s figure. If you sell to us, we deal with the lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay any equity. That usually takes 2 to 3 business days to settle. If the loan is more than the car is worth, the difference has to be covered before settlement. Our page on selling a car under finance walks through it.

Should the estate keep the car, pass it on or sell it?

The will often decides this. Otherwise, it usually comes down to three situations:

• A beneficiary wants the car and nothing is owing. Transfer it to them through the transport authority. In Queensland, the beneficiary doesn’t need a safety certificate for that transfer.
• A beneficiary wants the car but there’s a loan. Sort out the loan with the lender first, because the security interest stays on the car until it’s paid out.
• Nobody wants it, or the estate is to be divided in money. Sell it. A car that sits for months still costs rego and insurance.

A hypothetical example: your mother’s will leaves everything equally to you and your sister, and her 2022 hatch is in the garage at her house in Newcastle. Neither of you needs it. As executor, you sell it and sign the paperwork in that role. In NSW the buyer pays the transfer fee and stamp duty, so the estate pays neither, and the sale money is split as the will directs.

Selling the car from the estate

If you sell privately, that means listings, calls from strangers, test drives and checking that payment has really arrived, while you’re dealing with everything else an estate involves.

Selling to a licensed dealer takes most of that away. Sell Your Car Australia is run by Autohaus Australia Pty Ltd under NSW motor dealer licence MD 077404. Tell us on the call that you’re selling as executor, so we can confirm which documents we need before anything is signed. You get a genuine offer by phone, not an online estimate, and a deposit is often paid the same day. The inspection happens after you accept, at a time and place that suits you. The balance is then paid into your bank account, so tell us on the call if it should go to an estate account. We arrange collection from the home, anywhere in Australia, only after you confirm the funds have cleared. If no one can be there, a key drop-off can be arranged.

We prepare the sale paperwork and help with the transfer of ownership. Usually no roadworthy or safety certificate is needed when you sell to us; rules differ by state and we confirm on the call. Our guide to selling a car in Australia sets out each state’s seller steps.

We buy cars, utes, SUVs and 4WDs from 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less. If the car is older or has done more, send it through anyway and we’ll tell you straight away if we can help. Our page on selling a deceased estate car explains how it works with us, and how we can help covers other situations. The valuation is free, with no obligation and no fees taken out of the offer. You can also call 1800 73 55 73.