Importing a car into Australia is a two-layer process: the Commonwealth controls whether the vehicle can enter the country at all, and your state or territory controls whether it can be registered for the road. Get the order wrong — especially by shipping before approval — and it gets expensive fast.
Step 1: Pick your import pathway
Under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, most private imports come in via one of four routes:
- Type-approved vehicles (RAV entry) — the standard route for new vehicles supplied through manufacturers.
- Concessional RAV entry / SEVS — specialist and enthusiast vehicles on the SEVS register, imported and complied through a Registered Automotive Workshop (RAW).
- Older vehicles — anything manufactured 25 or more years ago.
- Personal imports — for people relocating to Australia who have owned and used the vehicle overseas for at least 12 months.
Step 2: Get a Vehicle Import Approval before shipping
All applications go through the government's ROVER portal. Application fees are modest (roughly $35–$100 depending on pathway), but allow around 20 working days for a decision — and up to 60 for complex cases. Never ship first: without a VIA, Border Force won't release the vehicle, and storage or re-export costs dwarf any saving.
Step 3: Biosecurity and asbestos
The vehicle must arrive clean — interior, exterior and underbody — to Department of Agriculture standards, or you'll pay for cleaning and re-inspection at the wharf. Shipments from BMSB (stink bug) risk countries between September and April need approved treatment. Separately, Australia's asbestos ban applies: older vehicles may need gaskets, brake and clutch components tested or replaced before Border Force will clear them.
Step 4: Duty, GST and LCT
Expect customs duty (commonly up to 5 per cent, with free-trade agreements reducing it to zero for many origins), 10 per cent GST on the landed value, and Luxury Car Tax above the indexed threshold — check the ATO for current figures. A licensed customs broker is worth their fee here.
Step 5: Compliance
SEVS vehicles are complied by the RAW; other pathways may need work to meet Australian Design Rules before they're road-eligible.
Step 6: Registering it — state by state
Every jurisdiction requires an identity/safety inspection before first registration of an import, and most offer an unregistered vehicle permit to get it to the inspection legally:
- NSW — AUVIS ("blue slip") inspection, plus a separate CTP green slip before Transport for NSW registers it.
- VIC — VicRoads registration inspection plus a roadworthy certificate.
- QLD — TMR inspection and safety certificate.
- WA — Department of Transport licensing via an Authorised Inspection Station.
- SA — identity inspection arranged through Service SA.
- TAS — Approved Inspection Station check via Service Tasmania.
- ACT — inspection through Access Canberra.
- NT — MVR inspection (vehicles five years or older need a roadworthy for first NT registration).
Exporting a car from Australia
Going the other way is simpler — there's no general Commonwealth export approval for road vehicles — but the checklist still matters:
- Lodge an export declaration (goods worth more than $2,000 generally need one) via Border Force or your freight agent.
- Clear any finance on the PPSR — encumbered vehicles cause problems at both ends.
- Cancel the registration and return the plates per your state's rules; most jurisdictions refund unused registration.
- Research the destination country's rules first — vehicle age limits, left/right-hand drive restrictions, emissions standards and their own biosecurity cleaning requirements (New Zealand's are strict) decide everything.
Requirements change. Verify current rules at infrastructure.gov.au, the ABF, DAFF and the ATO before committing money.