Is my car registered?

Remember those window stickers that would helpfully tell you when the registration for your car was due? While they might have been a little unsightly, a quick glance at the corner of your windscreen was a handy visual reminder to keep your car registered and legal.

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These days, the process to find your registration isn’t as instantaneous but that information still remains fairly easy to access – it’s in the palm of your hand.

Every state and territory has a vehicle registration-check website that will tell you when your registration needs to be renewed. All you have to do is go to your relevant state’s website and either input your number plate or your vehicle identification number (VIN) to find out when you need to renew.

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Also, your state’s road authority will send you a reminder via mail, email or text message to renew your registration just prior to the expiry date.

If no registration renewal is paid by the expiry date, your car is no longer registered. Usually, a car’s registration can be renewed up to three months after that expiry date before registration is cancelled.

It then becomes a more involved process of re-registry, requiring the surrender of your car's number plates, and obtaining another roadworthy certificate in order to register the car again.

Keep an eye on the relevant website or smartphone application to keep your car registered and legal, while minimising the legwork and expense.

How to check if a number plate is available

If you want to spice up your ride that much more, the option of securing a personalised plate is available. All road authorities in Australia have specific websites to order a personalised number plate, like vplates.com.au for Victorians or myplates.com.au for those in New South Wales. alt="" rel="122424" />Just do a web search for "personalised number plate [state]" and click the relevant link to your state's website.

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Simply input your desired combination into the entry field and the website will tell you whether you're able to order that specific number plate.

From there, customisation options are available like choosing the physical plate colour, design or size.