Selling Your Car
How to Sell Your Car in Queensland: The Paperwork, Step by Step
The safety certificate, the transfer form, the 14-day transfer and how to protect yourself until the registration is out of your name: selling a car in Queensland, step by step.
Selling a car privately in Queensland isn’t hard, but the paperwork matters. Get it wrong and you can end up paying for someone else’s tolls and fines. I see it happen more often than you would think.
Here is the process step by step, based on the Queensland Government’s rules.
Before you advertise
1. Make sure the car is safe and legal
The Queensland Government expects a car you sell to be in a safe and legal condition. If it isn’t, you can repair it, sell it to a dealer or dismantler, or sell it unregistered.
2. Clear any finance
If there is money owing on the car, sort it out with your lender before you sell. Most buyers will run a PPSR check, and finance showing on the register will stop a sale quickly.
3. Gather the history
Service books, receipts, the spare key and the owner’s manual all help. A complete service history is one of the first things a careful buyer asks for, and it can make a real difference to the price.
4. Price it realistically
Compare similar cars with similar kilometres and condition. Be honest about any faults. A buyer who finds a problem you didn’t mention will usually walk away or push the price down hard.
The safety certificate
You no longer need a safety certificate just to advertise a registered car. But you must give the buyer a current one when the registration is transferred, unless the car is exempt. For a private seller it is valid for 2 months or 2,000 km and can only be used for one transfer, so time the inspection close to the sale. If the car runs on gas, you also need a gas certificate that is less than 3 months old at transfer.
More detail is in our guide to safety certificates in Queensland.
Before you hand over the keys
- Remove the registration from direct debit, so you aren’t charged after the sale.
- Remove toll tags and update your Linkt account.
- Make sure the money has cleared before the buyer drives away. A bank transfer that has arrived in your account is safest.
The registration transfer
In Queensland, the buyer and seller both complete and sign a vehicle registration transfer application (form F3520). You may also be able to do the transfer online.
- Complete the form together on the day of sale. You fill in Part B, the seller’s copy, and have the buyer sign it.
- Give the buyer the safety certificate. For a handwritten certificate, that is the original blue copy. For an electronic certificate, a printed copy or the certificate number on the form.
- Keep Part B until the registration is out of your name.
- The buyer lodges Part A within 14 days and pays the transfer fee and any vehicle registration duty. As the seller, you pay nothing to transfer the registration out of your name.
One more thing to check: you can’t transfer a car that is subject to SPER enforcement action, so clear any outstanding fines first.
Protect yourself until the transfer is done
This is the step people skip. Until the transfer is finalised, the car is still registered to you, and you may be held accountable for offences committed by the buyer. That includes tolls and camera fines.
If the buyer doesn’t lodge the transfer, you can lodge your Part B yourself with a copy of the safety certificate. I would rather do that than wait and hope.
Selling unregistered
An unregistered car doesn’t need a safety certificate to be sold. But it can’t be driven on the road, so the buyer needs an unregistered vehicle permit or a trailer to move it.
The easier option: sell to a licensed dealer
Even the Queensland Government says the easiest way to sell is to a licensed motor dealer. You don’t need a safety certificate, you don’t deal with strangers or test drives, and the transfer is handled properly.
At Safeway Auto there are three ways to do it:
- Sell your car to us for a direct offer.
- Trade in when you buy one of our cars.
- Consignment, where we sell it for you from our showroom. Here is how private sale and consignment compare.
Quick answers
Who lodges the transfer when you sell a car in Queensland?
The buyer lodges Part A of form F3520 within 14 days. If they don’t, the seller can lodge Part B with a copy of the safety certificate.
Does the seller pay any fees to transfer registration in QLD?
No. The buyer pays the transfer fee and any vehicle registration duty.
Do I need a safety certificate to sell my car privately?
Yes, at the time of transfer, unless the car is exempt or unregistered. You don’t need one to advertise it, or if you sell to a licensed dealer.
Am I responsible for fines after I sell my car?
You can be, until the registration transfer is finalised. Keep your copy of the form and lodge it yourself if needed.
Selling a car in Brisbane?
Send us the details through our sell your car page, or get in touch. Safeway Auto is a licensed Queensland motor dealer (licence 4738159) at 4 Ferry Road, West End.
Continue with Safeway Auto
About Safeway Auto
Safeway Auto is a boutique used car dealership at 4 Ferry Road, West End, Brisbane. We select late-model vehicles with clear history and documented servicing, and we also help people sell, trade in, consign and source cars.
