Do You Need a Permit to Drive an Unregistered Vehicle in QLD?

How much is a day permit in QLD?

The permit fee is $40.20 a day, and you pay for CTP insurance on top. Those are the fees as at 1 July 2026; they go up every July.

So one day costs $40.20 plus the CTP base rate, and a three-day permit costs $120.60 plus the base rate and $2.20. The base rate depends on the insurer you pick, and the Motor Accident Insurance Commission has a price comparison tool for permit CTP. Buy only the days you need: the first day is never refunded, and an expired permit isn't refunded at all.

"Day permit", "day pass" and "temporary rego" are what most people call it. The official name is an unregistered vehicle permit, and the same permit covers one day or seven.

Applying online or in person

The online service asks for the VIN or chassis number, the vehicle and journey details, and a Visa or Mastercard to pay the fee and the CTP together. You pick a Class 22 CTP insurer as part of the application. You need a Queensland driver licence number or customer reference number to use it. If you don't have one, either someone who does can apply for you, or you go in person.

In person, you fill in form F3523 at a transport and motoring customer service centre and show evidence of identity. That's also the only way to use a prepaid Class 22 CTP certificate, or to get a permit for a car built before 1930 that has an engine number instead of a VIN.

Before you drive, take the number plates off. You have to detach them while the car is on a permit, and the driver has to carry the permit for the whole trip. Take the most direct route to where you're going. Make sure the dates on the permit and on the CTP certificate match, or part of the trip won't be covered.

When you need a permit

Under TMR's rules, the common reasons are:

• You've bought an unregistered car and need to move it.
• The rego has expired and the car needs repairs, or its annual certificate of inspection, and you haven't been given an extension of time.
• The car was refused registration at a customer service centre and needs to go home.
• You're moving it to another state or territory to register it there.
• You're towing an unregistered car, trailer or caravan.
• You're moving house, or the car only gets used on private property and needs to go somewhere else.

Trips that don't need a permit

A few short trips are allowed without one, as long as you carry a valid CTP certificate and don't stop anywhere else on the way:

• getting a safety certificate or certificate of inspection, including the road test;
• getting a gas or weighbridge certificate;
• a written-off vehicle inspection, for repairable write-offs only;
• driving to your nearest transport and motoring customer service centre to register it (without the old plates on).

If the car fails a safety, gas or written-off vehicle inspection, it can't be driven or towed home. It has to be carried on a truck or trailer.

When you can't get a permit

TMR won't issue a permit if the car:

• isn't safe to drive, or has failed (or would fail) a safety inspection;
• still has its number plates on;
• is being moved into Queensland from another state (buy the permit in the state where the trip starts);
• has no VIN or chassis number;
• has no compliance plate and no entry on the Register of Approved Vehicles;
• has a serious unresolved manufacturer recall, such as the Takata airbag recall;
• is written off and needs to be moved, even to get a written-off vehicle inspection;
• is left-hand drive and under 25 years old, or left-hand drive and 4.5 tonnes or more;
• is modified (a specially constructed car or a stock car, for example), or an import that hasn't been certified yet;
• is carrying a load for hire or reward, or is being used for a wedding, formal or other paid event.

Two of these catch buyers out after they've paid: an open Takata recall and a written-off record. Both show up on a Queensland PPSR check from Carify, which lists open recalls alongside the official PPSR certificate, so run one before you hand over money for a car you can't drive home.

What happens if you drive an unregistered car in QLD?

Driving an unregistered car is one offence, and driving an uninsured one is another, so without a permit you can be fined for both. These are the on-the-spot fines at the 2026-27 penalty unit of $172.70:

If it goes to court, the maximum for each offence is 80 penalty units, or $13,816. Police can also impound the car when you're caught driving it both unregistered and uninsured more than once in five years: for 7 days the second time, 90 days the third time, and until the case is finished the fourth time, after which the car can be forfeited to the state.

Towing it or putting it on a truck instead

Towing an unregistered car behind your own vehicle still needs a permit. A car being towed by a tow truck doesn't need registration, and a car carried on a trailer or tilt tray isn't being driven at all. If the car isn't safe to drive, TMR says to get a tow truck.

Driving an unregistered car interstate

The permit comes from the state where the trip starts. Leaving Queensland, a QLD permit covers the whole trip, including the part over the border. The one exception is Western Australia, where some trips need an in-person application. Coming into Queensland, you need a permit from the state you're leaving.

Buying an unregistered car in Queensland

It's legal to sell a car with no rego, and plenty of private sellers do. Before you agree on a price, find out what it will take to register it: a safety certificate at the very least, and repairs if it won't pass. Our guides to renewing an expired rego and how rego works in each state cover the rest of the process.