What Paperwork Do You Need to Sell a Car in QLD? A Seller's Checklist

By A1 Cash for Cars Team · Last updated: 23 October 2026

This checklist covers the paperwork to sell a car QLD owners need, whether you sell privately or to a licensed motor dealer. Missing one step can leave you paying someone else’s tolls and fines, so here’s what to prepare, sign and keep.

What paperwork do I need to sell a car in QLD?

To sell a registered car privately in Queensland, you need your ID, proof you own the car, a current safety certificate and the vehicle registration transfer application (F3520) or an online transfer. Cars with a gas system also need a gas certificate. Sell to a licensed dealer or sell unregistered, and you won’t need the safety certificate.

• ID and proof you can sell it: photo ID plus your registration certificate or other proof you’re the registered operator.
• Transfer form (F3520): you and the buyer both sign it. The buyer lodges Part A and you keep Part B. TMR recommends completing Part B on the day of sale even if you transfer online (Queensland Government).
• Gas certificate (gas-fitted cars only): less than 3 months old at transfer.
• A signed receipt with the date, price, make, model and VIN.

Who does what when you sell a car in Queensland?

In a Queensland private sale, the seller supplies the safety certificate, signs the transfer and keeps Part B of the form. The buyer lodges the transfer within 14 days and pays the transfer fee and any vehicle registration duty. The seller pays no TMR fees to transfer the registration out of their name.

Task	Seller	Buyer
Safety certificate (private sale, registered car)	Yes	No
Gas certificate (gas-fitted cars)	Yes	No
Complete and sign the F3520 transfer form	Yes (signs, keeps Part B)	Yes (signs, lodges Part A)
Online transfer	Starts it	Finalises it within 14 days
Pay the transfer fee and vehicle registration duty	No	Yes
Remove toll tags and direct debit	Yes	No

Sources: Transfer in person and transfer online, Queensland Government.

How do I transfer my rego when I sell my car?

You can transfer the registration in person with the F3520 form or online in two steps. Online, the seller transfers it out of their name first, then the buyer finalises it and pays. The seller’s part costs nothing. Either way, the transfer must be done within 14 days of the sale.

Transferring online

You’ll need the buyer’s name, email and Queensland licence or customer reference number, plus the sale date, price and odometer reading (Queensland Government).

You can’t transfer online if, for example, personalised or customised plates are attached, the car has a gas system, it’s registered to a company with an ACN, it’s going to more than 1 person, or it’s subject to SPER enforcement action.

Transferring in person

The buyer lodges Part A of the F3520 at a transport and motoring customer service centre, or a QGAP office, Magistrates Court or police station that offers registration services.

If the buyer doesn’t lodge the transfer

Check My registrations online or call TMR on 13 23 80. If the car is still in your name, lodge Part B yourself with a copy of the safety certificate, because you may be held accountable for the buyer’s offences until the transfer is finalised (Queensland Government).

Do I need a safety certificate to sell my car in QLD?

Yes, if you’re selling a registered car privately. You no longer need one before you advertise, but you must have a current safety certificate before you hand the car over. You don’t need one if you sell to a licensed motor dealer or sell the car unregistered. Without one, you can be fined over $700.

According to the Queensland Government:

• Only an approved inspection station (AIS) can issue one. As at 1 July 2026, the official fee for a motor vehicle up to 4,500kg GVM is $102.70 including GST.
• It’s valid for 2 months or 2,000km (whichever comes first) for private sellers, and it can be used for 1 transfer only.
• Exemptions include exempt areas, deceased estate beneficiaries and transfers between spouses.

What paperwork do I need to sell an unregistered car?

You don’t need a safety certificate to sell an unregistered car in Queensland. Instead, create a written record of the sale that both of you sign and keep, showing the VIN, chassis or engine number, the make and model, and the sale date. A simple contract or receipt is usually enough.

Driving it on the road needs an unregistered vehicle permit and CTP for the trip; otherwise it must be towed. For non-running cars, see our guide to selling a car that won’t start in Brisbane.

Can I sell a car with finance owing in QLD?

Yes, but any finance has to be disclosed and generally paid out before ownership can change hands. Buyers can see a finance interest by running a $2 online PPSR search on the car’s VIN. Get a payout figure from your lender first, so you know exactly what’s owed before you agree on a price.

The PPSR Car Check also shows whether a car is recorded as written off or stolen. Run one on your own car so there are no surprises.

What if my car has been written off?

If your insurer has written off the car, it will normally tell TMR. If the car is a total loss and no insurer or other notifier has reported it, you must notify TMR yourself before you sell or dispose of it, using the written-off vehicle notification form (F4069). Always tell buyers about a write-off upfront.

Write-off status is permanent, even after repairs (Queensland Government), and your insurer may take over the registration as part of the claim. Our hail-damaged car guide explains repairable and statutory write-offs in more detail.

Should I cancel my rego instead of transferring it?

Cancel the registration if the car is being scrapped or sold unregistered. Use the cancellation form (F3517) and hand in both number plates. If the rego is current and in your name, you may get a refund of the unused registration and CTP premium, minus a cancellation fee. Transfer it instead if the buyer will keep driving it.

You can lodge the form in person, by mail or by email. You don’t need to hand in plates you’re keeping (personalised or customised), lost or stolen plates, or plates from a written-off car. Refunds exclude the traffic improvement fee and other surcharges (Queensland Government).

What if I’m selling a car for someone else or a deceased estate?

If the registered owner has died, the registration must be transferred into the estate, or to another person, before it can be cancelled. The executor, administrator or next of kin completes form F5296 and shows the required documents, such as the grant of probate or the will. Selling for a living owner usually requires written authority.

From the Queensland Government:

• With probate or letters of administration: bring the original or certified copies, plus F5296.
• Without probate: the executor named in the will, or the next of kin if there’s no will, completes F5296 including the statutory declaration.
• Joint registration: the surviving operator can transfer it free with proof of death and ID.
• 30-day survival rule: a beneficiary generally must survive the deceased by 30 days before the rego can be transferred to them.

Acting for a living owner? TMR’s Authority to Represent Registered Operator form (F5225) applies, with ID for both of you.

What should I do after I sell my car?

Once the sale is done, protect yourself. Keep your copy of the receipt and Part B of the transfer form, and check online that the car is out of your name within 14 days. Remove toll tags, update Linkt, stop the rego direct debit and cancel or move your car insurance.

• Keep copies of the receipt, Part B and the safety certificate number. Queensland doesn’t use a separate notice-of-disposal form for a standard sale, so these are your proof.
• Remove toll tags and update Linkt, and take the rego off direct debit (Queensland Government).
• Cancel or move your insurance once the car is no longer yours.
• Keeping personalised plates? Sort them out before the sale (personalised plates).

Printable checklist: selling a car in QLD

Before you sell

• ☐ Photo ID and proof you’re the registered operator
• ☐ Finance paid out or disclosed (run a $2 PPSR check)
• ☐ Write-off notified to TMR, if required
• ☐ Safety certificate (private sale, registered car only)
• ☐ Gas certificate (if a gas system is fitted)
• ☐ Personalised plates sorted

On the day of sale

• ☐ F3520 completed and signed by both of you, or the online seller transfer lodged
• ☐ Signed receipt with VIN, date and price
• ☐ Safety certificate or its number given to the buyer

After the sale

• ☐ Toll tags removed and Linkt updated
• ☐ Rego direct debit stopped
• ☐ Insurance cancelled or moved
• ☐ Transfer confirmed within 14 days (check My registrations)
• ☐ Rego cancelled and plates surrendered, if the car is being scrapped

How does selling to A1 Cash for Cars work?

Selling to A1 Cash for Cars cuts the paperwork down. We’re a licensed motor dealer, so you don’t need a safety certificate. Have valid ID and evidence you’re legally entitled to sell the car, and tell us about any finance owing. We’ll confirm the paperwork to have ready before pickup.

• No safety certificate needed. Queensland doesn’t require one when you sell to a licensed motor dealer.
• Damaged, non-running or written off? A1 can often collect written-off cars, subject to ownership, insurer status and safe access. See Cash for Damaged Cars.
• Free, no-obligation quote. From our Willawong yard we cover Brisbane North and South, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, mainland Redlands and selected Gold Coast suburbs. See our service locations.

Still deciding? Compare selling privately vs selling to a car wrecker.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to transfer rego after selling a car in QLD?

Within 14 days of the sale. The buyer usually lodges it, but check it’s done, because the car stays your responsibility until then.

Do I need a safety certificate to sell my car to a dealer in QLD?

No. Queensland doesn’t require a safety certificate when you sell to a licensed motor dealer. A1 Cash for Cars is a licensed motor dealer, so you don’t need one to sell to us.

Who pays the transfer fee when selling a car in QLD?

The buyer pays the transfer fee and any vehicle registration duty. The seller pays nothing to transfer the rego out of their name.

Is there a notice of disposal in QLD?

Not as a separate form for a standard sale. Keep Part B of the F3520 (or your online transfer confirmation) and a signed receipt as proof.

Can I sell a car that’s still under finance?

Yes, but it must be disclosed and generally paid out before ownership can transfer.

About the author

A1 Cash for Cars Team. A1 Cash for Cars is a licensed motor dealer at 60 Bowhill Rd, Willawong, buying unwanted, damaged and non-running vehicles across South East Queensland. This guide is general information, not legal advice; check the linked Queensland Government pages for current rules.

Ready to sell without the safety certificate?

Call 0400 119 641 or request a free quote. We’ll explain what paperwork to have ready before we confirm pickup.