The acquisition date depends on the status of the registered person:
This refers to the secondary fuel used by a vehicle which normally operates on another fuel type such as petrol.
Indicates whether a motor vehicle has been:
Assembly type 'UNKNOWN' indicates that this information was not recorded at the time of registration.
The maximum design weight (in kilograms) for a group of axles on a heavy vehicle. The group of axles is not to be used for loads that exceed this value (including that share of the gross vehicle mass (GVM) of the vehicle that is borne by the axle group).
The axle group rating for a vehicle consists of:
The axle configuration, or 'AXLE TYPE', of a vehicle, where known, is indicated by one of the codes below. This piece of information is crucial is determining the road user charges (RUC) classification of a motor vehicle subject to RUC fees:
Design style of the vehicle, such as hatchback, convertible, etc.
A vehicle can be registered as follows:
i) 40% of the chassis rails and 50% of the crossmembers, or alternatively 40% of a spaceframe, or 40% of the floorpan of a unitary constructed body, which ever is appropriate: or
ii) for light vehicles, 40% of the bodywork (based on surface area of body panels but does not include the floorpan, internal bracing, sub panels, bulkheads or firewall).
Total displacement in cubic centimetres of all cylinders of the engine of a motor vehicle.
Some older vehicles may show incorrect values depending on whether or not the original displacement measurements had been converted from cubic inches or other measurement units before introduction of the metric system.
Certificates of Particulars are certified documents which provide vehicle ownership information. Enforcement users can apply for a Certificate of Particulars by supplying a plate number on the appropriate application form and paying the relevant fee. The Certificate of Particulars comes in two kinds:
Current Registered Person Certificate:
This shows details of the current registered person (with the first joint registered person) along with vehicle details.
Registered Person History Certificate:
This shows details of the current registered person (with the first joint registered person) and all previous registered persons along with vehicle details.
Note: Law changes that came into effect on 1 May 2011 restrict the number of persons who can be registered in respect of a vehicle at any given time to one only. Any persons jointly registered up to 1 May will remain recorded on the Motor Vehicle Register.
The vehicle details shown on the Certificates of Particulars are:
This process occurs in two steps:
The seller does not pay any fee when lodging the seller's notice of disposal (on form MR13A).
A fee is payable by the buyer on lodgement of the buyer's notice of acquisition (on form MR13B).
Prior to 1990, only chassis numbers were recorded. These cannot be used to uniquely identify a vehicle. With the introduction of the VIN system in 1990 a unique number is now being recorded.
Most vehicles registered before 1990 will have only the chassis number recorded unless the vehicle has had a VIN applied by a VIN agent.
Vehicles that were registered after 1990 may have both a VIN and a chassis number in cases where the manufacturer has not applied a VIN. However, most manufacturers now use VINs in place of chassis numbers. It is now compulsory for every vehicle that is registered in New Zealand for the first time to have a VIN. This includes used imported vehicles.
It is in the interests of vehicle registered persons to have a VIN on their vehicle as a protection against vehicle fraud since it gives a unique reference to a vehicle.
Certificate of Fitness inspection: normally applicable to heavy vehicles such as trucks, articulated trailers etc. CoF Inspections are required for vehicle safety purposes.
A vehicle that requires a CoF cannot legally be used on the road unless it has a current CoF.
A maximum of two colours can be recorded for a vehicle: the primary (main) colour and the secondary colour.
A registered person is COMPLETE when a form MR13B has been lodged and a valid ID has been produced. See Change of registered person.
As from 1 September 1997, the law requires the majority of vehicles to be licensed continuously. The continuous vehicle licensing (CVL) requirement means all vehicle registered persons pay the required amount and people who pay late pay the same as everyone else.
Most vehicles are subject to CVL. Some vehicles that are used only seasonally (such as caravans) are not subject to CVL. The continuous licence flag will show either YES or NO to indicate whether a vehicle type is subject to CVL or not.
CVL means that if a person fails to renew their licence by the expiry date, they will be required to pay for the licence back to the expiry date until the vehicle is given an exemption or ceases to be registered.
Country where the vehicle is built or manufactured (not merely assembled).
Crown plates are plates reserved for motor vehicles registered for use by government officials. Crown plates are issued from the range: CR1–CR9999. Crown plates can be returned and re-issued to different vehicles.
See Continuous vehicle licensing.
The imported damaged flag will display as:
The date and the time when a licence application is processed by an authorised agent of the NZ Transport Agency.
The date the vehicle was registered in New Zealand for the first time.
Date of the last recorded certificate of fitness (CoF) inspection for the vehicle.
All CoF inspections (both passed and failed) have been recorded in the vehicle register since February 1997.
Date of the last recorded warrant of fitness (WoF) inspection for the vehicle.
Only the most recent WoF prior to the relicensing is normally recorded. Since licensing is often done on an annual basis and WoFs are often required bi-annually, this item of information does not necessarily show if the vehicle has a current WoF.
Date when the odometer reading was recorded.
Odometer readings are taken on the date of the WoF inspection.
Date when a plate is issued to a vehicle.
This indicates the date when the query is processed by the mainframe computer to extract the required information. In the case of overnight queries (batch processing), for example, the 'date query processed' will be later than the date the queries are submitted by the user if the query is processed after midnight.
This indicates the date a vehicle was reported stolen to the NZ Police. This information is obtained from the enforcement computer system, not from the Motor Vehicle Register (LANDATA).
This information may not always be present on query of a plate.
Diplomatic and consular plates are issued to vehicles owned by diplomatic missions and consular missions. Diplomatic plates are recognised by the letters DC whereas consular plates are recognised by CC. Diplomatic and consular can be returned and re-issued to different vehicles.
The serial number of the engine of a self-propelled vehicle. This information is normally supplied by the vehicle manufacturer.
A fleet vehicle forms part of a number of vehicles registered to one person or organisation. Fleet vehicles are relicensed by way of relicense schedule with payment made by direct debit.
There is no mandatory requirement for fleet owners to register vehicles as 'fleet vehicles'. They do this because they wish to use the time saving bulk relicense facilities provided by the Transport Agency.
The type of fuel used in the engine of a motor vehicle. This refers to the primary fuel type if the vehicle also runs on an alternative fuel type such as LPG or CNG. Fuel types can be:
The manufacturer's gross laden weight of a vehicle in kilograms.
Some older vehicles may show incorrect values as GVM, depending on whether or not the original weight measurements had been converted from non-metric values.
This displays the serial make and serial number of the hubodometer affixed to the RUC vehicles.
A registered person is INCOMPLETE when the buyer has lodged the MR13B, but failed to produce a valid ID at the time of lodgement of the form.
See Change of registered person.
Vehicle servicing or repair centre authorised by the Transport Agency to carry out inspection on a motor vehicle, primarily, but not solely, for the purpose of issuing a warrant of fitness or certificate of fitness.
The joint registered person is the person who was jointly registered in respect of a vehicle with another person.
Note: Law changes that came into effect on 1 May 2011 restrict the number of persons who can be registered in respect of a vehicle at any given time to one only. Any persons jointly registered up to 1 May will remain recorded on the Motor Vehicle Register.
The odometer reading for the last recorded CoF or WoF.
This reading may be in miles or kilometres depending on the age of the vehicle.
A vehicle with fleet/lease indicator set as LEASE indicates that the vehicle under query is leased from a vehicle lease/rental firm by the person or organisation recorded as the vehicle's registered person.
The law requires that the person or company using the vehicle be recorded as the 'registered person', not the vehicle lease/rental firm who legally 'owns' the vehicle.
The name of the vehicle lease/rental firm, if recorded, will be shown in the fleet/lease registered person name field. There is no legal requirement for a lease vehicle to be recorded as such as it is the registered person (the user) who will be held liable in the event of a traffic offence.
The lease registered person name will continue to be shown in the registered person history until 12 months after a change of registered person.
The date when a licence expires.
There are three types of licences:
The process of issuing a licence which allows the vehicle to be used on the road. Vehicles are licensed after they are registered. The vehicle owner pays a licensing fee, and a licence label is attached to the vehicle.
List in chronological order of all plates issued to a vehicle.
The last recorded mailing address of a vehicle's registered person.
The brand name of the manufacturer of a vehicle.
Examples: ALFA ROMEO, FORD, TOYOTA, etc.
The maximum gross weight of a towed vehicle that the registered vehicle is permitted to tow.
The description of a vehicle produced by the manufacturer.
Examples: COROLLA, ESCORT, MX5, etc.
Vehicle drawn or propelled by mechanical power. For the purposes of Motor Vehicle Registration, this definition includes trailers, but does not include contrivances such as a vehicle running on rails or a disabled person's motorised wheelchair.
Number of axles of a vehicle. Will be shown as '0' if this information was not recorded when the vehicle was first registered in New Zealand.
Seating capacity of a vehicle. This information is normally supplied by the vehicle manufacturer.
A New Zealand government organisation. Everything the NZ Transport Agency does must influence our transport partners and the users of the transport system towards sustainability and greater safety in land transport. It is the regulatory authority for ensuring the safe operation of motor vehicles in New Zealand. The Transport Agency appoints agents to perform certain functions on its behalf, such as motor vehicle registration and licensing, certifying motor vehicles and issuing vehicle identification numbers.
A vehicle odometer records distance travelled. Most vehicles have an odometer installed in their speedometer.
See also Latest odometer and Date of odometer reading.
The odometer unit will display either as 'miles' or 'kilometres' based on the odometer unit in the vehicle. The text 'non-applicable' will be displayed if the odometer unit is not applicable.
Personalised plates are plates with unique character combinations chosen by the registered persons of the plates and purchased from Personalised Plates Limited.
A personalised plate can be used on different vehicles. Appropriate change of plate transactions must be lodged to transfer a personalised plate from vehicle to vehicle.
The last recorded physical address of a vehicle registered person.
The unique combination of characters, alphabetical and/or numeric, assigned to a motor vehicle registered in accordance with transport legislation. The maximum number of characters of a plate number is six.
Different vehicle types requires different plate styles:
Any plate type, except trade plates, can be in GP, MC or TL style.
The following plate types are in use in New Zealand:
Power output of the engine of a motor vehicle as rated by the manufacturer (in kilowatts).
Some vehicles may be showing brake horsepower (bhp) for this figure.
Country where a vehicle has been previously registered before arrival in New Zealand.
The registered person of a motor vehicle is the natural person or legal entity (such as a limited liability company) lawfully entitled to possession of the motor vehicle. The registered person of a motor vehicle is not necessarily the legal owner of that vehicle, as in the case of a lease vehicle or a vehicle on hire-purchase.
The ownership status of a registered person in the Motor Vehicle Register can be:
Refer to Change of registered person and the sections explaining each of the above statuses.
The process of adding a vehicle to the motor vehicle register, the list of all vehicles currently used on the road in New Zealand. Vehicles, whether new or used, are registered when first brought into New Zealand, and have registration plates (number plates) attached at this time. Until a vehicle is registered, it cannot be driven on the road and must be towed or carried for transport.
Registration has been traditionally confused with licensing, when people refer to the renewal of licence in order to obtain a new licence label (the 'licence sticker') to place on their vehicles.
See Licensing.
The registration status will show as:
This indicator will show 'Y' for yes if the odometer is reliable, or 'N' for no if the odometer is unreliable. The information is entered at the time the vehicle is last inspected.
Renewal of a vehicle licence. See Licensing.
The new registration plate issued to a vehicle to replace a previous plate which has been damaged, lost, or stolen, or to change to or from transferable plates such as personalised plates, diplomatic plates, etc.
This message will display to indicate that the vehicle has been reported stolen to the NZ Police. This information is obtained from police systems, not from the Motor Vehicle Register.
The result will be shown as:
The result will be shown as:
End distance reading of the latest RUC distance licence.
Date of issue of the RUC licence.
Start distance reading of the latest distance licence.
All diesel powered vehicles and other vehicles powered by a fuel not taxed at source, regardless of weight, must pay road user charges (RUC). Vehicles with a manufacturer's gross laden weight of more than 3.5 tonnes (3500kg) must also pay RUC.
Vehicles whose power is wholly or partly derived from an external source of electricity and whose gross laden weight is 3.5 tonnes or less are exempt from RUC until 30 June 2020.
The types of RUC licence are:
The RUC weight of the vehicle is the lesser of the:
RUC fees are determined by the design of a vehicle. Specific attributes such as number of axles and axle type are combined to provide set criteria known as RUC vehicle type descriptions. RUC vehicle type information consists of a numeric code for each type.
If the registered person is an individual (legally defined as a 'natural person'), the sex will be shown as 'M' for male, or 'F' for female. Where the registered person is not a natural person, this field will show 'C' for limited liability company, or 'O' for other organisation.
This information is not mandatory and is only recorded if the registered person has provided it.
Standard plates are sequentially numbered plates issued by government for use on motor vehicles registered in New Zealand. Standard plates can only be used on the vehicles to which they are originally assigned.
Indicates that the vehicle is subject to certificate of fitness (CoF) inspection.
Indicates that the vehicle is subject to road user charges (RUC).
Indicates that the vehicle is subject to warrant of fitness (WoF) inspection.
In addition to the model description, some manufacturers also provide submodel details to distinguish between vehicles with the same model name, but with different specifications.
The unladen weight of a vehicle (usually indicated in kilograms).
Trade plates come in two styles:
Trade plates are issued to motor vehicle dealers, manufacturers and assemblers for use on unregistered vehicles.
For more information see trade plates.
Trade plates are registered to the user, not the vehicle. For this reason, it is not possible to obtain vehicle details by querying a trade plate because no vehicle details are recorded against a trade plate.
Name of the business, or trade name, of a vehicle registered person, when the vehicle's registered person has requested that this information be shown on motor vehicle registration forms and other documents generated from the Motor Vehicle Register. Trading names are generally not regarded as 'legal' names, and therefore cannot be used in the event of a traffic inquiry.
A registered person is UNCONFIRMED when a form MR13A has been lodged by the seller, but the MR13B has yet to be lodged by the buyer.
See Change of registered person.
See Reliable odometer.
The registered purpose for which the vehicle is used. Different regulations and licence requirements apply to different types of usage.
A unique 17-character series assigned to the vehicle for the purpose of identification. Most vehicles registered in New Zealand for the first time are required to have a VIN. Trailers and caravans are exempted.
Vehicles are registered according to types: passenger car, motorcycle, trailer, goods van/truck/utility, etc.
See Vehicle identification number.
The longitudinal distance between the first and last axle of a motor vehicle. The wheelbase is normally indicated in millimetres.
Warrant of fitness (WoF) inspections normally apply to passenger cars and light vehicles. WoF inspections are required for vehicle safety purposes. A vehicle that requires a WoF cannot legally be used on the road unless it has a current WoF certificate.
