Before you can use a vehicle on the road, it must be registered.
Registration is paying a one-off fee to add a vehicle’s details to the Motor Vehicle Register. When it’s added to the register, we issue number plates for it. This usually only happens once for most vehicles, when they’ve arrived in New Zealand and are first going to be used on the road.
Sometimes registration is confused with vehicle licensing (rego), which isn't the same thing.
It's about keeping people safe.
Vehicles have safety and identification inspections when they’re registered. This helps us make sure that only vehicles meeting New Zealand safety standards are being used on our roads. Having a record of vehicles and their details helps us and the police with enforcement responsibilities.
As part of the registration process, the vehicle will be:
Find a registration agent near you
If the vehicle meets the standards during certification, the certifier will print a registration application form (MR2A) for the vehicle. Take the MR2A and your identification to the registration agent.
If it isn’t the first time the vehicle is being registered, you’ll need to provide proof that the vehicle has been registered in New Zealand before.
You'll need to pay registration fees to the agent when you're registering your vehicle.
You may need to pay a tyre stewardship fee when you register a vehicle for the first time. This fee will cover the cost of recycling the tyres when they reach the end of their life.
If you import a vehicle manufactured outside of New Zealand, and it’s imported partially disassembled (including the tyres) and then re-assembled in New Zealand, you’ll need to pay a tyre stewardship fee when you register the vehicle. In this case, the Country of origin on the registration form must be the country where it was manufactured (not New Zealand).
If your vehicle was principally manufactured in New Zealand, you won’t need to pay a tyre stewardship fee when you register it. This is because the fee is collected when the tyres are bought. In this case, the Country of origin on the registration form should be New Zealand.
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Once the vehicle is registered, we’ll send a Certificate of registration to the registered person. It lists the vehicle’s details and the registered person’s details and responsibilities.
If any details on your certificate are incorrect or they change (eg you paint your car a different colour) you need to let us know.
You can call us on 0800 108 809 to request a replacement Certificate of registration. You'll need a Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card for paying the fee of $14.92.
The registered person is the person recorded on the Motor Vehicle Register as the person responsible for the vehicle.
This isn't the same as legal ownership (and the Motor Vehicle Register doesn't record legal ownership).
Find out what it means to be a registered person
You can cancel your vehicle's registration at any time, but you must take the vehicle off the road and hand in the number plates. We may cancel your vehicle's registration too, in some situations.
Find out more about cancelling your registration
If your vehicle's registration has been cancelled but you want to use it on the road again, you need to register it again.
Find out how to reregister your vehicle
Vehicles used on a private road don't have to be registered and licensed. There are other reasons why your vehicle may not have to be registered and licensed.
Find out which vehicles are exempt
The following vehicles are not required to undergo entry certification before being registered:
These are known as ‘non-VIN’ vehicles – they don’t require a vehicle identification number (VIN). You can apply to register these by completing a ‘non-VIN’ vehicle form (form MR2B) and presenting it to a registration agent.
