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National heavy vehicle plates are issued in the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and – on a voluntary basis – in the Northern Territory, where you can opt to be issued with a national heavy vehicle plate with any transaction. In the other participating states and territories, national plates will be issued whenever:
- a new heavy vehicle is registered
- an unregistered heavy vehicle is re-registered
- a state or territory registration is transferred to a jurisdiction other than Western Australia
- a lost, damaged, destroyed or stolen number plate is replaced.
What does the new national heavy vehicle plate look like?
It will look like the example below, with black lettering on a white background and a blue ‘national heavy vehicle’ sash across the bottom.
If I want to swap my existing plate for a national heavy vehicle plate, how do I do this?
To swap your plate over, take your existing plate to a transport authority customer service centre in the state or territory where your vehicle is registered. This, of course, doesn’t apply in Western Australia, where national plates aren’t issued. Fees will apply.
What happens when I transfer the registration of a heavy vehicle with a national heavy vehicle plate to another state or territory?
If you’re transferring it to any state or territory apart from Western Australia, the vehicle will keep the same national heavy vehicle plate. If you’re transferring it to Western Australia, you’ll be issued with a new Western Australia plate.
If the transfer involves a change of ownership, some states and territories may require you to change the plate.
What happens to the national heavy vehicle plate when I sell a vehicle?
This depends on the state or territory your vehicle is registered in. The transport authority customer service centre in the state or territory where your vehicle is registered will be able to tell you more.
Can I customise my national heavy vehicle plate?
This varies between states and territories. Contact your local transport authority customer service centre or visit their website for more information about customised plates.