How often you must pay for your greenslip depends on how often you pay for your registration. This is because the period of your greenslip always matches the period of your registration.
This is the sixth article in our re-issued 8-part series, How greenslip insurance works.
What are registration periods?
In NSW, registration periods for most vehicles are 6 or 12 months only. If you own a heavy vehicle or trailer, there is an extra option of 3 months.
The period of your greenslip must match the registration period. This means you must pay for a greenslip every 6 or 12 months unless you are a heavy vehicle owner, who can buy 3-month greenslips. Meanwhile, NSW car dealers can sell a used car that is registered for 3, 6 or 12 months.
There are no signs the NSW government plans to offer shorter registration periods, as available in some states and territories.
When you must register for 12 months
On some occasions you can register for 12 months only:
- The first registration of a vehicle
- If you renew registration more than 21 days after your renewal was due, whether it was for 6 or 12 months
- Registration of a vehicle requiring a blue slip (a vehicle being transferred from interstate or with a cancelled registration).
If you have just moved to NSW, you have to start a new registration for 12 months initially. After that, you can renew for 6 months.
When does my registration expire?
Registration expires at midnight on the day before the renewal date printed on your renewal form.
For example, if you first registered your new Ford on 30 June 2023, registration expires at midnight on 29 June 2024.
Some people wonder if they can change their registration period before renewal time, to help with finances. Unfortunately, you can’t switch to a different registration period until it’s time to renew.
In the example above, you can switch to a 6-month renewal period after 29 June 2024 when the first 12 months has expired.
What are the benefits of 6 month registration?
The main benefit of choosing 6 month registration is for cash flow. The cost of 2 greenslips is not much more than one greenslip over the year.
Note, even if you choose 6 month registration, you need a pink slip only once a year.
What about registration periods if I sell a car?
If you sell a registered car, the registration period automatically transfers to the new owner. The price someone pays for the car includes registration and greenslip because it can’t be registered without a greenslip. When the vehicle comes up for renewal of registration, the new owner can choose a registration period.
However, if you sell an unregistered car, the new owner must register it for 12 months the first time. This means they must also buy a green slip for 12 months.
Last word
In NSW, you can register most vehicles for 6 or 12 months only. The period of the greenslip must match the period of registration. There are certain times when you must pay for a greenslip and register for 12 months. When you sell a car, the registration period transfers to the new owner.
Get prices for 6 and 12 month greenslips here.
This is the sixth article in our re-issued 8-part series, How greenslip insurance works. See article 5. How do you compare greenslip prices?
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