Compliance plates

From 1 July 2021, new Commonwealth legislation the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 for road vehicles will commence, phasing out compliance plates for new vehicles, establishing an online Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) and requiring new and imported vehicles to display a Secure Vehicle Identification label (SVI).

To help ease into the changes, a 12-month transitional period began on 1 July 2021, where some Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 approvals have continued to remain in force to ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory framework.

Due to sectors of the road vehicle industry being impacted by a combination of the COVID pandemic and global supply chain issues, affecting their ability to transition to the new regulatory framework the transitional period has been extended a further 12 months to 30 June 2023.

The Department of Transport is currently working though operational arrangements to make the transition.

As evidence of satisfying the new legislation, new and imported vehicles will be required to be entered on the RAV before they are first provided to the Australian market, unless an exception (e.g. a non-road use import approval) applies. During the 24-month transitional period from 1 July 2021 to 1 July 2023 both a compliance plate or RAV entry will be accepted.

Individuals and companies can create an account and apply for an Road Vehicle Standards (RVS) approval through Road Vehicle Regulator ROVER - a one-stop shop for RVS applications and approvals.

If you hold certain approvals under the MVSA, your existing approval may be able to become a road vehicle type approval, in force for 5 years, without providing evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria under the RVS legislation. This ‘opt-in’ application process was only available for the first 6 months of the transitional period, from 1 July 2021 until, and including, 11.59 pm AEST 31 December 2021.

Further information can be found at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts website.