information regarding personalised plates......

[blutopless2]

Came accross this situation the other week and thought i would share in case others found themselves in a similar situation.
Now this applies to Victorian personalised plates so you would have to check with your state registration office to confirm if it is true for them also.

I have personalised plates on a car. I let the registration lapse (in April 2011) as it is a long term project to get it on the road and figured why am I paying $600 for rego if the car goes nowhere.
I rang vicroads to enquire about changing the plates to another vehicle soon and they asked me how long they have been off a vehicle.
It seems that if the plates are not associated with a vehicle then BEFORE 12 months is up you MUST tell vicroads whether you wish to keep the plates. This process must be done by the person who purchased the plates (unless they have been transferred to another person) EVERY year in order to keep the plates. Vicroads will not remind you that this process must be done. You as the plate owner are responsible.
If you dont they will reissue them to the public for purchase!
Luckily for me 12 months has not passed and the plates are still mine...
So if you buy the plates and never put them on a car they are yours forever. If you put them on a car and then remove them for later use you have to let vicroads know every year that you want to keep them.

Thought i would share.

[Tim]

Yep I come across this when I sold my old Euro plates that I removed from the car before selling. Once they are not assigned to a vehicle they told me after 12 months someone else is able to purchase them. A bit stupid but I guess its to stop people hoarding popular numberplates and never assigning them to cars.

A bit unfair though if you have paid $800 for them and think you are the rightful owner.

[mikinoz]

In Tasmania you own it for life. In NSW you only own it as long as you pay the annual fee.

[buzuki]

yeah nsw, you put the plates in storage/on hold and still pay a yearly fee to have them even though you are not using them.

[blutopless2]

Victoria used to have that^^^^^^. It was meant to prevent you from having plates at home as they were not supposed to technically be "your" plates. They belong to vicroads.
Then they changed it and now you get the plates. I told vicroads that I thought it was wrong that I have paid for the plates and yet that possession can be automatically removed without my knowledge. They don't give you any information telling you your responsibility once you get the plates. They just come in a box. No paperwork nothing. So unless I stumbled across this I would've lost my plates in April.

[dylan8]

interesting!
what about plates that have been purchased but never fitted to a car... does the same apply?

[blutopless2]

you should contact vicroads for a direct answer but I am pretty sure that as long as the plates have never been on a car they are still yours.
The issue arises when you put them on a car then take them off and not assign them to another car.