Storing, swapping and transferring numberplates
Numberplates are the property of Access Canberra. You pay for the rights to display the registration number of your vehicle on the numberplates.
If you have ACT numberplates, you can:
- store them if they’re not being used on a registered vehicle but you want to keep the rights to them
- transfer the rights to someone else
- swap them between vehicles registered in your name.
Storing numberplates
If you want to maintain the rights to the number when the plates aren’t attached to a registered vehicle you can store them at home.
If you are storing your numberplates at home and want to retain the right to display the numbers, you need to tell Access Canberra if you either:
- want to display them on a vehicle, or
- no longer wish to retain the rights to the number.
If you don’t renew the storage period, or place on a registerable vehicle, you will lose rights to the number. The number may then become available for purchase by someone else.
There is a fee to store numberplates. You can store your numberplates for:
- a minimum of 2 months
- a maximum of 5 years.
You can renew your home numberplates storage online.
Transfer rights to someone else
There is a fee for transferring numberplates rights.
There are 2 ways you can transfer rights to your numberplates to another person:
- transfer the registration associated with the numberplate to another person
- store the numberplates and provide written consent to transfer your rights to another person.
If you receive stored numberplates as part of a deceased estate, the rights are transferred to you as the beneficiary for free.
You don’t need to take them to an Access Canberra Service Centre, but if you aren’t attaching them to a vehicle, they will need to go into storage.
Access Canberra will need to confirm your identity
This can be done with an ACT Driver Licence. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to provide full proof of identity.
Swap numberplates between vehicles
If you have 2 vehicles with current registrations and you are the registered operator for both, you can swap numberplates between them.
There is a fee for swapping numberplates.
An example scenario for when you might want to swap numberplates:
- You have a registered vehicle with an ACT standard ‘Y’ series numberplate.
- You have another registered vehicle with a European-style numberplate. You want to sell this vehicle but not with its current numberplate.
- You attach the European-style numberplate to the vehicle you’re keeping and attach the ‘Y’ series numberplate to the vehicle you’re selling.
You will need access to both sets of numberplates at the time of the swap. Once the numberplate swap transaction is complete, you must immediately exchange the number plates between the vehicles.
You don’t need to take the numberplates to an Access Canberra Service Centre.
Call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
Access Canberra will need to confirm your identity. This can be done with an ACT Driver Licence. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to provide full proof of identity.
Surrendering numberplates
For information on surrendering numberplates see the Cancelling vehicle registration page.