How long it lasts, state by state
| What it's called and who issues it | How long it's valid | |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria | Roadworthy certificate (RWC), from a licensed vehicle tester | 30 days from the date of issue |
| Queensland | Safety certificate, from an approved inspection station | Private seller: 2 months or 2,000 km. Licensed dealer: 3 months or 1,000 km |
| New South Wales | Safety check report (pink slip) from an AIS station; blue slip for unregistered vehicles | Pink slip: 6 months. Blue slip: 42 days |
| ACT | Roadworthy inspection, at the Access Canberra Hume station or an authorised inspection station | One month from the first inspection date |
| Western Australia | No roadworthy on a private sale. Interstate vehicles are inspected at an Authorised Inspection Station | Not needed for a private sale |
| SA, Tasmania, NT | Each state's transport department sets its own rules | Ask the transport department before you sell |
Why the clock matters most when you sell
The certificate has to be current on the day the buyer transfers the registration, not just on the day you advertise. In Victoria that means the buyer needs a certificate less than 30 days old, so a car that sits on the market for five weeks may need a second inspection.
Queensland counts both time and distance for a private seller: whichever comes first, 2 months or 2,000 km. If you're still driving the car every day while it's for sale, keep an eye on the odometer as well as the calendar.
NSW works differently
In NSW the pink slip is mostly about keeping the registration going, not about selling. Most light vehicles more than 5 years old need a yearly safety inspection report, and it's valid for 6 months, so there's a window before the rego is due.
Only an AIS station can do the check. In October 2026 the NSW Government said it had cancelled 127 pink and blue slip licences after audits over slips issued without the car being seen, so a slip from a business that never looked at the car is worth nothing.
When to book the inspection
Fix what you already know about first
A cracked windscreen, a blown globe or a bald tyre will fail the inspection. Have them sorted before the tester sees the car, so the certificate starts its clock on a pass.
Get it when the car is ready to sell
Clean, repaired and photographed. In Victoria and the ACT, where the certificate lasts about a month, getting it too early is the most common reason people pay for a second one.
Check what your state actually needs
WA has no roadworthy on a private sale, and a NSW pink slip is tied to the rego rather than the sale. Read your state's row in the table before booking anything.
Keep the certificate with the sale papers
The buyer needs it to transfer the registration. Give them the original or the details your state asks for, with the date it was issued.
What you can check before the tester does
You can
- Walk around the car with the lights, indicators and brake lights on, with someone watching.
- Look at the tyres for tread and damage, and the windscreen for cracks in front of the driver.
- Check the wipers clear the screen and the washers work.
- Make sure the seatbelts click in and pull out cleanly.
Leave to the mechanic
- The inspection itself: only the state's licensed, approved or authorised testers can issue the certificate.
- Brakes, steering, suspension and rust repairs found on a failed report.
Our take
We'd treat the certificate as the last job before the sale, not the first. Get known faults fixed, clean the car, then book the inspection in the week you list it. If you're buying, remember a roadworthy is a safety check on the day: Queensland's own transport department says its safety certificate inspection isn't a full mechanical inspection.