Pink slip or ACT inspection?
Plenty of people search for a pink slip in Canberra, but the pink slip is a NSW check: a yearly safety inspection for most light vehicles over 5 years old, done at an AIS station and valid for 6 months. On ACT rego, the reasons Access Canberra lists for inspecting a private car are events, such as a transfer, a change from interstate rego or a defect notice.
Queanbeyan is where it gets mixed up. It's part of the same built-up area as Canberra but sits in NSW, so a car registered there follows the NSW rules. If you've moved from Queanbeyan into the ACT, putting the car onto ACT rego is itself one of the reasons for an inspection.
Getting the inspection done in Canberra
Hume, for the cars nobody else can take
Hume is a light-industrial suburb about 15 km south-south-east of the city, with the Monaro Highway running through it. Modified, heavy (over 4.5 tonnes GVM), left-hand-drive and street rod vehicles, public vehicles, cars with identifier discrepancies and some imports can only be inspected at the Access Canberra station there. It's by appointment only, booked with Access Canberra by phone or at a Service Centre.
Authorised stations for everyday cars
A private car or a rideshare car can go to any authorised inspection station on Access Canberra's public register. Choose one near where the car is kept, so a car with a known fault doesn't have to cross town.
Bought over the border
A car bought privately outside the ACT, Queanbeyan included, that's 10 years old or less needs a vehicle identity inspection on top of the roadworthy inspection.
New from an interstate dealer
A new car bought from an interstate dealer with a Type Approval Number may not need an inspection at all. Some cars aren't eligible, so check with Access Canberra before you assume.
Before the car goes in
The inspection looks at safety items: tyres, steering, suspension, brakes, seatbelts, lights, glass and wipers, the structure and the identifying numbers. Anything you already know is wrong is worth fixing first, because a fail is written on the certificate.
The certificate lasts one month from the initial inspection date. If you're selling, time it for when a buyer is close, not the day you first list the car.
If it were our car
Selling an older car on ACT rego, we'd have a local mechanic go over the safety items first, sort anything marginal, and get the inspection once a buyer was lined up. For a modified 4WD, we'd ring Access Canberra for a Hume appointment straight away, since an authorised station can't take it.