If you are settling a deceased estate and need to transfer a vehicle's registration, the steps depend on your situation.
Who is this for
People transferring vehicle registration as part of settling a deceased estate, including transfers:
- between joint owners
- to one or more beneficiaries
- to someone buying the vehicle.
What you need
Births, Deaths and Marriages notifies Service SA when a person has died.
If Service SA has not yet been notified, you'll need either:
- a death certificate
- a newspaper death notice
- a letter from a solicitor.
For registration transfer
You'll need the registration details certificate, completed in the new owner's name and signed by the executor of the estate.
Stamp duty exemption
Beneficiaries inheriting a vehicle may be eligible for a full or partial exemption of stamp duty.
To claim an exemption, you will need:
- proof of entitlement to the vehicle (eg a copy of the will or probate)
- a completed Application for exemption from stamp duty (82.0 KB PDF).
There's no stamp duty for trailers or caravans with a GTM of 4.5 tonnes or less.
Cost
You will need to pay:
- a transfer fee of $31
Note: the statutory declaration only exempts stamp duty - the transfer fee still applies.
How to apply
- Visit a Service SA centre
- Bring:
- the will or alternate estate documents
- Pay the $31 transfer fee.
Choose an option below for what documents you need
Vehicles registered in joint names
If Service SA has been notified that a member of a joint ownership has died, the vehicle will automatically transfer to the surviving owner.
If Service SA has not been notified of the death, you may request the transfer by providing either:
- a death certificate
- a newspaper death notice
- a letter from a solicitor.
There are other requirements if the vehicle has special number plates.
Contact Service SA if the vehicle is conditionally registered (eg historic or special purpose vehicles).
Transferring to a beneficiary
Beneficiaries may be eligible for a full or partial stamp duty exemption.
- If there is one beneficiary, a full stamp duty exemption may be granted if the will confirms entitlement.
- If there are multiple beneficiaries, a partial exemption may apply. To register the vehicle to one beneficiary, a signed statement from the other beneficiaries relinquishing their interest is required.
If the estate is not finalised
If the vehicle needs to be registered and the estate is not yet finalised, the executor or administrator of the estate can be register the vehicle in the name of the ‘The Estate of [name of deceased]’ for up to 12 months
Selling the vehicle to another person
If the vehicle is being sold to someone who is not a beneficiary:
- the transfer form must be signed by the executor
- no stamp duty exemptions apply.
If the vehicle is unregistered
A registration details certificate is only required for currently registered vehicles.
For unregistered vehicles, complete an Application for Registration and Third Party Insurance (74.6 KB PDF). See the stamp duty exemption information above for eligibility.
If the vehicle has special number plates
See the Transfer special number plates for a deceased estate page for what you'll need to keep the plate.
Alternatively, you can apply for standard issue number plates if you no longer want to keep the special number plates.
You'll need to:
- complete an Application to change a plate number (203.5 KB PDF)
- pay the $65 new standard number plate fee.
