LEGAL STATUS
Every vehicle driven on public roads in New Zealand is subject to continuous vehicle licencing (commonly referred to as ‘rego’), this includes cars, motorcycles, trucks, vans and buses. They also must have a valid Warrant of Fitness (WoF) or Certificate of Fitness (CoF).
These vehicles are registered and licensed through Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and the information is held centrally in the Motor Vehicle Register (MVR).
WHAT IS A REGISTRATION STATUS?
A vehicle’s registration status shows the current situation of a vehicle. There are three statuses that a vehicle could return:
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Active - the vehicle’s licence (rego) is currently active
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Deregistrered - the vehicle has been deregistered due to being written-off or having its registration lapse
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Exempt - the owner of the vehicle has placed its licence on hold as the car will be off the road for some time
WHAT ARE ROAD USER CHARGES (RUC)?
Road user charges are a tax paid by users of vehicles that use a fuel which is not taxed at source. Unlike petrol, diesel is not taxed at the pump when you fill up your car and therefore all diesel vehicles are subject to road user charges. These are prepaid and sold in units of distance (1000km lots). When buying a diesel vehicle it's important to check the RUC are up to date so you don’t become liable for the previous owner's mileage.
WHAT OWNERSHIP INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE?
Access to the details of the current owner of a vehicle is restricted to approved parties only. This is to protect the personal information of the owner. Approved parties usually include car dealers, finance and insurance companies. These restrictions do not apply to company owned vehicles and anyone is able to see their ownership details when querying a vehicle.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Any driver caught operating a vehicle that is not currently registered can be fined and these fines can often total more than the cost of the registration itself. This also applies to third parties who may have a vehicle temporarily like mechanics and panel beaters.
We can provide real-time access to check the legal status of any road-going vehicle in New Zealand.