Documents Needed to Sell a Car to a Wrecker in Victoria: The Complete Checklist

To sell a car to a wrecker in Victoria, you need acceptable identification, proof that you own the car or have authority to sell it, and your bank details for payment. You also need to deal with the registration: either cancel it and take the plates off before pickup, or lodge a notice of disposal if the car leaves still registered. Bring the keys if you have them.

Most sales need nothing more than that. Extra paperwork comes in when the car still has finance owing, belonged to someone who has died, sits in a company’s name, or is registered to another person. The checklist below covers the standard documents first, then each of those situations, so you can have everything ready before you ask for a quote.

The quick checklist

Document or step	Why the wrecker or VicRoads needs it	If you do not have it
Photo ID (driver licence or passport)	The buyer must record the seller’s identification by law	Two non-photo documents from the approved list
Registration certificate or rego details	Links you to the car and its VIN	Check the rego online and offer other proof of purchase
Proof of purchase or ownership	Shows you are entitled to sell	Bill of sale, loan payout letter or statutory declaration
Registration cancellation and plates removed	Ends your liability for the car	Lodge a notice of disposal within 14 days instead
Finance payout letter (if a loan was secured on the car)	A lender’s interest stays on the car until paid	Talk to the lender before you sell
Bank account details	Payment must be by EFT or non-transferable cheque	Provide an account in the seller’s name
Keys	Makes the car easier to move and slightly more valuable	Tell the buyer up front

What ID you need, and why wreckers ask for it

Victorian wreckers are not just being cautious when they ask for ID. Under the Second-Hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 1989, a second-hand dealer must ask every seller for proof of identity and refuse the goods if the seller cannot produce it. Scrap metal dealers must also record the seller’s name, address and identification for every purchase.

Consumer Affairs Victoria lists the acceptable forms of identification. One document with a photo is enough:

• a passport
• a driver licence
• a photo document issued by a statutory authority, such as a learner permit
• a tertiary institution ID card
• a firearms licence

Without photo ID, you need two documents from a second list. That list includes a full birth certificate, an Australian citizenship certificate, a marriage certificate, and one Commonwealth health or pensioner concession card. You cannot combine two concession cards. If a company is selling the car, the business provides its certificate of incorporation as proof of identity.

A current Victorian driver licence is the simplest option. Check that it has not expired before pickup day.

Proof of ownership: why rego papers are not always enough

Many owners assume the registration certificate proves ownership. It does not. Registration records the registered operator, the person responsible for the car on the road. The legal owner can be someone else, such as a parent who paid for it or a lender with a loan secured over it.

A wrecker will usually accept the registration certificate as the starting point, because it ties your name to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Back it up with any of these:

• the original receipt or bill of sale from when you bought the car
• a loan payout or discharge letter, if the car was financed
• a statutory declaration explaining how you came to own the car, if paperwork is lost

The VIN matters as much as the paper. Victoria’s scrap metal laws ban dealings in a vehicle whose identifier has been removed, defaced or altered, with a maximum penalty of 200 penalty units. A legitimate buyer will check that the VIN plate is intact and matches your papers.

Plates, registration cancellation and the notice of disposal

There are two routes, and the right one depends on whether the car stays registered.

Route 1: cancel the registration before pickup. VicRoads advises owners selling to an auto wrecker to remove the number plates and cancel the vehicle’s registration first, which you can do through myVicRoads. This is the cleanest option for a car going to a wrecker. A few details people miss:

• VicRoads says you don’t need to return your number plates.
• To claim a refund of unused rego, upload a photo of the plate cut in half, or a statutory declaration if you no longer have the plates. For a written-off car, an insurance report or wrecker’s receipt works instead.
• VicRoads deducts a $22.10 processing fee and 10 per cent of the TAC charge from any refund, and pays it into your bank account within about 10 business days.
• If you want to keep custom plates, you cannot cancel online. Call VicRoads or visit a Customer Service Centre.

Route 2: sell it registered and lodge a notice of disposal. When you sell a Victorian-registered vehicle, VicRoads requires you to notify it within 14 days by completing a notice of disposal. VicRoads warns that if you skip this step, you may be liable for fines, tolls and other issues linked to the car after the sale. Keep a copy of the transfer form with both parties’ details.

A roadworthy certificate is tied to transferring a registered car. Cancel the registration first and the question usually falls away. Our guide to selling a car without an RWC in Victoria covers the exceptions.

Finance owing and the PPSR check

If a car loan was secured over the vehicle, the lender has a security interest recorded on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). That interest stays with the car until the loan is paid out, so a careful buyer will check before paying you.

A PPSR vehicle search costs $2 online and needs the car’s VIN or chassis number, not the plate number. It shows whether a security interest is registered and usually whether the car is recorded as written off or stolen. It does not show how much is owing or who owns the car.

Run the search yourself before you ask for quotes. If it shows finance, contact your lender for a payout figure and settle the loan, or agree with the lender how the sale will clear it. Keep the discharge letter with your other papers.

Getting paid: bank details and the scrap metal cash ban

Have your BSB and account number ready, in your own name. Since 30 May 2018, Victorian scrap metal dealers have not been allowed to pay or receive cash for scrap metal. They can only pay by electronic funds transfer or a non-transferable cheque, and e-currency is excluded. Consumer Affairs Victoria notes the ban covers vehicles bought for metal recycling, while second-hand vehicles bought to dismantle and resell parts fall outside it. Either way, a bank transfer gives you a clear record of the sale.

Ask for a written receipt showing the date, the VIN, the price and the buyer’s business details. That receipt doubles as evidence for VicRoads if you need it for a rego refund.

Special situations

Selling a deceased person’s car

When the registered operator has died, the person handling the estate deals with VicRoads first. VicRoads’ deceased estates process asks for:

• an original or certified copy of the death certificate, an interim death certificate, or a coroner’s court letter
• proof that you are the authorised representative, such as the relevant section of the will, a grant of probate, letters of administration, or a solicitor’s letter
• for estates worth less than $32,470, a statutory declaration for the administration of a deceased estate can serve as that proof

The authorised representative must confirm their authority in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre. To cancel the car’s registration rather than transfer it, use the cancellation and refund request for deceased estate form. Bring your own photo ID to the wrecker, plus copies of the estate documents.

The car is not in your name

You cannot sell someone else’s car on your word alone. Bring written permission from the registered operator, a copy of their ID, and their registration details. To cancel another person’s registration, VicRoads requires their permission on a refund form or an authority to act as an agent form, lodged in person with your own ID. If the registered operator cannot be contacted, sort out ownership before you book a pickup.

Company or business vehicles

A company provides its certificate of incorporation as identification, and the person handing over the car should carry their own photo ID and a letter of authority. Company registrations cannot be transferred online through a myVicRoads business account, so plan for a service centre visit if you are not cancelling.

Lost papers, unregistered or written-off cars

Lost papers rarely stop a sale. A rego check, the VIN and a statutory declaration usually cover the gap. Unregistered cars follow the same document rules, explained in our guide to selling an unregistered car in Victoria. Insurance write-offs have their own steps, covered in how to sell a written-off car in Melbourne.

Pickup day: the final checks

• Take out personal items, toll tags, parking permits and garage remotes.
• Leave the keys and any spare with the car.
• Check the receipt details against your registration papers before you sign.
• Photograph the cut plates and the car on the tray for your records.
• Confirm the EFT has landed, then keep copies of every document.

If you want the full step-by-step on the sale itself, see how to sell your car to wreckers in Melbourne.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell a car to a wrecker without papers in Victoria?

Usually yes, if you can prove who you are and link yourself to the car. Photo ID, a rego check and a statutory declaration explaining the missing papers cover most cases. A buyer will refuse a car with a damaged or missing VIN, because dealing in unidentified vehicles is banned.

Do I need to return my number plates to VicRoads?

No. VicRoads says you do not need to return plates when you cancel online. Cut them in half and keep a photo if you are claiming a rego refund.

Does a wrecker need a roadworthy certificate?

No, when you cancel the registration before the sale. A roadworthy certificate is needed to transfer a registered car, and a cancelled registration has nothing to transfer.

Can a wrecker pay me in cash in Victoria?

Not for a car bought as scrap metal. Victorian law limits scrap metal dealers to electronic funds transfer or a non-transferable cheque.

Ready with your paperwork?

Your ID, your link to the car, a clean registration exit and an account for the transfer are the four things that make a wrecker sale fast and final. Special cases add one or two documents each, and VicRoads publishes exactly what it needs. When your papers are sorted, see how our scrap metal pickup service collects end-of-life cars, or get a quote for your car with your paperwork ready and tell us about any finance, estate or ownership details up front.