Get a Safety Standards Certificate

You must get a Safety Standards Certificate when you buy a car for a couple of reasons:

• The certificate shows that the car has passed a safety inspection by an authorized mechanic at a government-approved inspection station.
• You need the certificate to get licence plates for your car.

A safety inspection only makes sure that the car is safe to drive. It checks for things like the brakes, lights, and steering. It will not tell you if things like the radio, engine or the heater are working.

Private sellers do not have to give you a certificate, but you can ask the seller to include it as part of the sale. If the seller does not give you a certificate, you will have to have the car inspected yourself.

The Safety Standards Certificate expires 36 days after the safety check. Make sure that the certificate will still be valid on the day you get licence plates.