Driving an Unregistered Vehicle in Tasmania: Penalties and the MAIB Premium Offence

Driving an unregistered vehicle in Tasmania breaches section 27 of the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999, and because registration payments bundle in compulsory MAIB cover, the same driving can also trigger a separate, harsher offence under the Motor Accidents (Liabilities and Compensation) Act 1973 that carries imprisonment on a first offence.

The registration offence

Section 27 of the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 (Tas), 'Requirement for registration,' makes it an offence to use, or permit the use of, an unregistered motor vehicle or trailer on a public street. A first offence carries a maximum fine of 20 penalty units, which is $4,260 at the 2026-27 penalty unit value of $213. A second or subsequent offence steps up sharply: up to 40 penalty units ($8,520) or 3 months imprisonment for an individual, or up to 200 penalty units ($42,600) for a body corporate. The court may also add a fine of up to 12 months' motor tax for the vehicle (section 27(2)).

Section 27(4) adds an evidentiary presumption: if an unregistered vehicle is simply found parked on a public street, that is presumed to be the doing of the registered operator, owner, or person entitled to possession, unless they show otherwise.

No grace period

Section 27(3) sets out only four exceptions to the registration requirement: an exempt class of vehicle, a vehicle covered by a short-term unregistered vehicle permit (see below), trade-plate-authorised use, and use permitted by regulation. None of these is a general time-based grace period for a recently expired registration, and neither the Act nor the regulations provide a period of grace after registration expires.

One of those regulatory exceptions matters in practice. Regulation 128 of the Vehicle and Traffic (Driver Licensing and Vehicle Registration) Regulations 2021 exempts a vehicle while it is driven or towed by the most direct or convenient route to a registration office, inspection station or weighbridge for the purpose of registration, or from there to where it is kept or to a repair shop after failing inspection. Section 29(1C) of the Motor Accidents (Liabilities and Compensation) Act 1973 gives the same journeys a defence to the premium offence. The defendant bears the onus of proving the exemption applied (regulation 128(2)). Any other driving after registration expires is unregistered driving.

The separate MAIB premium offence, which is harsher

Registration in Tasmania is not just a registration fee. The DLVR Regulations 2021 define 'registration payment' to include the vehicle's compulsory third party insurance premium, paid to the Motor Accidents Insurance Board (MAIB), along with a road safety levy and the scheduled registration fees. Because those are bundled together, driving an unregistered vehicle typically also means driving without paid MAIB premium cover.

That is its own, separate offence: section 29(1) of the Motor Accidents (Liabilities and Compensation) Act 1973 (Tas), 'Prohibition on use of motor vehicle without premium cover,' penalises using a vehicle without a paid MAIB premium in force, with a maximum of 20 penalty units ($4,260) or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both. Unlike the registration offence under section 27, which is fine-only on a first offence, section 29(1) exposes a first-time offender to imprisonment. A driver caught driving unregistered in Tasmania can therefore face two independent offences at once, under two different Acts, with two different, non-parallel penalty structures.

MAIB recovery from an unregistered vehicle's owner

If an accident happens while no MAIB premium has been paid for the vehicle involved, the Board has a right to recover any benefits it pays out. Section 18 of the Motor Accidents (Liabilities and Compensation) Act 1973 lets the Board recover from the owner, where the owner is liable, from whoever else incurred the liability, and from the owner where someone else incurred it, unless the owner shows that person used the vehicle without the owner's consent or acquiescence (section 18(1A)). Section 28B(2) gives a parallel recovery right under the no-fault scheme, triggered the same way, by the premium not having been paid rather than by fault. Section 28B(4) extends that recovery right against a non-owner who used the vehicle without the owner's consent.

Short Term Unregistered Vehicle Permit

A Short Term Unregistered Vehicle Permit, available under section 27(3)(b) of the Vehicle and Traffic Act and regulation 126 of the DLVR Regulations 2021, lets an unregistered but roadworthy vehicle onto a public street for relocation, repairs, or travel to an event, for the minimum number of days needed within a 28 day window. It is not a substitute for ongoing registration, and it is not needed for a direct trip to registration or inspection, which regulation 128 already covers. The permit must be fixed to the inside left of the windscreen so it can be read from outside (motor vehicles with a windscreen, other than motorcycles), or otherwise carried, on the towing vehicle for a trailer; the penalty for not doing so is up to 10 penalty units ($2,130) (regulation 126(5)).

Tasmania will not issue the permit for a vehicle that is unroadworthy, a write-off, carries unauthorised modifications, is already registered or suspended, carries a defect notice, or has been reported stolen, and it excludes UTVs and ATVs, tractors and other machinery, and mobile cranes. Apply through myServiceTas, in person, or by emailing TES@building.tas.gov.au with form MR23 and identification.

Fees: for a vehicle, caravan or trailer over 500kg, the Permit Fee is $11.46 plus a MAIB Premium (Class 19) of $31.00 and $20.00 duty, for a total of $62.46. For a trailer of 500kg or less, no MAIB premium is required and the fee is $11.76 only.

Registration labels

No current Tasmanian regulation requires or authorises a general registration label for an ordinary light vehicle. The DLVR Regulations 2021 define only a written-off vehicle label, a defective vehicle label, and an inspection label, and the inspection label is scoped to a defined set of commercial and passenger-service categories, such as public passenger vehicles, taxis, hire-and-drive vehicles, luxury hire cars, restricted hire vehicles, and driving-instruction vehicles, not ordinary light vehicles. Tasmania's own vehicle registration pages make no mention of a label for light vehicles, and Transport Tasmania instead runs a 'Check your registration status' online lookup.

The exact date Tasmania stopped issuing light-vehicle registration labels is not confirmed on Tasmania's own legislation site. If you see a specific year quoted elsewhere, such as a claim of a particular year in the early 2010s, treat it as unconfirmed rather than settled.

Trailers

Trailers are subject to the same section 27 registration requirement as other vehicles. If a trailer needs to move while unregistered, the Short Term Unregistered Vehicle Permit has its own, cheaper fee tier for a trailer of 500kg or less, described above.

Checking a vehicle's registration status

Tasmania runs an online lookup called the Tasmanian Vehicle Registration Check, at transport.tas.gov.au/rego-status/search, to confirm a vehicle's current registration status.

For how Tasmania compares with other states and territories, see our national unregistered vehicles guide and the Australian driving laws hub. MAIB compulsory cover itself, separate from the registration offence discussed above, is covered in our Tasmania motor accident compensation guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a grace period for driving an unregistered vehicle in Tasmania?

No. Neither the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 nor the regulations provide a period of grace after registration expires. The only unpermitted driving allowed is a direct trip to register or inspect the vehicle, and from there to where it is kept or to a repair shop after failing inspection (regulation 128).

What is the penalty for driving an unregistered car in Tasmania?

A first offence under section 27 of the Vehicle and Traffic Act 1999 carries a fine of up to 20 penalty units, or $4,260 at the 2026-27 value of $213 a unit. A second or subsequent offence carries up to 40 penalty units ($8,520) or 3 months imprisonment for an individual, or up to 200 penalty units ($42,600) for a body corporate.

Can I go to jail for driving unregistered in Tasmania?

The registration offence itself, under section 27, is fine-only on a first offence. But because registration payments in Tasmania bundle in the compulsory MAIB insurance premium, driving unregistered usually also breaches section 29(1) of the Motor Accidents (Liabilities and Compensation) Act 1973, which carries a fine of up to 20 penalty units ($4,260) or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both, on a first offence.

How do I legally move an unregistered vehicle in Tasmania?

For a direct trip to a registration office, inspection station or weighbridge to get the vehicle registered, no permit is needed (regulation 128). For other moves, apply for a Short Term Unregistered Vehicle Permit through myServiceTas, in person, or by email with form MR23 and identification. It allows travel for relocation, repairs, or an event within a 28 day window, and costs $62.46 for a vehicle, caravan or trailer over 500kg, or $11.76 for a lighter trailer.

Does Tasmania still use registration label stickers?

No current regulation requires a general registration label for an ordinary light vehicle in Tasmania; only written-off, defective, and certain commercial or passenger-service vehicle labels exist. The exact date light-vehicle labels stopped is not confirmed on Tasmania's own legislation site.