Before you sell your car or dispose of it at a junkyard in NZ, you must complete a set of documents and submit them to the transport authority at the appropriate time to notify them of your intentions.
One of the requirements is submitting a Notice of Vehicle Disposal.
This document, as its name suggests, informs the government that you are disposing of the vehicle and will no longer be using it personally.
But how should you do it? What are the eligibility requirements for submitting this document? Can you do it online or do you have to visit the transport authority’s office in person?
In this article
We will answer all such questions here:
When is A Notice of Vehicle Disposal Needed?
The Notice of Disposal (NOD) must be submitted online or in person to the transport authorities whenever you sell the vehicle or a trailer. It must be submitted immediately or as soon as possible since it saves you from being held responsible for any potential fines the new buyer might incur. Also, the (NOD) allows the buyer of your vehicle to register the vehicle in their name within the legally required time and avoid paying a late submission fine.
Online or Physical Submission?
The Waka Kotahi gives you the option to submit the (NOD) document in three ways:
- Online
- Through mail
- By physically visiting the nearest NZTA office.
The choice is ultimately yours, but it is recommended to submit the Notice of Disposal online because its fast, secure and saves you a lot of time and extra effort.
Things Required for Submission
The Notice of Disposal form requires you to enter information about yourself and the vehicle. Here is what you will need:
- Your full name
- Your current address
- Your NZ driver’s licence
- The plate number that’s on your vehicle
- The VIN number
- The odometer reading at the time of selling/disposal
- The date of disposal
- The buyer’s particulars
- Buyer’s address
Once you have gathered all these things, you can log online, or print the form, fill it and submit it to the NZTA.
What if I don’t submit the (NOD)?
In case you are unable to submit the Notice of Vehicle Disposal within the allotted time to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), you will be liable to hefty fines. Therefore, to avoid the hassle, never skip this step when selling or disposing of a vehicle in NZ.
Step-by-Step Guide on Submitting (NOD)
The form is easy to fill and it’s the same whether you fill it online or print it out. So, for the sake of saving time, we’ll focus on how to fill out and submit the online form.
1st Step:
To begin, you must first visit the NZTA website where the online form is available. On that webpage, you will see a list of required documents as well as the option to ‘Get Started’. But before you press that button, ensure you log onto your toll account and remove your vehicle from there. Otherwise, you would have to pay the buyer’s tolls.
Once you are done with that, click on the green-coloured ‘Get Started’ sign to move to the next step.
2nd Step:
The second step will require you to enter the following details:
- Your driver’s license number
- Driver licence version
- Your last name as shown on the licence
- Your date of birth
3rd Step:
The third step is a lot smaller as it will only require you to enter the vehicle’s plate number and its date of sale or disposal.
4th Step:
When you click ‘Continue’, the new webpage will show you the details of your vehicle as found in the records. Here you only have to recheck the details the system shows you and click continue if they are correct.
5th Step:
Next, you will be required to enter the particulars of the person or organisation you are selling the car along with their address. If their mailing address is different, you must add that too by ticking the box on the screen and then pressing ‘Continue’.
6th Step:
In this step, you’ll be asked to check your personal details, including your address. Once you have double-checked the details to be correct, press ‘Continue’.
7th Step:
The last and final step is where you will add your email address and the NTZA will send you a proof of the transaction you just made. That’s it! You are finally done notifying the Waka Kotahi.
Other Things to Consider When Selling/Disposing Your Vehicle
- It’s important that you keep a copy of the submitted (NOD) in your records. Although you might never need it again, it is safer to have it in case the buyer has a dispute with the authorities and blames you for delays.
- If you have insurance, you should cancel its coverage by calling your insurance provider.
- The NZTA requires you to present a one-month-old Warrant of Fitness (WoF) at the time of selling your vehicle, so make sure you have that.
- In case you have personalized plates and want to sell them with the vehicle, there is another process you must follow. You would have to complete a Transfer of Entitlement form and notify the NZTA.
- Always keep a copy of the proof that the ownership of the car has been transferred over to the new owner. You could get this easily as it is a document that both you and the new buyer sign at the time of selling.
- Before handing over the keys to the new owner, don’t forget to clean out your car of personal belongings. Perhaps, there is something inside that holds sentimental value. You wouldn’t want to let go of something like that. So, keep an eye out for things like that. Better yet, go to a detailer and get the car properly cleaned so that everything from the nooks and crannies comes out and nothing is left inside the car for the new buyer to discover,
