You need a blue slip whenever a light vehicle isn’t registered in NSW and you want it to be. In practice that comes down to six situations, and most people only ever meet the first two.
The six situations
Service NSW lists them. You need a blue slip if the vehicle:
- has had its registration expired for more than three months
- has been brought into NSW from another state, territory or overseas
- has no number plates
- was written off but has now been approved for re-registration
- has changed enough that its registration record needs adjusting, such as a new engine
The first two cover most people: a car that sat in the garage too long, or one bought from interstate.
When you don’t need one
If the rego is current, or ran out less than three months ago, you’re renewing, not registering. That’s a pink slip, and only once the vehicle is more than five years old. A brand new vehicle registered by a dealer, or one with the right entry in the national vehicle register, usually doesn’t need a blue slip either.
How long it lasts
A blue slip is valid for 42 days from the inspection. It’s one step in registering the vehicle, and the rest is meant to follow soon after: CTP insurance, then a visit to a Service NSW centre with the original report.
Booking one
We do blue slips at our Auburn workshop: $82 for a car, SUV, ute or van and $51 for a motorbike. Book online and drive in with your confirmation, then pay at the workshop. Not sure it’s a blue slip you need? Blue slip or pink slip walks through the cases people get wrong.
Where these facts come from
- Service NSW, Get an authorised unregistered vehicle inspection (blue slip) (opens in a new tab). Checked 16 October 2026.
- NSW Government, Safety checks and vehicle inspections (opens in a new tab). Checked 16 October 2026.
