Tourist Visa / Working Visa Buying A Car

altorive on 09/01/2014 - 09:10

Hi guys,

I have a friend from Korea who has just came to Australia under a Tourist Visa, with possibility of getting a Working Visa. She wants to buy a cheap car to drive around and does not want to hire. I researched websites like travellers autobarn where they intended for backpackers. I'd rather her buy off privately from carsales. Budget is around $2,000 - $3,0000.

My questions is, for rego purposes, as she is a tourist, how / what details will she need when filling out the RMA paperwork? She has her Korean license / international license, but when I looked at the rego papers, it says NSW drivers license.

Will she need to go to RTA to get a customer number?
If buying from a backpacker dealer, do they do all the paperwork for her under their business' name?
Can she put her hotel address down? Or maybe a friends address? What importance is the address?
Please outline the steps she needs to go through to buy a car. She realizes that she will need to sell it once her visa expires and all.

Thanks for helping, google didn't help much, thought I'd ask on the forums here.

Travel

Comments

  • Amaris on 09/01/2014 - 09:42
    +1

    When I bought a car straight after arriving on a working visa I had no issues. The RTA did not ask for a NSW license. In fact I was not allowed to get one as I had not been in the country for 6 months.
    I only went to the RTA after buying the car and was given a customer number then. I used a friend's address.
    If you have any doubt you could call the RTA.

    • altorive on 09/01/2014 - 11:33

      thanks, how about on a tourist visa without working visa, same thing i assume?

      • Amaris on 09/01/2014 - 14:38

        No one asked for my visa when I bought or registered the car. They did look at the passport though to confirm identity. So I guess it is the same for a tourist visa

  • retiredfeline on 09/01/2014 - 09:49
    +1

    BTW, in one of those departmental mergings, the RTA is now called the RMS. Just so you don't get confused looking at their websites.

  • altorive on 09/01/2014 - 10:26

    Did you buy the car privately from carsales or from a backpaper dealer? How easy was it to sell once your visa expired / left the country? I'm assuming that you entered your customer number down on the trasfer of rego in place of the NSW driver's license? How did you get insurance, was it under your name, was all that the insurance company needed was your passport and international drivers license (assuming rego was about to expire)? Thanks again

  • altorive on 09/01/2014 - 10:36

    Sorry, also, can a car be bought as a tourist? i.e. without a working a visa? are there any differences?

    • PissLUR on 09/01/2014 - 11:27

      yes anyone can purchase a car in Australia. just need a name and an address.

      • altorive on 09/01/2014 - 11:35

        Thanks. Do the immigration authorities care if they have found out a tourist has purchased a car? if its a cheap one, it really shouldn't matter, correct? around $4,000 under.

        • PissLUR on 09/01/2014 - 11:38
          +1

          why do you think they would care if a tourist purchase a car?

        • altorive on 09/01/2014 - 12:00

          buying a car could mean to work (also travel), and tourists can't work in Australia (on the books at least)

        • battler on 09/01/2014 - 12:00
          +1

          lots of backpackers buy cars/campers then sell them when leaving. no big deal.

        • retiredfeline on 09/01/2014 - 12:01

          Yes, why would it be any different from purchasing any other good in this consumer society. If anything the govt is happy for a tourist to spend money here.

        • retiredfeline on 09/01/2014 - 12:02

          Then they have to catch them working. If I buy a car am I going to be suspected of planning to rob a bank?

        • humdingaling on 09/01/2014 - 12:22

          it only matters if you need to finance it
          and then its not an issue with RTA is with the financee

        • xyron on 09/01/2014 - 17:54

          Immigration might care if a tourist buys an expensive car because it could be used as proof of an intention to overstay their visa in Australia. Ordinarily someone wouldn't travel to the UK or Canada on a 6 month tourist visa and buy a $30,000 car that they only intended on using for 6 months, for instance.

          For a cheaper, second-hand car though, I suspect Immigration couldn't care less.

        • retiredfeline on 09/01/2014 - 20:50

          Even so it's not clear cut. What if the tourist is a cashed up parent visiting and buying a vehicle for a child studying here? (Assuming any cash above the threshold was declared on entry.) It would be a silly and expensive way to try to enforce immigration law. We are not in such a police state yet.

  • npc on 09/01/2014 - 12:14
    +1

    Bought a car in QLD being on working visa with no issues - all you literally need is money. It doesn't matter if you buy from a dealer of privately. RTA will issue new CRN (Customer reference number) for you.

  • xyron on 09/01/2014 - 17:51
    +1

    Can confirm this is the same for SA - in a previous life I used to be a bit of a backyard dealer and would repair and on-sell super cheap (less than $2000) cars to mostly tourists and migrants - they would go to Transport SA (now Service SA) with their foreign drivers licence and proof of South Australian address and get a new 'client number' created (which for your average South Aussie is ordinarily the same as your Drivers' Licence number).

    Similar situation for when you register a car in a corporate name (obviously the corporation doesn't have a Drivers' Licence!)

    Keep in mind that, especially for cheaper cars, your friend will be significantly better off buying a car in SA, Tas or WA where he will not be subjected to the horrendous 'roadworthy' requirements enforced in the other states.

    • leiiv on 09/01/2014 - 19:06

      Now that is new to me, I thought all states have this horrendous 'roadworthy' requirements.

  • MITM on 10/01/2014 - 23:29

    You seem paranoid for your friend - is she from NORTH Korea ?

    You're just buying a car to see Australia, as you have a Tourist Visa. Trains and Buses are hopeless - what other option do you have to get around this big brown country ?

    So long as the seller has a Safety/Roadworthy certificate,
    So long as it has some valid registration days/months (or you'll have to re-register it).
    So long as the passport is accurate for Proof of Identity purposes.
    So long as you can provide evidence of where it will be garaged. (Normally an Aussie Licence will have your current residential address.)
    So you'll have to organise a letter to be sent to your residential address - such as a phone account, newspaper subscription, or some quasi-official govt department letter.
    That's the only problem I can see you'll have = proving your residential address.

    Check with your travel insurance policy how accidents are treated while driving a private vehicle - I think they would expect you to have car insurance for that.

    While your at it, why not book a driving test for your Aussie licence while you're transferring ownership :-}

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