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Buying and selling · New Zealand

How to transfer personalised plates in New Zealand

By the Great Plates team · Updated 14 October 2026 · 8 sources

Selling personalised plates in New Zealand is simpler than selling a car, but it is a different process. You are not handing over a piece of aluminium. You are transferring a legal right, and the paperwork follows that right. This guide walks through each step.

The short version

  1. Agree a price and how payment will work, then complete the transfer together.
  2. The seller and buyer complete NZTA's Transfer of entitlement form.
  3. Once the right is in the buyer's name, the buyer has the plates fitted to their vehicle at an NZTA agent.
  4. The seller is paid. The seller's car goes back on standard plates.

What you are actually buying

New Zealand's regulations call it an exclusive right to personalised plates. NZTA puts it plainly: "When you buy a personalised plate, you're buying the exclusive right to that set of characters. You can transfer personalised plates from vehicle to vehicle, and from person to person" [1]. The holder of those rights "may sell or otherwise dispose of" them to another person, even before the physical plates have been made [2].

Two things follow from that:

  • The right is separate from any car. The right can be held, and even sold, before any plates are made for a vehicle [2].
  • Having the plates on a car does not prove ownership. NZTA has confirmed that entitlement is not checked when plates are fitted, and that "there is no requirement to be the entitlement holder to display a personalised plate on a vehicle" [3]. So a buyer should always confirm who holds the entitlement before paying.

Step by step: selling your plates

  1. Check you hold the entitlement. Find the paperwork from when you bought or were transferred the plates. The person named there is the only one who can sell.
  2. Agree the price and how payment works. For a large amount, consider an escrow service, or have both of you complete the transfer form together when the money changes hands.
  3. Complete the transfer of entitlement. NZTA says that if you sell your personalised plates, "you'll need to complete a Transfer of entitlement form", and links to it on the LicenSys website [1]. Both the seller (transferor) and the buyer (transferee) must notify the Registrar "in a form acceptable to the Registrar" [2]. The completed form goes to LicenSys, the government plate manufacturer [8]. We'll send you the current form with your sale paperwork.
  4. Get standard plates for your own car. If the plates are on your vehicle, the regulations require you to obtain ordinary plates for it [2]. An NZTA agent can issue them.
  5. Hand over the physical plates if the buyer wants to keep the existing set. The buyer can also order new ones (see remakes below).

Step by step: buying plates

  1. Confirm the seller holds the entitlement. Ask to see their entitlement paperwork, and call LicenSys on 0800 REMAKE (736 253) to check the seller owns the plates [8]. Don't rely on seeing the plates on their car [3].
  2. Agree how you'll pay before you hand over money. Meet the seller, fill in the transfer form together, and for a large amount consider an escrow service. Never pay by gift card, crypto or a money transfer app.
  3. Complete your half of the Transfer of entitlement form, which goes to LicenSys [1][8].
  4. Have your plates made, if you need a new set. Ring LicenSys on 0800 REMAKE [8]. Check first that the plate suits your vehicle: see our guide to car, motorbike and trailer plates.
  5. Put the plates on your vehicle. Complete an Application for replacement plate (form MR6A) and take the plates to an NZTA agent, who needs to see them [1]. NZTA's fee for putting personalised plates you already hold onto a vehicle is $6.30 [4].
Common mix-up: the MR13B form is the buyer's form for a vehicle change of ownership [5]. Plate rights are transferred separately, through the transfer of entitlement. If you are buying a car that comes with personalised plates, you need both: the vehicle change of ownership, and a transfer of entitlement for the plates.

Moving plates to another car you own

If you keep the plates and change cars, complete form MR6A at an NZTA agent and bring the physical plates [1]. The vehicle's existing plates are surrendered when your personalised plates go on [2]. NZTA has removed the old MR17 fee for moving plates between vehicles [4].

Remakes, replacements and restyling

  • Remade plates: if your plates are damaged, faded or lost, NZTA's fee for remaking standard personalised plates is $34.96 per pair, GST included, as at October 2026 [4].
  • Other styles: NZTA says "personalised duplicate plates vary in costs depending on the style". You order them from LicenSys (0800 REMAKE), you must be the vehicle's registered person, and plates can take 7 to 10 days to arrive [1].
  • Don't buy copies. Only NZTA or its agents can issue plates, including personalised plates. Displaying a non-approved plate can mean a fine of up to $5,000 [1].
  • A new look: KiwiPlates offers restyling, changing the plate style while keeping the same characters, with prices starting from $199 [6].
  • Holding plates off the road: the regulations say plates must not be manufactured until they are needed for a registered vehicle [2]. If you sell rights to plates that were never made, the buyer orders the physical set.

What it costs at a glance

ItemCost (NZD, GST incl.)Source
Fitting personalised plates you hold to a vehicle$6.30NZTA [4]
Remaking standard personalised plates$34.96 per pairNZTA [4]
Replacing ordinary plates$29.11 per pairNZTA [4]
Restyling with KiwiPlatesfrom $199KiwiPlates [6]
A brand-new combination from KiwiPlatesreported as $599 to $2,499The Spinoff, March 2026 [7]

Fees change. Check the NZTA fees page before you rely on a figure.

Our sale and transfer checklist

We made a one-page checklist for any plate sale. It records the plate, both parties, the agreed price, who lodges which official form, and both sign-offs. It does not replace the official NZTA forms. It keeps everything in one place so nothing gets missed.

Open the checklist

Quick answers

What do you actually buy when you buy a personalised plate in New Zealand?

You buy the exclusive right to display that combination of characters. NZTA describes it as purchasing the exclusive right to that set of characters, and the rights can be sold to another person.

Who handles a change of ownership of personalised plates?

The seller completes NZTA's Transfer of entitlement form, which NZTA links to on the LicenSys website. Both the seller and the buyer need to notify the Registrar.

Do I need a car to own personalised plates?

No. The right to the plates exists separately from any vehicle. It can be held, and even sold, before plates are made for a vehicle.

How much does it cost to have personalised plates remade?

NZTA lists a fee of $34.96 per pair for remaking standard personalised plates, as at October 2026. Other styles cost more and are ordered through LicenSys.

Is a vehicle change of ownership form (MR13B) the same as transferring plates?

No. The MR13B is for buying a vehicle. Plate rights are transferred separately, through the transfer of entitlement process.

Sources

  1. NZTA Waka Kotahi: Number plates
  2. Land Transport (Motor Vehicle Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2011, regs 34, 43 and 44
  3. 1News, 16 July 2026: Woman reclaims personalised plates after they turn up on stranger's car
  4. NZTA: Vehicle fees and charges
  5. AA: Ask an expert, change of ownership forms
  6. KiwiPlates: Restyle
  7. The Spinoff, 16 March 2026: The personalised number plates deemed too rude for the road
  8. KiwiPlates: FAQs

Fees and rules were checked against these sources in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.

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