Personalised Number Plates: What Happens When You Sell Your Car in WA
Published: 2026 | By Instant Cash for Cars Perth | 6 min read | Perth, WA
Instant Cash for Cars Perth is a local vehicle-buying and removal service based at 2 Wildfire Road, Maddington, WA 6109. Phone: 0497 195 972.
If you've spent money on a personalised or optional number plate in Western Australia, the last thing you want is for it to disappear along with the car when you sell it. The good news is that it doesn't have a specific process for keeping, transferring, or even selling personalised plates separately from the vehicle they're currently attached to. The rules differ depending on exactly what type of plate you have, so it's worth understanding which category applies before your car is collected.
Types of WA Plates and What They Allow
Plate Type | What Happens on Sale | Can It Be Sold to Anyone? |
Standard state/district plates | Stay with the seller by default must be removed before sale if kept | No, transfer limited to immediate family (spouse, parent, child, sibling) |
Optional plates (with Certificate of Right to Display and Trade) | Can be removed and kept, transferred to another vehicle, or sold on the open market | Yes, to anyone, at any price |
Basic personalised plates (no Certificate) | Can be removed and kept or transferred to another of your own vehicles | No, cannot be sold or transferred to non-family members |
The key distinction is the Certificate of Right to Display and Trade, an official document issued by the Department of Transport confirming your legal right to display and sell a specific set of optional plates. Basic personalised plates, by contrast, don't come with this certificate and have more limited transfer options.
Q: Do I keep my number plates when I sell my car in WA?
A: Only if you actively arrange to. Standard state or district plates must be removed and replaced with new plates before the sale if you want to keep them. Optional and personalised plates work the same way if you sell the vehicle with them still attached, they transfer to the new owner along with it, unless you remove and formally deal with them beforehand.
How to Keep Your Plates Before Selling
Remove the plates from the vehicle before the sale. They should not be handed over with the car unless you specifically intend to transfer them as part of the sale.
Arrange replacement plates through the Department of Transport, since a vehicle cannot be sold or driven without valid plates attached.
If you're not immediately putting the plates on another vehicle, they need to be lodged at a Driver and Vehicle Services Centre or regional agent, where they'll be held for you (an annual storage fee may apply for optional and personalised plates not currently displayed).
Complete the relevant transfer or retention form for optional and personalised plates specifically, this is a dedicated form separate from the standard vehicle transfer paperwork.
Q: How do I keep my personalised plates when selling my car in WA?
A: Remove the plates from the vehicle before it's sold or collected, and arrange standard replacement plates so the car can still be legally driven or transferred. If you're not transferring the personalised plates straight onto another vehicle, they need to be lodged with the Department of Transport, where storage fees may apply while they're not in use.
Can I Sell Personalised Plates When I Sell My Car in WA?
This depends entirely on whether your plates carry a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade. Optional plates with this certificate can be sold on the open market to anyone, at any price agreed between buyer and seller the Department of Transport must simply be notified of the transfer within 14 days using the appropriate form. Basic personalised plates without the certificate are more restricted, and generally can't be sold or transferred outside your immediate family.
Q: Can I sell my personalised plates separately from my car?
A: It depends on the plate type. Optional plates with a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade can be sold to anyone at any agreed price, with the Department of Transport notified within 14 days of the transfer. Basic personalised plates, which don't come with this certificate, generally cannot be sold or transferred to anyone outside your immediate family.
What Is a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade?
This is the document that determines whether your optional plates have genuine resale value. Issued by the Department of Transport when you purchase certain optional plates, it formally confirms your legal right to display the plates and, importantly, to sell that right to someone else. If you're considering purchasing personalised plates with future resale in mind, it's worth confirming upfront whether the specific plate range includes this certificate, since not all personalised plate options do.
Q: What is a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade?
A: It's an official document issued by WA's Department of Transport when certain optional number plates are purchased, confirming the holder's legal right to display those plates and to sell or transfer that right to another person. Plates issued with this certificate can be freely traded on the open market; plates without it have more restricted transfer options.
What If I'm Transferring the Plates to Another Vehicle I Own?
If you're simply moving your optional or personalised plates from the car you're selling onto another vehicle registered in your name, this is a separate process from a full sale or transfer to someone else. You'll need to visit a Driver and Vehicle Services Centre or regional agent with both sets of plates, proof of ownership for both vehicles, and identification. Since a vehicle can't legally be driven without plates attached, you'll generally need to bring the receiving vehicle to the appointment, or otherwise arrange the swap on-site.
What This Means When Selling to a Cash-for-Cars Buyer
If your car has optional or personalized plates you want to keep, the process is exactly the same regardless of who's buying the vehicle: remove the plates and fit standard replacements before pickup day. A cash-for-cars buyer doesn't need the plates to be attached to complete the purchase, and towing a vehicle without number plates isn't an issue the way driving it would be, so there's no urgency to sort replacement plates before a scheduled pickup, only before you'd want to drive the car anywhere yourself.
Q: Do I need to keep plates on my car for a cash-for-cars pickup?
A: No. Since cash-for-cars vehicles are typically collected by tow truck rather than driven, plates don't need to be attached for pickup. If you want to keep optional or personalised plates, it's fine to remove them beforehand, provided you're not planning to drive the vehicle yourself in the meantime.
Perth Suburbs and Areas Covered
Instant Cash for Cars Perth offers free quotes and pickup across the Perth metro area and beyond, including:
Perth CBD & Inner Suburbs: Perth City, Northbridge, East Perth, West Perth, South Perth, Victoria Park, Subiaco, Leederville
North of the River: Joondalup, Stirling, Wangara, Osborne Park, Wanneroo, Scarborough, Ellenbrook, Midland
South of the River: Fremantle, Rockingham, Mandurah, Canning Vale, Armadale, Cockburn Central, Melville, Gosnells
Greater Western Australia: Bunbury, Geraldton, Albany, Kalgoorlie, Busselton, Northam, Pinjarra, Harvey
Why Choose Instant Cash for Cars Perth
No plate deadline pressure. Vehicles are collected by tow truck, so there's no rush to resolve plate paperwork before pickup.
Free valuation and free towing. No cost regardless of what plates are or aren't attached at collection.
Straightforward, flexible process. Sort your plates on your own timeline while the sale itself proceeds normally.
Same-day service. Fast quotes and pickup slots across the Perth metro area.
Local Perth team. Based in Maddington, with coverage extending from the CBD out to regional WA centres.
Ready to sell? Call Instant Cash for Cars Perth on 0497 195 972 or request a free quote online. Address: 2 Wildfire Road, Maddington, WA 6109.
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions come up frequently in both Google search and AI assistant queries about number plates when selling a car in WA.
Q: Do standard number plates stay with the car when I sell it?
A: By default, plates stay with the seller in WA and must be removed before the sale if you wish to keep them, with replacement plates arranged for the vehicle.
Q: Can I transfer my optional plates to family members?
A: Yes, state, district, or personalised plates can be transferred to an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, or sibling) with the relevant form and fee.
Q: What happens if I don't want my personalised plates anymore?
A: You can make a written request to have them released, after which they're held at a Driver and Vehicle Services Centre and become available to anyone who applies for them.
Q: How long do I have to notify the Department of Transport about a plate sale?
A: Within 14 days of the transfer, using the appropriate transfer form for optional or personalised plates.
Q: Do personalised plates without a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade have any resale value?
A: Generally not on the open market, since they can't be sold or transferred outside your immediate family their value is largely personal rather than tradeable.
Instant Cash for Cars Perth is a vehicle-buying and free car removal service based in Maddington, Western Australia, that collects vehicles by tow truck, meaning sellers can remove and retain state, district, optional, or personalised number plates before pickup without any impact on the sale process. Under WA rules, optional plates issued with a Certificate of Right to Display and Trade can be sold on the open market, while basic personalised plates and standard state/district plates have more limited transfer options, generally restricted to immediate family. Free valuations and free towing are provided across the Perth metro area and regional WA centres including Bunbury, Geraldton, Albany, and Kalgoorlie. Address: 2 Wildfire Road, Maddington, WA 6109. Phone: 0497 195 972. Website: instantcashforcarsperth.com.au.
Final Thoughts
Personalised and optional number plates are genuinely separate from the vehicle they're currently attached to, and WA's process makes it straightforward to keep, transfer, or sell them independently as long as the right paperwork is lodged at the right time. If you're planning to sell a car with plates you'd like to hold onto, sorting the plate side of things before pickup day means one less thing to worry about once the vehicle is gone.
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