Club Permits

The Club Permit Scheme allows members of an approved vehicle club to make limited use of historic vehicles on the road network. A Club Permit is a type of registration permit that allows an eligible unregistered vehicle to make limited use of the road network. A Club Permit is significantly cheaper than normal registration and there is no stamp duty payable on club permit vehicles when ownership is transferred; your insurer may offer cheaper insurance premiums if the vehicle insured is put on a club permit.

A club permit can be issued to the vehicles manufactured more than 25 years before the date of the application for a club permit. A replica of a vehicle manufactured more than 25 years ago is also eligible for a club permit. The definition of "vehicle" is broad and includes: cars and other light vehicles, motorcycles, heavy vehicles (GVM greater than 4.5 tonnes), modified vehicles such as street rods, trailers and caravans, and machinery and mobile plant.

A club permit vehicle must comply with the Vehicle Standards, appropriate to the date the vehicle was manufactured, contained in Schedule 2 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009 - these are the same requirements for unconditional registration in Australia. Therefore, the vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition as evidenced by a roadworthy certificate, vehicle modifications are within the guidelines published by VicRoads or certified with a VASS certificate, and, if your vehicle is an import, complied by a compliance workshop.

The day of manufacture is assumed to be the last day of the month on the Australian/import compliance plate, or if no compliance plate is fitted, the date of manufacture is determined by a manufacturer's build plate, a chassis number or documentary evidence from the manufacturer's records. If your vehicle does not meet the above requirements, you may need VicRoads to determine the manufacture date. To give an example,  a compliance plate stating a build date of 10/1990 (October 1990) would be assumed to be manufactured on 31 October 1990 and would be eligible for a club permit on 01 November 2015 - more than 25 years before the date of the application for a club permit.

A vehicle may be of historical, artistic or scientific interest because of its:

• make, model, variant, optional equipment fitted and year of manufacture;

• success, fame or infamy in motorsport and homologation specials (e.g. Nissan Skyline R32 GTR, Group B rally cars, etc.);

• uniqueness (e.g. rare due to low production numbers or age; engine, body or other component design and application regardless of effectiveness of implementation; second-hand imports not available on Australian market; etc.);

• condition relative to age (e.g. immaculate body or interior condition; low kilometres; etc.);

• visual or artistic features or that are of universal appeal or highly characteristic of the period that the vehicle was manufactured (e.g. Mercedes Benz 300SL, Porsche 911, Toyota MR2 AW11);

• modifications (e.g. body; transmission; suspension; engine; interior; homebrew electric cars; etc. provided that they are within the guidelines as specified by VicRoads, certified with a VASS certificate, if required, and are safe for road use);

• restoration (e.g. full nut and bolt restoration; faithfully restored using OEM components; resto-mod – restored using modern components; etc.); or,

• trivia (e.g. first/last off of the production line). 

Feel free to contact the Club Secretary to confirm that your vehicle meets the club criteria: secretary@alfredstcarclub.org.au.

If you've got an eligible vehicle you would like to put on a club permit follow the steps below:

1. Get your roadworthy and other registration certificates (if required)

2. Join Alfred Street Car Club:

   • Submit your membership form: https://www.alfredstcarclub.org.au/membership/application-form

   • Pay your membership fee ($55 per annum)

3. Submit your vehicle details and photographs to the Club Secretary secretary@alfredstcarclub.org.au

4. Get your club paperwork signed by the Club and pay the admin fee ($20 per vehicle, per application)

5. Submit your paperwork with VicRoads and pay the VicRoads fees to collect your Club Permit.

6. Submit a photograph of the vehicle with club permit number plate and permit label fitted to the vehicle to the Club Secretary secretary@alfredstcarclub.org.au 

Provided you have your club permit details recorded in your online account with VicRoads you can renew a club permit online. Further, you can request a Club Permit endorsement form to be completed and emailed to you by the Club Secretary for the renewal process. 

Significantly easier than posting your renewal notice to the Club Secretary for signing and then going to VicRoads to make payment!

The only catch if you renew online is that you must keep a copy of the completed club permit endorsement form and proof of payment with your log book in the vehicle. We recommend that you keep this in hardcopy with the log book.

You will receive a new windscreen label and permit label for your new log book with your renewal notice - two stickers and a new log book. This is generally posted to you a bit over a month before your permit is due to expire; if you haven't received your renewal notice within that time contact VicRoads.

Club Permits are not transferable.

If the vehicle is given or sold to another person, the current Club Permit must be cancelled and a new Club Permit application is required. 

If a Club Permit holder has passed away, the permit may be reassigned to their spouse or domestic partner. The spouse/domestic partner must be a member of an approved club.

Club permit holders must:

• ensure that the vehicle is only used for private use and is not used for commercial use

• ensure they are familiar with their particular club’s requirements for club permit holders

• ensure they are familiar with the log book requirements

• maintain their vehicles in a manner which ensures that the vehicle is in a 'safe' condition for use on a highway

• present their vehicle for periodic safety checks if prescribed by their club, or in the case of street rods, if prescribed by the Australian Street Rod Federation

• maintain financial membership of the club at all times whilst holding a club permit

• ensure that the log book and permit is carried in the vehicle at all times the vehicle is in use

• ensure that the number plate(s) and windscreen label issued by VicRoads are correctly displayed on the vehicle at all times when the vehicle is in use. 

All club permit plates have white characters on a maroon background. Custom plates cannot be issued to a vehicle on the club permit scheme. Slimline, bike rack and exempt trailer plates can be ordered from VicRoads. All vehicles manufactured before 01 Janurary 1931, motorcycles and trailers will be issued with one number plate. Otherwise you will be issued with two number plates. 

A log book is issued by VicRoads with the initial club permit and is renewed annually. A permit holder must ensure that a club permit is correctly affixed inside a log book.

A log book entry must be made for each day the vehicle is used outside the vehicle's local zone (a radius of 100 metres from the entrance of the vehicle's garage address on a public road) before beginning the journey. If a vehicle is used by several drivers or for several trips during a day, only the first use by the first driver is required to be recorded. The entry is valid until midnight that day. If a journey begins before midnight and continues into the next day, an entry must be made in the log book in respect of each of those days.

If a club permit is a 45 day club permit, only the first 45 entries in the log book are available to be used, unless a second 45 day club permit is issued for the permit period and correctly affixed inside the log book.

If all available entries in a log book have been completed, or the club permit has expired or been cancelled, the permit holder must not drive the vehicle outside the vehicle's local zone until a new club permit is issued.

A permit holder must not complete or partially complete entries in a log book which relate to a future day.

Failure to complete the log book entries correctly may put you at risk of driving an unregistered vehicle, suspension or cancellation of your club permit, and other penalties.

The current advice from VicRoads is: 

Club permit vehicles may be driven throughout all states and territories provided that the vehicle complies with Victorian requirements for the holding of the club permit. 

However, we encourage you to confirm this is correct with the relevant state or territory authority and make appropriate arrangements.

Left hand drive club permit vehicles must not be used on the road at night unless all the required lamps, including dipping headlamps, are fitted and suitable for right hand drive.

Operators of heavy vehicles issued with a club permit may be subject to heavy vehicle fatigue laws. 

Club permit vehicles that are subject to the heavy vehicle fatigue laws will be required to use a national driver work diary in conjunction with the club permit log book. 

Heavy vehicles on club permits may be used for charitable drought relief purposes on a non-commercial basis.   

Fuel donations are not considered to be commercial payment.

Before 29 October 2019, the Road Safety (Drivers) Regulations 2009 were in force - Regulation 56(2)(b)(ii) says:

Unless the vehicle has an engine that has been modified to increase the vehicle's performance (other than a modification made by the manufacturer in the course of the manufacture of the vehicle), a probationary prohibited vehicle does not include a vehicle operating under a club permit issued under Part 3.4 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2009. 

From 29 October 2019, the Road Safety (Drivers) Regulations 2019 are in force and no such rule exception exists. However, Regulation 117 says:

(1) If at the commencement of these Regulations a motor vehicle is not a probationary prohibited vehicle under regulation 57 of the Road Safety (Drivers) Regulations 2009, it continues not to be a probationary prohibited vehicle provided the vehicle is being driven by a person whose probationary licence was issued prior to the commencement of these Regulations. 

(2) Subregulation (1) continues to have effect, despite anything to the contrary in these Regulations.