The two schemes are similar in many ways, but have a few distinct differences, specifically modifications and weight limits.

Modifications

• Under the Classic Vehicle Scheme, your car can be modified in any way you like, as long as it’s legal. This includes more significant modifications that require a compliance certificate/engineers report.

• The Historic Vehicle Scheme does not allow you to make any modifications to your vehicle that are not era-appropriate or for safety reasons (e.g. left to right hand drive conversions or adding seatbelts).

Weight Limits

• The Classic Vehicle Scheme has a gross vehicle mass limit of 3500kg, while the Historic Vehicle Scheme does not have a weight limit.

A classic vehicle is any vehicle that is 30 years of age or older, that has certain modifications not permitted under the Historic vehicle scheme (HVS). These modifications may be owner certified or significantly modified. If significantly modified, they must have a valid compliance certificate issued by a licensed certifier.

Any vehicles that are eligible to be registered under the HVS can also be registered under the Classic Vehicle Scheme.

To be eligible for the CVS:

• your vehicle must be 30 years of age or older, counted from the year of manufacture,

• your vehicle must be 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass or under,

• your vehicle must comply with the applicable NSW vehicle standards,

• you must be a current, financial member of a club affiliated with the ACMC (Era Recreational is one of these clubs!)

• your vehicle can be a replica or an Individually Constructed Vehicle (ICV) that is 30 years of age or older (based on the build completion date),

• The vehicle to be registered must be garaged in NSW, and

• You must be a resident of NSW.

To establish a new registration on the Classic Vehicle Scheme, you must attend a service centre in person and provide:

• a completed Application for Conditional Registration

• Proof of your identity

• Proof of registration entitlement – such as an original receipt for the vehicle showing buyer’s name, seller’s name, address, signature, the vehicle identification number (VIN) or chassis/frame or serial number and the date of acquisition)

• your payment

• a completed Classic Vehicle Declaration not more than 42 days old

• an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection (blue slip), not more than 42 days old and:

  • if it is modified, a compliance certificate

  • if it has been imported, a Vehicle Import Approval.

To renew an existing registration on the Classic Vehicle Scheme, you must attend a service centre in person and provide:

• a completed Classic Vehicle Declaration not more than 42 days old

• an Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection (blue slip), not more than 42 days old and:

  • if it is modified, a compliance certificate

  • if it has been imported, a Vehicle Import Approval.

• your payment.

You can locate the required documents here.

The process requires a few steps, but they’re very streamlined. The declaration is filled out by our club registrar using the details you provide. Then, we stamp the document to confirm that you are a current financial member of the club. Next, the declaration is passed along to the Australian Confederation of Motors Clubs (ACMC) who will stamp and sign it as an Approved Organisation for Transport for NSW.

The steps that you need to follow are broken down below.

1. Join Era Recreational and 4WD Club Inc

2. Go to the page called “Classic Vehicle Declaration” in our members only section.

3. Fill out the form on that page.

4. Pay the ACMC their $30 processing fee.

5. Wait for your declaration to arrive!

   • We recommend allowing for up to two weeks in turn around time. The club and ACMC will only take 1-2 business days to process and post, but AusPost can be a little slow sometimes.