Club Permit Deceased Estate: What Happens When the Holder Dies

A club permit deceased estate has two possible endings in Victoria, and only two. The permit can be reassigned to the surviving spouse or domestic partner, provided they are a member of an approved club, or it is cancelled. It cannot be passed to a son, a daughter, a friend or a buyer, because a club permit cannot be transferred at all.

A club permit deceased estate: the two ways it can end

VicRoads is explicit on both points. Its guidance on modifying, updating or transferring a club permit states that you cannot transfer a club permit, and that where a vehicle is sold or given away the permit must be cancelled and the new owner can apply for their own.

The single exception is set out on the VicRoads page covering how to reassign or cancel the club permit of someone who has died: a club permit can only be reassigned to the spouse or domestic partner of the person who has passed away, and that person must also be a member of an approved club.

Reassigning the permit to a spouse or domestic partner

Two things have to be true at once. The person taking the permit over has to be the spouse or domestic partner of the person who died, and they have to hold membership of an approved club in their own right. Being married to the permit holder is not enough on its own, and nor is club membership.

If the surviving partner is not already a member of an approved club, sorting out the membership is the first practical step, not an afterthought once the forms are filled in.

The Club Permit Reassignment Form, and who signs it

Reassignment runs on a specific form. VicRoads directs you to the Club Permit Reassignment Form, which sits inside its Deceased Estate Pack, and the form needs two signatures: the surviving spouse or domestic partner, and an authorised officer of the approved club.

Because the club has to sign the form, speak to the club before the counter visit rather than after it.

What to take to a VicRoads Customer Service Centre

Reassignment is done in person. Alongside the completed reassignment form, the general VicRoads guidance on deceased estates asks for two things before anything else can happen:

• An original or certified copy of the death certificate from Births, Deaths and Marriages, or one of the other documents VicRoads lists, such as an interim death certificate or a letter from an Australian coroner's court.
• Proof that you are authorised to act for the estate. VicRoads accepts an excerpt from the will, a grant of probate, letters of administration, a solicitor's letter or, for smaller estates, a statutory declaration.

VicRoads says it is easiest to handle everything in one visit, and its Deceased Estate Pack sets out the steps and the forms you might need to fill out before you attend.

Cancelling the permit, and what happens to the plates

Where there is no spouse or domestic partner in an approved club, or the family would rather not continue the permit, the permit is cancelled instead. VicRoads asks you to visit a Customer Service Centre, and says it will tell you whether the club permit number plates need to be returned.

Cancellation is also the path when the vehicle is being sold out of the estate, because the permit cannot follow the car to its new owner.

If the vehicle passes to a child or anyone else

The vehicle can be inherited. The permit cannot. A beneficiary who wants to keep the car on a club permit is making a fresh application in their own name, with everything that involves: membership of an approved club, a vehicle that meets the age test, a current roadworthy certificate where the vehicle was built after 1948, and an application received by VicRoads within 30 days of the club signing the vehicle eligibility and standards declaration. Our guide to who can hold a club permit in Victoria covers what the permit holder takes on.

If the plan is instead to put the car on full registration, that is a transfer of registration rather than a permit question, and VicRoads treats it differently again. A transfer to a spouse or partner needs no roadworthy certificate and no fees. A transfer to a person with a beneficial entitlement needs a roadworthy certificate less than 30 days old, unless exempt, and the transfer fee. A transfer to anyone else, or to a company, needs the roadworthy certificate, the transfer fee and motor vehicle duty. Our comparison of a club permit against full registration is the place to weigh that choice up.

A note on timing

The conditions of a club permit run to the permit holder, including the requirement to hold current membership of an approved club. Getting the club membership question answered early is what keeps the options open.

Where the club comes in

Eligibility, roadworthy and logbook rules are set by VicRoads and apply regardless of which club endorses the application. Club Plate Co is a VicRoads-accredited club under the Victorian Club Permit Scheme, and membership is $99 a year covering the endorsement of a permit application and its renewals. Signing up and submitting your documents are done online.

Questions about a club permit after the holder dies

Can a club permit be transferred to the person who inherits the car?

No. VicRoads states that a club permit cannot be transferred. The only reassignment available is to the spouse or domestic partner of the person who died, and they must be a member of an approved club.

What form is needed to reassign a club permit?

The Club Permit Reassignment Form, found in the VicRoads Deceased Estate Pack. It must be signed by the surviving spouse or domestic partner and by an authorised officer of the approved club.

Do the club permit plates have to be handed back?

Where the permit is cancelled, VicRoads will tell you whether the club permit number plates need to be returned.

Can the permit be reassigned without visiting VicRoads?

No. Reassigning or cancelling the club permit of someone who has died is done at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.

What documents prove I can act for the estate?

VicRoads accepts an excerpt from the will, a grant of probate, letters of administration, a solicitor's letter or, for smaller estates, a statutory declaration, along with an original or certified death certificate or another document VicRoads accepts.