Club Permit for Motorcycles in Victoria
Motorcycles get a club permit on exactly the same terms as cars. VicRoads runs one Club Permit Scheme and states it “also applies to trailers, heavy vehicles, modified vehicles like street rods and motorbikes”. Your bike needs to be more than 25 years old, you need to be a member of an approved club, and you ride 45 or 90 days a year on maroon club permit plates with a logbook. This page covers the parts that are specific to bikes.
The 25-year rule for motorcycles
VicRoads sets one age test for the whole scheme, and motorcycles sit inside it. A bike qualifies if it fits one of three categories: veteran, made before 1 January 1919; vintage, made after 31 December 1918 and before 1 January 1931; or classic and historic, made after 31 December 1930 but more than 25 years old. VicRoads then confirms that the scheme “also applies to trailers, heavy vehicles, modified vehicles like street rods and motorbikes”.
The 25-year test is a rolling one, so in 2026 that is broadly a bike built in 2001 or earlier. Check the build date rather than the model year: VicRoads dates a vehicle from the Register of Approved Vehicles build date first, then the Australian compliance plate, then the vehicle’s build plate.
The bike also has to “meet the standards relevant to its year of manufacture and have a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or a chassis number” clearly stamped on it. A bike recorded as a statutory write-off, or already listed on another club permit, cannot go on the scheme. Our eligibility guide covers the edge cases.
Some clubs impose their own extra age rules or restrict themselves to one marque. VicRoads does not, and neither does Club Plate Co: if VicRoads would permit the bike, we can endorse it.
What a motorcycle club permit costs
Three bills, and only one of them is ours. VicRoads publishes separate motorcycle fees and permit fees, and it changes them, so the table below links out rather than freezing a number that will be wrong in a year.
| Item | 45-day permit | 90-day permit |
|---|---|---|
| Club Plate Co membership (per year) | $99 | $99 |
| VicRoads permit fee (per year) | $27.60 | $55.30 |
| TAC charge (per year) | $60.50 | $117.70 |
| Logbook (one-off) | $3.40 | $3.40 |
| Club permit plate, single (one-off) | $22.10 | $22.10 |
| Total paid to VicRoads | $113.60 | $198.50 |
| Roadworthy certificate | Set by the licensed tester | Set by the licensed tester |
Fees checked 5 September 2026 against the VicRoads permit fees page. VicRoads sets and revises these figures, normally each July — confirm the current amount before you pay.
Confirm the current figures on the VicRoads permit fees page, and see our pricing page for how the three parts add up over a first year and a renewal year. There is no separate motorcycle membership rate with us: $99 covers a bike the same as a car.
Plates and the logbook for bikes
VicRoads treats Motorcycle as its own club permit vehicle type on the plates page, alongside classic and historic, modified, vintage, veteran, street rod and trailer. That matters because the number of plates and the plate size differ by type; the VicRoads club permit plates page publishes the specification for each.
Everything else is the same as a car. The plates are maroon with white characters and the words ‘club permit’ along the top. You get them when you lodge the application at a Customer Service Centre, along with a logbook, the club permit certificate and labels. The certificate goes inside the logbook cover and the label goes on the bike so the permit is clearly current.
The logbook rules do not bend for a bike. Complete an entry every time you ride more than 100 metres from the garage address, one entry per day even if you ride several times, an entry for each calendar day a ride spans midnight, and never write entries in advance. The rules and logbook guide has worked examples, and the red plates guide covers replacements.
LAMS, learners and probationary riders
A club permit changes the status of the bike, never the status of the rider. Transport Victoria is direct: “If you’re riding a motorcycle with a club permit, follow relevant motorcycle licence restrictions.” The general condition applies too: every driver or rider of a club permit vehicle must follow their own licence conditions.
- Learner and probationary riders are held to the LAMS approved motorcycle list as usual. A 1970s superbike does not become rideable on Ls because it is on club plates.
- Anyone can ride the bike if their licence permits it. The rider does not have to be the permit holder, and does not have to be a club member.
- The day is still logged by the permit holder’s book. Whoever rides, the first use of the day is the entry that counts.
Transport Victoria also notes that probationary drivers cannot use a vehicle modified by anyone other than the manufacturer to increase performance, and says explicitly that this includes vehicles with a club permit.
VSI 4, VASS and modified bikes
Transport Victoria points motorcycles at their own standards document: bikes on a club permit “must meet the VSI 4 - summary of registration requirements for motorcycles and mopeds”, on top of Schedule 2 of the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021. Modified vehicles must also meet VSI 8 and VSI 33. All of them sit on the Transport Victoria vehicle standards information page.
A VASS approval certificate is required in a narrower set of cases. VicRoads lists them, and the motorcycle-specific one is worth quoting: a VASS approval certificate is needed if the vehicle “was manufactured after 31 December 1968 (30 June 1975 for motorcycles), but before 1 January 1989, and was imported under the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989”. So a mid-1970s or 1980s grey import is the common trigger, not an Australian-delivered bike of the same age.
VicRoads also notes that if you already hold a VASS approval certificate for past modifications and nothing has changed since, you do not need a new one. Café racer and bobber rebuilds live or die on that sentence; the modified vehicles guide works through it.
Getting your bike on a club permit
- Join Club Plate Co. $99 a year, online, no meetings and no rides you have to turn up to. VicRoads requires club membership before the application starts.
- Get the inspection. A roadworthy certificate from a licensed vehicle tester for a bike made on or after 1 January 1949; a club official can inspect and declare an earlier machine safe instead.
- Send us photos and documents. We check the bike appears eligible and endorse the Vehicle eligibility and standards declaration and the club permit application online, with no workshop visit and no counter appointment at our end.
- Lodge at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre. Within 30 days of the date on the declaration form, with identification, the original forms, the roadworthy certificate and any VASS approval certificate. You collect the plates, logbook, certificate and labels there.
Get your club permit, or read the full walk-through in How it works and the forms guide.
Motorcycle club permit FAQ
How old does a motorcycle have to be for Club Rego Vic?
More than 25 years old, the same rule as cars. VicRoads groups vehicles as veteran (made before 1 January 1919), vintage (made after 31 December 1918 and before 1 January 1931) and classic and historic (made after 31 December 1930 but more than 25 years old), and confirms the scheme “also applies to… motorbikes”.
Club rego motorcycle vic: how does it work?
You join a VicRoads-approved club, get the bike inspected, have the club sign your forms, then lodge them at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre. You ride 45 or 90 days a year, logging each day before you leave, on maroon club permit plates. The permit renews annually and the club endorses the renewal.
How much does a club permit cost for a motorcycle in Victoria?
Three parts: club membership, the VicRoads permit fee for 45 or 90 days, and a roadworthy certificate if the bike was made on or after 1 January 1949. Club Plate Co membership is $99 a year. VicRoads publishes its own motorcycle and permit fees, which change; check them before you pay.
Do I need a roadworthy certificate for a motorcycle club permit?
Yes if the bike was made on or after 1 January 1949, from a licensed vehicle tester. VicRoads says a vehicle “made on or before 31 December 1948… doesn’t need a roadworthy certificate. You can have it inspected by a club official who can declare it to be safe to use on the road.” See our roadworthy guide.
Can a learner or P-plater ride a club permit motorcycle?
Only within their own licence conditions. Transport Victoria says: “If you’re riding a motorcycle with a club permit, follow relevant motorcycle licence restrictions.” A club permit does not exempt a rider from LAMS or from learner and probationary rules, so an unapproved bike stays off-limits even on club plates.
Does a motorcycle on a club permit need a logbook?
Yes, the same logbook rules as any club permit vehicle. Complete an entry every time you ride more than 100 metres from the garage address, before you go; one entry per day even with several rides; a separate entry for each calendar day a ride spans; and never fill in entries for future journeys.
Does my classic bike need a VASS certificate?
Only in specific cases. VicRoads requires a VASS approval certificate if the bike has been modified outside vehicle standards, or if it was “manufactured after 31 December 1968 (30 June 1975 for motorcycles), but before 1 January 1989, and was imported under the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989”.
Can I get a club permit for a scooter, trike or sidecar?
If it meets the age and standards rules, yes. The Club Permit Scheme is defined by vehicle age, not body style, so a 25-year-old scooter is treated like any other motorcycle. Trikes and sidecar outfits are judged on whether they meet the standards for their year of manufacture, which is where a VASS certificate can come in.
Start whenever it suits. Pay only when everything’s in.
Your classic deserves to be driven. Begin your application now and it waits for your roadworthy — we don’t charge you until it’s all in hand. Not sure you’re eligible? It’s just the build date: 25 years or older and you’re in.