You must hold a motor vehicle dealer licence if you carry on a business of buying or selling vehicles in Western Australia under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act 1973. This includes businesses that buy or sell vehicles for resale, wrecking, finance, auction, hire or rental. A licence is required to deal in the following vehicle types:
- Passenger vehicles
- Commercial vehicles
- Motorcycles and scooters
- Caravans and camper trailers
- Trucks and utes
- Campervans
- Four‑wheel drive vehicles
If the selling of vehicles does not comprise a significant part of your business, you may be eligible to apply for an exemption.
Licence Categories
Dealers can be issued a license endorsed with one or more of the following categories:
| Category of licence | Description of business | |
|---|---|---|
| Category A | Vehicle sales | Buying, selling and auctioning vehicles. |
| Category B | Vehicle wrecker (dismantler) | Buying any vehicles for the purpose of dismantling them and selling off the parts. |
| Category C | Vehicle broker/agent | Acting as an agent to facilitate the selling or purchase of any vehicles on behalf of members of the public. |
| Category D | Vehicle hire and sales | Hiring out vehicles, buying vehicles for hiring out, and selling and auctioning any vehicles that have been hired out by the dealer. |
| Category E | Consignment sales | Selling (including by auction) vehicles under consignment agreements. A dealer who is planning to undertake consignment sales must open a consignment trust account. Find out more about consignment selling. |
| Combination | Any combination of A, B, C, D and E, as nominated by the dealer | The business subject of the nominated categories. |
Submitting an application
| Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 |
Make sure you’ve got all your documents ready to apply | Apply for your licence and pay licence fee | Application granted within 4-6 weeks |
Before you apply
1. You’ll need
- A copy of the Dealer / Yard Manager Licence Requirements Course certificate;
- A police check ready to upload (dated within the past 3 months, showing the same name as your identification).
- Visa/Mastercard for fee payment.
2. Complete application form
Complete relevant application form:
How to apply
Online
Apply and pay for your application.
Individual/sole trader licence
Partnership/firm OR body corporate/company licence
By post or in person
| By Post | In Person |
|---|---|
If posting your application and Post to: Licensing Services |
Customer Service |
Fees
Refer to the Motor Vehicle Dealer Licensing fees page for current fee information.
After your application has been submitted
Licence applications typically take 4-6 weeks to process. We’ll contact you if we need any additional information, and you’ll receive an email once your licence has been finalised.
Already have a licence in Australia or New Zealand?
Show moreIf you are registered or licensed as a motor vehicle dealer elsewhere in Australia or New Zealand, and want to be registered in Western Australia, you may be able to apply for mutual recognition to get a WA licence or automatic mutual recognition to have your licence recognised in WA.
Qualification requirement information
Show moreQualification requirements
- To grant a licence, the applicant, or the qualifying director or partner for a partnership or company, must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act 1973.
- This requirement is met by successfully completing the:
- Dealer / Yard Manager Licence Requirements Course
Who must complete the course
- If you have never held a licence under the Act, or are currently licensed as a salesperson, you must have completed the course within five years before applying.
- If you are currently licensed, or were licensed within the last five years, as a yard manager, you are not required to complete the course again.
- If you were the qualifying director or partner of a licensed dealership within the last five years, you are not required to complete the course again.
- The qualifying director or partner is the person responsible for demonstrating compliance with the legislative knowledge requirements on behalf of the business.
Approved training providers
- The course must be delivered by a training provider recognised by the Commissioner for Consumer Protection. Currently approved providers include:
- Motor Trade Association of WA (Inc)
- Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers
- Fusion Business College
- Training materials remain the property of the Department.
Motor vehicle dealer premise information
Show moreThe Motor Vehicle Dealers Act requires each applicant for a dealer's licence operate from premises suitable for the type of business for which the licence is sought.
The Commissioner for Consumer Protection also maintains records of these premises to assist it with decisions, such as whether the dealer may operate from one or more premises, (e.g. where the premises are adjacent but have separate titles) and to identify the boundaries of those premises.
With each application for a licence, the following information must be submitted about the premises from which the dealer intends to trade:
- Details of any proposed activity other than vehicle sales to be conducted at the premises, eg repairs; and
- Payment of the relevant fee.
You must submit all the above information, even if the premises are currently registered (licensed) in the name of another vehicle dealer.
You must apply to register the premises at least one month before you intend to start trading.
Please note that, while the Commissioner for Consumer Protection may authorise a dealer to carry on business from a particular premises, it remains the responsibility of the dealer to liaise with their local government authority to ensure those premises are zoned appropriately.
Adjoining premises
Where a dealership has two premises which physically adjoin, the dealership may request for the authorised premises and the registers be amalgamated.
This has the potential to apply to premises that have two different street frontages and street names, but which are physically joined at the rear or along the side of the properties.
Approval will not be granted where the dealership premises are separated by:
- a cross street; or
- another business.
Co-locating your dealership with another - sharing premise
If two dealerships are considering co-locating premises with a separate entity, the following requirements must be met:
- There must be a clear and visible demarcation between the dealerships.
- Signage must be of equal or nearly equal size and visible from the same vantage points.
- Where offices are co-located in the same building, signage to the front must indicate both entities and trading names.
- There must be separate phone lines.
However, where two dealers, operating with identical principals/directors and/or partners, are co-located to operate separate hire and sales businesses, demarcation is not required if individual vehicles are identified as 'hire' or 'sale'.
Changes to premises/temporary premises
Dealers who wish to acquire additional premises, change premises or carry on business from temporary premises, must apply to the Commissioner before they start to operate from those premises.
- Addition or changes (moving from one premises to another) of premises
Requires an application and payment of the prescribed fee. Special occasion permit
Requires an application to carry on business at temporary premises in connection with a special occasion or event (e.g. Perth Royal Show) and payment of the prescribed fee.The Commissioner may attach conditions to a Special Occasion Permit and a permit may also be required under the Retail Trading Hours Act 1987.
Note: The Commissioner can attach conditions or restrictions to any premises approval.
Licence/registration search
Show moreThe online licence search can help you find a licensed motor vehicle dealer or check your licence status.
How to use the online licence search
Search by number: You can check if a licence number is still valid. Type the number into the field on the opening screen.
Search by type of licence: You can look for licensed people in your neighbourhood. Click on ‘Type’. Start typing in the licence type in the box e.g. debt collector. Then type in either a name or location.
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