How to do a PPSR check and read the certificate

1. Get the 17-character VIN from the compliance plate, the windscreen or the registration papers. The PPSR does not accept number plates.
2. Go to ppsr.gov.au and choose the motor vehicle search. Enter the VIN exactly. A wrong character returns a result for a different vehicle or no vehicle at all.
3. Pay the $2.00 fee by card and enter an email address for the certificate.
4. Read the on-screen result, then open the emailed certificate PDF. The sections below explain each part.
5. Record the search number. It lets you retrieve the certificate free from the PPSR at any time.

The search itself is instant. The result appears on screen as soon as payment clears, and the certificate PDF is emailed shortly after, usually within a few minutes. Plate-based services add the time it takes to convert the plate, which is normally under two minutes.

The register is taken offline for maintenance on Wednesday nights from 9pm to midnight Canberra time. Searches during that window wait until it returns.

The top of the certificate records what was searched and when. It shows the search type (motor vehicle) and the serial number type (VIN, chassis or manufacturer's number). It also shows the serial number entered and the date and time of the search in Canberra time.

It also prints the search number, a 16-digit identifier unique to that search. Keep it. The PPSR lets anyone retrieve a copy of the certificate free using the search number. That is how you prove later what the register showed on the day you bought.

Check the serial number printed here against the VIN on the car. If a character is wrong, every section that follows describes the wrong vehicle.

The next block comes from NEVDIS, the national vehicle database that pools data from the state and territory registration authorities. It shows the make, model, body type, colour and year the registration authorities hold for that VIN, along with the engine number where recorded.

This is your identity check. If the certificate says a white 2017 Toyota and the car in the driveway is a silver 2015 Mazda, the VIN you searched does not belong to this car. Stop and find out why before going further.

The PPSR notes that NEVDIS data is not always available or up to date. Minor mismatches in colour after a respray are common. A mismatch in make, model or year is not.

Within the NEVDIS block the certificate shows the registration plate, the state and the registration expiry date held against the VIN. Compare the plate to the one on the car and in the ad.

A different plate is not automatically a problem. Cars move between states and plates get changed. It does mean you should ask the seller, and run the free state rego check on the plate the car currently carries.

The stolen section reports whether NEVDIS holds a stolen record for the vehicle. The indicators cover the vehicle itself, the engine and the plates, so a car can be flagged because its engine or its plates were reported stolen.

Every certificate carries the line that Tasmanian stolen vehicle information is currently unavailable from the service. Tasmania does not supply its data to the PPSR. For a Tasmanian car, the certificate cannot confirm it is not stolen.

The written-off section reports whether the vehicle is on the Written-Off Vehicle Register and, if so, whether the write-off is statutory or repairable. A statutory write-off cannot be re-registered anywhere in Australia. A repairable write-off can be re-registered in some states after inspection.

Each write-off record carries codes describing the incident. The certificate prints the codes without explaining them. The incident type codes are the ones to learn.

• A location code from 1 to 46 says where on the vehicle the damage was assessed; codes 42 to 46 apply to NSW heavy vehicles only
• A severity code from A to P describes the extent; L means salt water, M means fresh water and E means unrepairable
• A W code with L or M severity is a flood car, which is the record most buyers want to catch

The "PPSR registration details" section is the finance part. If nothing is registered it says there is no security interest or other registration kind registered against the serial number. That is a clear result.

If a registration exists, the certificate lists each one. The key fields are the PPSR registration number, the registration start time and end time, the collateral class and the secured party group.

The collateral class for a car is "Motor vehicle". The secured party is the lender or other party that holds the claim, usually a bank, a finance company or a dealer, shown with an address for service. Some registrations are flagged as a purchase money security interest (PMSI), which means the loan funded the purchase of this car.

What you will not see is a dollar amount or the borrower's name. Grantor details are withheld for consumer property. A listed secured party means you need a payout letter from that lender before you pay the seller.

Sometimes the PPSR section returns a clear result but the NEVDIS block is empty or says no vehicle data was found. This usually means the VIN was mistyped, the vehicle has never been registered in Australia, or NEVDIS simply has no record for it.

Check the VIN character by character against the compliance plate. If it is correct and the car is registered, the gap is on the data side and the free state rego check will still confirm the plate. If the VIN is wrong, search again. Many plate-based services re-run a no-data result at no charge.

Treat a no-data certificate as incomplete rather than clean. The finance section is still valid for the VIN searched, but you have no stolen or written-off confirmation.

Keep the PDF and the search number with your purchase records. If a lender ever claims an interest that was registered after your search, the certificate dated the day you paid is your evidence.

Our PPSR check delivers the certificate unaltered with every code decoded, by rego or VIN, from $12.95 including the $2 government fee.

Get a decoded PPSR certificate