Enhanced vehicle registration and licensing regime and proper disposal of vehicles

Abandoned Vehicle (Private Car)Abandoned Vehicle (Motorcycle)

New legislation to enhance vehicle registration and licensing regime

The《Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulation 2024》has been passed by the Legislative Council, aiming at enhancing the vehicle registration and licensing regime to heighten deterrence against improper abandoning of unwanted vehicles with strengthened control at source. and the new legislation is tentatively planned to take effect in December 2025. The Transport Department (TD) will announce the commencement date of the new legislation by a gazette notice in due course. From 19 December 2024 onwards, the TD has ceased cancelling registration of vehicles unlicensed for over two years. Registered vehicle owners must cancel their unwanted vehicles' registration with the TD after scrapping or having the vehicles permanently despatched out of Hong Kong. Before the registration of a vehicle is cancelled, the vehicle concerned will continue to be registered under the name of the owner who has to bear all the legal liabilities associated with that vehicle.

Obligations of Vehicle Owners on Proper Disposal of Vehicles

After the official commencement of the new legislation, within three months after receiving a notice sent by the TD, registered vehicle owners must renew the licence of their vehicles which have been unlicensed for two years, or cancel the registration of the vehicles with the TD after scrapping the vehicle or permanently shipping it out of Hong Kong and submit a "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" (TD184) together with a scrap certificate/shipping document to any Licensing Office. Failing that will constitute an offence. The unlicensed vehicle will continue to be registered under the name of the owners concerned. If individual vehicle owners have a genuine difficulty in taking the required actions or have reasonable grounds for not licensing their vehicles, they may apply for an exemption with the TD. Even if an exemption is granted, the vehicle concerned will continue to be registered under the name of the owner who has to bear all the legal liabilities associated with that vehicle.

Exemption arrangement

Before the new legislation becomes effective, TD will promulgate the application guidelines for exemption. Vehicle owners do not need to apply for exemption at this moment.

e-Licensing Portal

Owners may register and use the e-Licensing Portal of the TD to enquire the licence expiry date of their vehicles, and to renew the licence anytime, anywhere online.

Notes for cancelling vehicle registration

Within 15 days of a proper disposal of his unwanted vehicle,  the vehicle owner should submit or send by post the required documents to Licensing Office of the Transport Department for the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration. If the vehicle owner does not notify for the cancellation of vehicle registration, he will be held liable for all the liabilities incurred with the vehicle concerned.

If you wish to dispose of your unwanted vehicle, you may make use of the services provided by vehicle scrapping companies.  You are, however, reminded to:

(1) request for a scrapping certificate issued by the vehicle scrapping company. You should check if the Business Registration Certificate Number of the scrapping company has been marked on the certificate (Sample attached) ;
(2) submit or send by post the following documents to a Licensing Office of the Transport Department within 15 days after the scrapping of your vehicle for the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration:
  a.  the original Vehicle Registration Document;
  b.  the original Vehicle Licence of the vehicle (if the Licence is still valid);
  c. the original scrapping certificate issued by the vehicle scrapping company;
  d.  (i) the identification document of the registered owner (e.g. the H.K. Identity Card or a passport for non-H.K. Identity Card Holders, in the case of an individual owner or the Certificate of Incorporation in the case of a limited company owner); or
    (ii)  a copy of the identification document of the registered owner and the identification document of an agent if the notification for cancellation of vehicle registration is handled by an agent authorized by the registered owners;
  e.  the relevant original Certificate of Allocation of Personalized Registration Mark (if the present assigned vehicle registration mark is personalized registration mark); and 
  f. a duly completed "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" (TD 184).

For village vehicle, the owner of a village vehicle in respect of which a village vehicle permit has been issued shall within 7 days thereafter inform this Department and shall at the same time return the permit if the village vehicle is abandoned.

For enquiries on matters relating to de-registration of vehicles, please call the 1823.