Pink Slips & Blue Slips: What’s the difference?

If you want to register a vehicle in New South Wales, it’s important to know the difference between a Pink Slip and a Blue Slip. Each slip has its own purpose and is essential for registration and insurance. 

Pink slips vs Blue slips

Pink slips

Pink Slips, or eSafety checks, are a safety inspection report for vehicles more than five years old. A Pink Slip verifies that your vehicle passes roadworthy standards for registration. So if you want to re-register an older car, you’ll need a Pink Slip from a mechanic first.

Blue slips

A Blue Slip is a safety report from Service NSW. It verifies that an unregistered vehicle is safe for driving. You may need a Blue Slip if you:

• want to sell an unregistered vehicle,
• need to re-register a vehicle from a different state, or
• have a vehicle registration that expired more than 3 months ago.  

Green slips

To register a vehicle in NSW, you’ll also need to have a Green Slip, or Compulsory Third Party (CTP) Insurance policy. A Green Slip is a compulsory insurance policy that will cover costs if somebody experiences harm in a vehicle accident.

More information about Pink, Blue and Green Slips

What’s the process for getting a Pink Slip?

A Pink Slip involves a safety inspection to determine if your vehicle is road-ready and safe to be driven. Once a mechanic signs off your Pink Slip, it’s valid for 42 days from the date of issue. This means you have 42 days to use your Pink Slip to register your vehicle in NSW.

A typical inspection will take about 15-20 minutes and is performed by a qualified mechanic. It’s similar to a car service, and includes inspecting the:

• lights,
• engine,
• wipers, and
• all systems.

The final inspection report is valid for 6 months. Your results are delivered electronically to Transport for NSW (TfNSW). A failed Pink Slip has 14 days until it expires. Any issues will need to be resolved in this time. If repairs are not carried out within 14 days, then you will need to register and pay for a new Pink Slip.

What happens when you get a Blue Slip?

Blue Slips involve an inspection of the vehicle. A mechanic will inspect:

• leaks,
• brakes,
• the suspension,
• lights, and
• other systems.

Blue Slips last for 28 days from the issue date. You have 14 days to resolve any issues when a Blue Slip is denied. Not passing the Blue Slip inspection means your vehicle is considered unregistered and can’t be driven. However, you can drive the vehicle to a service centre or mechanic to fix the issues.

Do you need a CTP Green Slip?

Pink and Blue Slips don’t provide any insurance coverage. For that, you need a Green Slip. You must have a Green Slip before you register or renew your vehicle’s registration. A Green Slip is insurance that provides cover for people injured by your vehicle in an accident.

You can select GIO as your preferred insurer when getting your Green Slip. Know you're covered when it comes to injuries caused to others and stay on the green side of compulsory insurance laws.

Need a CTP Green Slip? Learn more

Read more:

• Don’t just set and forget! Five things to check on your car insurance at renewal time
• What is the future of electric cars in Australia?
• Common car breakdown scenarios and how to avoid them

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Read the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance. Go to gio.com.au for a copy. The Target Market Determination is also available. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.