Rego Hold — What You Need to Know
A legal way to stop paying registration while your vehicle is off the road. Here's how it works and what the rules are.
The correct term is vehicle licensing exemption. A vehicle is formally declared off the road and no rego is payable. You can apply at any time — the hold simply activates once your existing rego expires. No rego you've already paid is lost.
Why Riders Are Using Rego Hold
Rising costs
Rego costs have increased significantly and are projected to keep rising. For many riders the numbers no longer stack up.
Financial hardship
Some riders genuinely cannot afford the cost of registering a bike they ride infrequently or seasonally.
Protest against unproven pricing
Others are using a hold as a formal financial protest against engine-size-based levies that have no solid evidence base. A hold is a legal way to stop paying while the vehicle is off the road.
The Rules
What you must NOT do
If the vehicle is on hold, it is not licensed for road use.
- No weekend rides
- No casual use
- No commuting
If caught: $200 infringement + 20 demerit points.
The Rego Freeze protest is not suitable if this is your only form of transport. You can still support the cause by sharing this info, wearing our gear, and displaying our stickers.
Buy gear & stickersMAGNZ's position
MAGNZ does not condone unlicensed riding. We simply acknowledge that when riders start comparing a $200 fine to a $600 rego bill, it's a sign the levy system has broken down.
If you need to ride
You have two options:
- Option 1 — Re-licence (rego): Buy some rego and ride legally.
- Option 2 — Ride unlicensed: Understand the risk: $200 fine + 20 demerit points.
How It Works
Five simple steps to place your vehicle on hold
Nothing changes until your existing rego expires.
Once rego expires, the vehicle becomes exempt from vehicle licensing.
Minimum 3 months — and can stay on hold long-term.
After 3 months you can buy as little as a 1-day rego online. As long as the hold period expires after your short rego, the hold remains active.
Important Details
Minimum hold period
The minimum is 3 months. The recommended setup is 12 months — it's easier to manage and costs nothing extra. If you cancel before 3 months are up, you must backpay to the end of the last registered period. Cancelling and reapplying also resets the 3-month clock.
Buying short rego while on hold
After completing a 3-month hold you can buy as little as 1 day's rego online. As long as the hold period expires after your short rego period ends, the hold remains active.
How long can it stay on hold?
Indefinitely. Just don't forget to extend the hold before it expires — if it lapses, the 3-month clock resets.
What happens if I forget to extend the hold?
The vehicle becomes unlicensed. If it remains unlicensed for 12 months, it is deregistered and removed from the Motor Vehicle Register — which can be very costly to reverse.
Common Myths
Myth: "The hold starts immediately"
No — it starts after your current rego expires.
Myth: "I'll lose the rego I already paid for"
No — your current rego runs out first. You don't lose a cent of what you've already paid.
Myth: "I can still ride it occasionally"
Not without consequences.
Myth: "MAGNZ is telling people to ride on hold"
No. MAGNZ does not condone unlicensed riding. We simply acknowledge that when riders start comparing a $200 fine to a $600 rego bill, it's a sign the levy system has broken down.
Put it on hold today
Place your bike on a 12-month hold and support the Rego Freeze. When enough riders act together, the financial pressure on ACC and NZTA becomes impossible to ignore.