Pink slips (eSafety checks) in NSW: a guide for workshops

When a NSW pink slip is needed

According to Transport for NSW, most light vehicles more than 5 years old need a yearly safety inspection report to renew registration. The 5 years are counted from the month and year on the compliance plate, or from the month and year of manufacture for imported vehicles. The customer’s rego renewal notice tells them whether an inspection is needed.

Light vehicles include passenger cars, motorcycles, goods vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes GVM without power-operated brakes, point to point transport vehicles, and trailers and caravans up to 4.5 tonnes ATM. Some vehicles are exempt, such as caravans with a tare under 411 kg, unbraked trailers with a tare under 251 kg and some conditionally registered vehicles — the full list is on the NSW Government page.

Pink slip vs blue slip

A pink slip is for renewing current registration. A blue slip (safety and identity check) is for light vehicles that are not currently registered in NSW, and it can only be done at a station licensed under the Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Scheme (AUVIS). Customers often mix the two up on the phone, so ask whether the rego is current before you book them in, and only take blue slip bookings if your station holds that licence.

How long a pink slip lasts

• A NSW safety inspection report for a light vehicle is valid for 6 months (public passenger vehicles excluded), and it must be used to renew the registration within that time.
• Customers don’t have to wait for the last week of their rego. Booking the inspection early gives them time to fix any defects without a deadline hanging over them, and gives you a smoother diary.
• Once a vehicle passes, the station sends the report to Transport for NSW electronically, so the customer can renew online without carrying paperwork.

Becoming an AIS station

Transport for NSW appoints AIS stations and authorises proprietors, nominees and examiners. The process on its site is: complete the proprietor, nominee or examiner application form with the required documents; Transport assesses it and, if successful, notifies you of the administration fee; complete the AIS training course through TAFE NSW; then receive an information pack and a login to AIS Online, the system used to send inspection reports to Transport.

Each type of station needs its own licence: ASCIS for light vehicle safety checks (pink slips), AUVIS for unregistered light vehicles (blue slips), HVAIS for heavy vehicles, and add-ons for cranes, gas-powered vehicles and mobile pink slips. AIS participants must follow the legally binding AIS Business Rules, and Transport runs targeted audits with penalties for non-compliance, so keep your records and equipment in order. For help, Transport lists ais@transport.nsw.gov.au and 1300 791 186.

Inspection fees are capped

Transport for NSW sets the maximum fee an AIS station can charge. From 1 July 2026 the NSW Government lists a maximum of $52 for a light vehicle pink slip, $29 for a motorcycle, $27 for a trailer without brakes and $41 for a trailer with brakes (all including GST). Blue slip maximums are higher, from $82 for a light vehicle. The full schedule is in AIS Notice 18 – Fees and charges, and fees are reviewed each year, so update your price list and booking form after every 1 July.

Because the inspection fee is capped and modest, the margin in pink slip work comes from what follows: fixing the defects on a failed car, picking up overdue servicing, and keeping that customer for next year’s rego. Price that repair work from a properly calculated rate — see how to price labour.

When a car fails: the 14-day rule

If a vehicle fails, the owner has to have the repairs done before they can renew registration. Transport for NSW says that if the repairs are completed within 14 days and the vehicle goes back to the same AIS station to be reassessed, no extra inspection fee applies. After 14 days, another inspection fee is payable.

That rule is a big part of the customer experience. A customer who fails at your station and gets the repair quoted, booked and rechecked inside the 14 days leaves happy. One who has to chase you for a booking and misses the window pays twice and remembers it.

Running pink slip work without the chaos

• Give pink slips their own booking type and time slot so they don’t collide with service work. Workshop booking software or a free online booking form lets customers book themselves in when their renewal notice arrives.
• Ask for the rego, vehicle type and whether the registration is current at booking, so a blue slip doesn’t turn up in a pink slip slot and a trailer or bike lands with the right examiner.
• Record the result on a job card with photos of each defect. When a car fails, turn the defects into a quote on the spot, then book the repair and the recheck inside the 14-day window before the customer leaves.
• Put the 14-day deadline in the diary and send a reminder before it passes, so customers don’t end up paying for a fresh inspection.
• Answer the phone, or text back fast. People ringing around for a pink slip often book with whoever replies first. Missed call text back sends an automatic text when you can’t pick up — the missed call calculator shows what unanswered calls can cost.
• Invoice from the job card so the inspection fee and any repairs land on one GST tax invoice, then sync it to Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks rather than retyping it. See mechanic invoicing software.
• Lodge the inspection itself through AIS Online as Transport requires. Workshop Hub doesn’t lodge pink slips — it runs the booking, job card, quote and invoice around them.

Bring customers back every year

Pink slips are yearly, which makes them one of the easiest repeat jobs a workshop has. Note the rego expiry on the vehicle record, ask customers if they’d like a reminder before next year’s renewal, and offer to do the service at the same visit. Transport for NSW’s station search lists approved stations, so make sure your details are right there, and mention pink slips on your Google Business Profile and website — people search for “pink slip” far more than “eSafety check”, so use both. Workshop Hub’s Google review management (Shop and Pro+) asks customers for a Google review automatically after a paid invoice.

Workshop Hub runs bookings, job cards, quotes, invoicing, missed call text back, smart invoice / statement upload & reconcile and partnered Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks sync in one place for NSW workshops. Plans start at $59 a month + GST with a 14-day free trial — see pricing or call 1800 566 011.

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