If you import a December 1988 or older vehicle under the 15 Year Rule then there is no timeframe for registration once you have imported the vehicle.

If you import under SEVS, then it is a different matter and the vehicle will have a set timeframe for compliance. See Importing Regulations for full details of importing under SEVS.

The Registered Automotive Workshop (RAW) will generally require your vehicle shortly following arrival in Australia, although you are of course entitled to collect it from the wharf and take it home if you wish, for a few days.

The compliance work should really be completed within several months of arrival. Anything longer than this can become a problem. If the workshop has not received the vehicle within a reasonable timeframe of the Import Approval having been issued, then they may have to report the outstanding compliance job to DOTARS which will result in the compliance process being complicated and delayed.

The RAW has a compliance quota and delayed compliance will impact on their ability to maximise this quota, so if you have specific timeframe requirements these should be discussed with the workshop prior to engaging them.

Once the compliance work is complete, the timeframe for registration is then entirely up to you.