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RVMAP

Concessional RAV Entry Approval

The Concessional RAV Entry Approval is a pathway for entering certain vehicles on the Register of Approved Vehicle (RAV) that have concessions against the national road vehicle standards – e.g. Australian Design Rules (ADRs) but are otherwise suitable for use on public roads in Australia.

Who can apply for a concessional RAV entry approval?

Generally, any person (including an individual or a corporation) may apply for a concessional RAV entry approval. Exceptions to this are under the vehicles to be modified by a registered automotive workshop (RAW) approval holder (other than vehicles subject to second stage manufacture) eligibility criterion and the personal effects eligibility criterion, where the applicant must be the individual owner. A corporation could not meet certain requirements relating to living outside and migrating to Australia.

What information do I need to provide in the application?

To apply for a concessional RAV entry approval, complete the application through ROVER, upload the required information and pay the appropriate fee.

Meeting eligibility criteria

The Secretary or delegated decision maker needs to be satisfied that the road vehicle meets all the applicable eligibility criteria under section 35 of the Road Vehicle Standards Rules (the Rules). More information about the Rules can be found HERE.

Trailers

This criterion allows an applicant to import or manufacture and enter four trailers with an aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of 4.5 tonnes or less (low ATM trailer), and four trailers with an ATM of more than 4.5 tonnes (high ATM trailer) a year on the RAV, without having to meet the requirements of the type approval pathway, provided that:

  • for low ATM trailers, the applicant provides an enforceable declaration to the department that the vehicle complies with the applicable national road vehicle standards, and
  • for high ATM trailers, the applicant provides an enforceable declaration and supporting material to the department that the vehicle complies with applicable national road vehicle standards.

Trailer details

Statements regarding:

  • type of trailer: box trailer, boat trailer, caravan, camper trailer, glider trailer, or other (specify),
  • length, width, and height of trailer in metres,
  • ATM, Tare Mass, and Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) of the trailer in kilograms, and
  • country of manufacture.

Supporting information for the ATM – either the specification document prepared by the manufacturer, a photograph of the identification plate showing the ATM, or if the trailer was manufactured in the USA, a copy of the Certificate of Origin or other justification for the ATM.

Maximum of 4 concessional RAV entry approvals for these trailers per year

Statement whether you have been granted 4 or more concessional RAV entry trailer approvals in the same weight category in the past 12 months.

Compliance with National Road Vehicle Standards

For trailers under 4.5 tonnes ATM, a declaration that the trailer complies with the ADRs, or will comply with the ADRs at the time that it is entered on the RAV.

In the case of a trailer over 4.5 tonnes ATM, in addition to the statement the vehicle complies or will comply, one must provide compliance information showing that the vehicle complies with the applicable national road vehicle standards.

Compliance information submitted in ROVER will be in the same form and assessed in the same way as type approval applications for heavy trailers. Any testing would need to be conducted by an approved testing facility or by a person who holds a testing facility approval but did not at the time the testing was conducted.

If one has previously been approved for an identical trailer, the details of that approval will be collected and used to prepopulate the application, compliance information previously supplied can be used.

If the vehicle needs to be tested when in Australia, one needs to complete a statement that the compliance information will be obtained and submitted after the vehicle is imported. A condition will be added to the concessional RAV entry approval for the information to be provided before the vehicle is entered on the RAV.

Substantial compliance with national road vehicle standards

Where a trailer does not or will not comply with the national road vehicle standards:

  • You must provide details of the standards the trailer does not or will not comply with at the time it is added to the RAV. The non-compliance must be either only in minor and inconsequential respects, or the trailer complies to an extent that makes it suitable for use on a public road.

Declarations

You will also be asked to make the following declarations:

  • You meet the standard condition regarding modification or manufacture by a RAW and verification by an AVV,
  • You declare that you will comply with the condition to have the vehicle modified by a RAW and examined by an AVV in order for the vehicle to be added to the RAV,
  • You comply with conditions of approval, and
  • You declare that you will comply, if applicable, with the condition that the vehicle will be exported or destroyed if the examination by a RAW or AVV identifies that the vehicle does not meet structural integrity requirements.

Additional information or documents

You may need to upload additional information or documents as part of the application process, or when the department requests further information.

When provided, it will be considered when deciding whether to grant or refuse to grant, a concessional RAV entry approval.

This guidance material explains how to complete an application for a concessional RAV entry approval for a low ATM trailer and provides more details on the information and documentation needed in the application.

Decision making – granting or refusing an approval

The Department will assess the information submitted in the application against the eligibility criteria, as set out in section 35 of the Rules, in addition to other considerations and relevant matters under section 43 of the Rules.

If an incorrect information in an application does not comply with a request made by the Department under Section 33 of the Rules, the application may be refused to be considered.

The assessment focuses on the information, declarations and supporting documents submitted with the application. It is therefore important that an application provides sufficient detail to enable the decision maker to decide whether to grant an approval.

Requests for Further Information or Inspection

An applicant may receive a notification outlining details about the request for information or inspection and explaining what information needs to be provided and when. The Department will contact the applicant to arrange a suitable time for an inspection.

If a Request for Further Information (RFI) or inspection is received, the applicant will be given 30 business days, or a longer time as specified in the request, to respond. The time to decide the application is paused until all the requested information is supplied or the inspection is completed.

The assessment will resume once the request for additional information or an inspection is completed.

Refuse to consider an application for a Concessional RAV Entry Approval

The decision maker may decide to refuse to consider an application if the application does not provide the relevant information or if requests made by the Secretary or delegate have not been met.

If an applicant fails to comply with a request for information or inspection within the time allowed, or fail to provide the relevant information requested, the application may be refused to be considered, under section 34 of the Rules.

Specifically, the decision maker may refuse to consider an application for a concessional RAV entry approval if:

  • the application is not in the approved form,
  • the application fee has not been paid, or
  • the applicant has not complied with a request for further information or inspection within the 30 business days, or longer period if allowed.

Withdraw, Amend and Resubmit or Delete an Application in ROVER

Applicants may choose to withdraw an application for any reason.  Applicants do not need to give a reason for the withdrawal.  Sometimes, rather than refusing, or refusing to consider, an application, the assessor will suggest the applicant withdraw, amend and strengthen their application by including additional information or supporting documentation.

It is up to the applicant whether they wish to:

  • withdraw the application and delete it from their ROVER portal,
  • withdraw the application, add the additional information and resubmit the application, or
  • allow the application to continue on as it is.

To know how to withdraw, amend, resubmit and delete an application in ROVER, head to the Department’s Guidance Material.

At what point can I withdraw my application?

You may request to withdraw an application with a status of ‘Paid—Awaiting Assessment’, or ‘Assessment in progress’ in your ROVER portal.

Is there a point where my application cannot be withdrawn?

The critical points after which your application cannot be withdrawn are:

  • when the application has been decided and the ability to withdraw the application is no longer visible in ROVER, or
  • a decision notice setting out the approval or refusal has been issued, ending the ability to withdraw the application.

What happens to my application if it is withdrawn?

When the Department receives notice to withdraw an application that has not already been decided, it will:

  • cease any and all assessment activities relating to the application, including any outstanding request for further information processes, and
  • action the withdrawal and notify the applicant that their application is withdrawn, and
  • where applicable, consider a request to refund in part or in full, the application fee.

When the status of the application is updated to ‘withdrawn’, the applicant or authorised user may either:

  • submit an amended application, noting the application fee already paid will be transferred to the amended application and an additional application fee will only be required where the amended application is significantly different or its scope increases significantly and requires broader assessment, or
  • delete the application from the list of withdrawn applications in the applicant’s ROVER portal if the application is no longer required.

If an amended application is submitted, the timeframe to decide the application will start again as it is considered a new application.

Refunds

Under section 72 of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA), the delegated decision-maker may refund the whole or part of an application fee if they are satisfied there are circumstances justifying the refund.

However, section 230(A)(3) of the Rules provides that any fees paid for a withdrawn application are not refundable if the department had begun considering the application before it was withdrawn.

It is therefore not expected that the relevant application fee will be refunded in many cases.

To request a refund, contact the Department by using the online enquiry form and explain in detail the circumstances that would justify refund action.

More information about Concessional RAV Entry Approval can be found HERE.

For questions or assistance, head to the Department’s RVSA-dedicated Contact Us page.