How to search the register

Search the Motor Vehicle Traders Register

You can search the Motor Vehicle Traders Register using the link below. You do not have to log into our online services to search the register.

Search the Motor Vehicle Traders Register(external link)

To perform a search, make sure that ‘Motor Vehicle Traders’ is selected on the left side of your search bar, then enter one or more search terms and click the Search button.

Searching the Motor Vehicle Traders Register is free, and you can carry out as many searches as you need to.

Basic searches

You can use the search bar to search for registrations that contain any of the following details:

• Names of company or individual registrations
• Trading names
• Motor Vehicle Trader numbers (e.g. M123456)
• New Zealand Business Numbers (NZBNs)
• Company numbers
• Names of role holders (directors and CEOs)

If your search involves more than one term, the Register will produce results that contain all of the terms you have entered. For example, searching for “abc motors” will return “ABC Motors Limited” and “ABC Budget Motors”, but not “ABC Limited”.

The Register will attempt to provide relevant results even if they do not exactly match your search terms. For example, searching for “sale” will return “Sale Cars Limited” and “Sale for Less”, but may also return “Auto Sales Limited”.

To get accurate search results, your terms should reflect exactly what appears on the Register — including special characters and punctuation marks. You might need to try a few variations to find what you're looking for.

For example, if you're searching for “ABC Motors Limited” but you're not sure exactly how this name appears on the Register, you could try searching for any combination of the following:

• ABC Motors Ltd
• ABC Motors Limited
• A B C Motors Ltd
• A B C Motors Limited
• A.B.C. Motors Ltd
• A.B.C. Motors Limited

Advanced searches

You can use the Advanced Search option to add additional filters to your search. This will let you do the following:

• Limit your search to company or individual registrations
• Limit your search to involve only certain address details
• Include previous names in your search

For example, searching for “xyz cars” limited to only company registrations will return the company registration “XYZ Cars Limited”, but not the individual registration “John Smith” trading as “XYZ Cars and More”.

Understanding your search results

Results screen

When you carry out a search, your results will display immediately below your search terms. Each result will show:

• The company or individual name, followed by their trader number
• The registration status
• The original registration date and current expiry date
• The NZBN (if any)
• All trading names (if any)
• The address for service

To view further details of a registration, select the company or individual name.

Details of a registration

The details screen contains information on the trader you have selected, such as:

• Its identity details and registration status
• Its addresses and contact information
• Its role holders (if it is a company registration)

This information will include the trader’s previous names or addresses, as well as any previous filings made for the trader in our online services.

Registration status

A trader's registration status is shown immediately under its name. This is how you check whether a trader is currently registered and therefore legally allowed to trade. There are four possible registration statuses:

1. Registered: The trader is currently registered under the Motor Vehicle Sales Act and therefore legally able to trade.
2. Expired: Traders are required to renew their motor vehicle trader registration every year. If the trader is showing as expired, it means they have failed to renew their registration and are no longer legally able to trade.
3. Surrendered: The trader is no longer involved in the business of motor vehicle trading and has surrendered their registration. If the trader is showing as surrendered, they are no longer legally able to trade.
4. Cancelled: The Registrar of Motor Vehicle Traders has cancelled the trader’s registration. If a trader is showing as cancelled, they are no longer legally able to trade.