Until registration is cancelled, the liability is still yours
The Transport Department's guidance is unambiguous: if a registered owner abandons a vehicle without completing the cancellation of registration, that owner must bear all legal liability arising from the vehicle. In other words, even after the car has been towed away and the Scrapping Certificate is in your hand, the responsibility remains with the owner until the registration is cancelled.
Registration cancellation basics
| Statutory deadline | Within 15 days |
|---|---|
| Required documents | 6 items |
| Form | TD 184 (Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration) |
| Handling fee | None |
| Where to submit | Any of four licensing offices, or by post |
When does the 15-day clock start?
The Transport Department states that after properly disposing of the vehicle, the owner should submit or post the required documents to a Transport Department licensing office within 15 days. In practice the clock starts when the vehicle has been scrapped and you obtain the Scrapping Certificate — so it is worth asking the dealer on handover day when the certificate will be ready.
The six required documents
The following documents must be submitted or posted to a Transport Department licensing office:
- The original Vehicle Registration Document for the vehicle
- The original Vehicle Licence — if the licence is still valid
- The original Vehicle Scrapping Certificate
- The owner's identity document: HK Identity Card for an individual; passport for a non-HK resident; Certificate of Incorporation for a limited company
- The original Certificate of Allocation of Personalized Registration Mark — if the currently assigned registration mark is a personalized one
- A completed "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" (form TD 184)
If the vehicle has been permanently taken out of or exported from Hong Kong rather than scrapped, the shipping document takes the place of the Scrapping Certificate.
What is form TD 184?
Form TD 184 is the "Notification for Cancellation of Vehicle Registration" and is the designated form for cancelling a vehicle registration. In Part C you declare that the vehicle has been scrapped (attaching the Scrapping Certificate) or permanently taken out of Hong Kong (attaching the shipping document).
The form must be signed by the registered owner and the signature must match the one on the Vehicle Registration Document. If the registered owner is a company, a person authorized by the company must sign and the company chop must be affixed.
Which licensing offices accept it?
Form TD 184 lists the following submission points — you may use any of them:
- Hong Kong Licensing Office: 3/F, United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong
- Kowloon Licensing Office: 2/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon
- Kwun Tong Licensing Office: 5/F, Kowloon East Government Offices, 12 Lei Yue Mun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon
- Sha Tin Licensing Office: 2/F, Sha Tin Government Offices, 1 Sheung Wo Che Road, Sha Tin, New Territories
- By post: Transport Department Kwun Tong Licensing Office, P.O. Box 68115, Kowloon East Post Office
This differs from plate retention. Plate retention (TD 129) can only be handled at the Hong Kong or Kowloon licensing office — so if you are doing both, go to Admiralty or Cheung Sha Wan.
Can someone else submit it for me?
Yes. If the vehicle registration is cancelled by an agent on your behalf, the agent must bring a photocopy of the owner's identity document and produce his or her own original identity document for the record.
If you apply by post, do not send the original identity document.
The 7-day rule for village vehicles
If a village vehicle issued with a Village Vehicle Permit is abandoned, the owner must notify the Transport Department within 7 days and must return the permit at the same time. That is shorter than the 15 days that applies to other vehicles.
After that, the licence fee refund
If, on the date you notify cancellation, your Vehicle Licence still has 60 days or more before expiry, the Transport Department will arrange a partial licence fee refund at the same time, paid by crossed cheque from the Treasury to the registered owner. No separate refund form is needed.
Official documents referenced on this page
Every statement below is based on public government documents. Where those documents are updated, the latest government publication prevails.
Related procedures
Get the documents right the first time
WhatsApp 6338 6097 — at handover we will list exactly which documents to take to the Transport Department.