Updating Car Registration, Electoral Roll & Utilities After Divorce in Tasmania

Name changes and property settlements get all the attention after divorce. Meanwhile, your car registration still shows your married name, your electoral enrolment has the wrong address, and the electricity bill is in your ex-spouse's name — any of which can create problems months down the line.

Car Registration (Service Tasmania)

If a vehicle is being transferred between ex-spouses as part of the property settlement, you need SRO approval before going to Service Tasmania. Apply to the State Revenue Office for a motor vehicle duty exemption by submitting a statutory declaration and a copy of your consent orders or BFA. The SRO issues a formal exemption letter.

Take the exemption letter, a transfer of registration form, and the standard transfer fee to any Service Tasmania centre to complete the transfer.

If you're just updating the name on your existing registration (no ownership change), bring your divorce order and marriage certificate (or BDM change of name certificate) to Service Tasmania. The name change on registration follows the same identity document requirements as a driver licence update.

Electoral Roll (Australian Electoral Commission)

If you've changed your name or moved to a new address after separation, update your AEC enrolment. This is a legal obligation — you can update a name at any time, and after moving you must update your address within 21 days after you become entitled to update it, once you've lived at the new address for one month.

Update online through the AEC website using your driver licence number or another accepted identity method. If you don't have an accepted identity document or method, submit a paper enrolment form and have someone who is on the Commonwealth electoral roll confirm your identity.

The AEC doesn't contact you when your details are wrong — you simply won't appear on the roll at the right address come election time, and may receive a failure-to-vote fine for an election you didn't know you were enrolled for.

Utilities and Household Accounts

Utility contracts are tied to named account holders, not the property. If one spouse leaves the home, the remaining resident needs to:

1. Contact each provider (electricity, gas, water) and request final meter reads
2. Close the joint account
3. Open a new account in their sole name

If you don't do this, the departing spouse remains liable for usage until the account is formally closed — and the remaining resident risks losing service if the account holder cancels remotely.

In Tasmania, common providers include Aurora Energy (electricity), TasGas, and TasWater. Each requires a separate contact to close and reopen accounts.

Don't forget internet, streaming services, mobile phone plans, toll accounts, gym memberships, and any other subscriptions tied to a joint or ex-spouse's account.

Pet Microchip Registry

Tasmania requires dogs to be microchipped by six months and cats over four months to be microchipped, subject to limited exemptions. If the pet is going with you post-divorce, update the microchip registry with your current contact details. The registry used depends on where the chip was originally registered — common ones include Central Animal Records, Australasian Animal Registry, and PetSafe.

If ownership is transferring, both the registered owner and the new owner may need to provide consent to the registry. Some registries accept a statutory declaration if the original owner is uncooperative.

This update matters most in an emergency — if your pet escapes and is scanned by a vet or council ranger, the microchip contact details determine who gets called.

The Right Sequence

Update your driver licence first (the name needs to match), then electoral roll, then car registration, then utilities and subscriptions. The Tasmania After-Divorce Checklist maps the full sequence for every life admin task — including the ones most people forget until they cause a problem.

See more Tasmania guides →