How to change a bus into a motorhome and register it in NSW

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Note; Please contact Service NSW, or an engineer for specific information, this is a guide only on turning a bus into a motorhome.  

We have a lot of people asking us how to change a bus into a motorhome, and the registration process. It seems to be one of those grey areas where there isn’t a lot of readily available information. Starting from scratch with a bus can be daunting, and not knowing where to start, or what to include in your conversion can be costly if not done right. So we thought it was time for a post to help anyone looking to convert a bus to a motorhome, and then to register it.  

This post will focus on converting a bus to a motorhome from scratch. There are a lot of variations though, and we will try and answer some of these towards the end of the post.  

So, you’ve gone and bought a bus (Yay!), and now want to change it to a motorhome and have no idea where to start. The first thing we recommend is to get familiar with the requirements of a motorhome.  

So, what are the minimum requirements for a motorhome in NSW? 

• Seats and a table 
• Sleeping areas 
• Cooking facilities 
• And storage areas 

And, what are the basic steps I need to do to get it registered? 

This is a quick guide for what steps you need to take with a more in depth breakdown below. This is based on an unregistered bus with variations to this at the end of the post.  

1. Contact your engineer to confirm your requirements for a motorhome, and anything specific your engineer of choice may want done.  
2. Plan and complete your fit out. Make sure you meet all NSW requirements (below).  
3. Take your bus to a weigh bridge for certificate.  
4. Take your bus to the engineer so they can check all requirements and compliance is met. They will put a compliance plate on once complete.  
5. Finally its time to take your bus for a safety inspection at an Authorised Safety Inspection Station (blue slip for vehicles under 4.5 tonne, or brown slip if over 4.5 tonne).  
6. Purchase Compulsory Third Party insurance (green slip).  
7. Attend Service NSW with all paperwork, proof of ownership, and any number plates on the vehicle. Fill out an Application for Registration, purchase new number plates, and register vehicle.  

Done!  

Please note, even though your bus is unregistered, you are allowed to drive it for the purpose of registration to the closest available inspection station . If you are not going to the closest, you should obtain an Unregistered Vehicle Permit from your local Service NSW.  

So that is a very basic guideline of what needs to be done to register a  converted bus into a motorhome. Of course, things are rarely ever as simple as we want them to be! So let’s get into some specifics.  

What do I need in my motorhome to make it compliant? 

Everything in the above list of minimum motorhome requirements needs to be rigidly fixed to the vehicle. However, you can have a table which can be folded down, or converted to a bed.  

Safety –  

The first thing an engineer will look at is the safety requirements. Everything must be fitted or installed so that it cannot cause damage or harm to someone. This is while the vehicle is both stationary, and moving. For example, you cannot have sharp edges, or items which will go flying while you’re driving and you cannot have any holes in the floor (we got caught out with this one!). All tables and chairs need to be installed so they cannot move or dislodge.  

Sleeping Berths –  

When it comes to sleeping areas, a very important requirement is that you must have at least one seat, per sleeping berth. So for example, if you have 4 beds in your bus, you must have 4 seats to use while travelling.  

Seats/Seatbelts –  

Seatbelts are important and something the engineer will definitely look at. If you are using a seat that was originally fitted, and in its original position, you do not need to make adjustments to any of the seatbelts. However, if you move any of the seats, or make any sort of adjustments (for example, change to captain’s chairs, or recliners) then the vehicle needs to be fitted with new seatbelts that meet compliance.  

Seatbelts cannot be fitted to a non-designated seat.  

Doors –  

In NSW, a motorhome must have an outward opening door on either the left hand side or the rear of the vehicle.  

So those awesome bi-fold doors? No good unfortunately.  

There are a few options here however; you can replace the bi-fold door with an outward opening caravan door, or you can modify the existing bi-fold door with different hinges, and by welding the 2 pieces together to make it a bi-fold door.  

A door that slides on the outside of the vehicle is fine.  

There can be no obstructions to the door, and it must be easily accessible in case of an emergency.  

Gas Appliances –  

Any gas appliances, such as ovens, stoves, hot water systems, heaters etc, need to be installed by a licenced gas plumber. You will need to get a certificate for the appliances installed. Your gas plumber will also need to provide a gas plate which he will attach to the vehicle which states it meets the gas regulations. This paperwork will all need to be provided to your engineer to be compliant.  

There are certain requirements with gas that are very important in your floor plan. For example, the gas bottles must be in a completely sealed box and only accessible from outside of the vehicle. Also, they cannot be within 1.5 metres of any ignition source. So this means that you need to have a gap of at least 1.5 metres from your gas bottles to your stove, and hot water system.  

Electrical Appliances –  

If you are having mains connection in your bus, your electrical installations needs to be done by a licenced electrician.  

You must get a safety certificate from your electrician stating that the work is compliant to motorhome standards. This is then taken to your engineer as well.  

12V and 24V wiring can be done by yourself, however if unsure, please contact an auto electrician.  

Ventilation –  

This is one where we got caught out and had to make a last minute adjustment!  

Depending on the size of your motorhome, depends on how much ventilation you must have.  

The standard rule is that at least half of your windows must open, you must have another source of ventilation (for example, our caravan door has a permanent vent to allow air), and you have to include either two whirly birds, or a roof hatch towards the rear of the bus.  

We didn’t realise this, and a few days before we were booked into the engineer we called to clarify we had everything and realised we did not have a roof hatch. Luckily there was a caravan shop close by we could get one and put in in time.  

Toilets, Sinks, Showers –  

Any toilet installed in a motorhome must be emptied into a tank. So this means, it cannot just go straight to the ground!  

The tank must be vented to the atmosphere.  

Any sink or shower needs to drain into a tank that also vents to the atmosphere. It cannot drain into a toilet, or the same tank as the toilet waste goes into.  

TV’s –  

This might be a small thing, but still important.  

A TV or visual aid cannot be installed somewhere that can be seen from the driver’s seat and needs to be securely mounted. It also cannot obscure the driver’s vision, or get in the way of movement in the vehicle. In other words, it cannot be a distraction!  

This does not include GPS.  

Fire Extinguisher –  

Every motorhome must have a compliant fire extinguisher mounted no more than 1.2 metres from the floor in the living space.  

Smoke Alarm –  

A compliant smoke alarm is a requirement to be passed by the engineer. It is also a good idea to consider one with a CO2 monitor.  

Standard vehicle requirements –  

And then there is all the other standard vehicle requirements you must be compliant with to change a bus to a motorhome.  

For example, all vehicles need to be within a certain width, and height and not have too much rear overhang.  

Every vehicle must be right hand drive and within its weight limits.  

All the lights and reflectors must be in working order and windows must be transparent with compliant tint.  

Tyres need to be the correct size for the vehicle, and have plenty of tread.   

So now that that’s out of the way, what are some of the variations? 

My bus is already registered –  

So you have bought a bus that is already registered. That is perfectly fine and not much different in terms of converting to a motorhome.  

Make sure to attend a Service NSW centre to pay and transfer the bus into your name. You have 14 days from the date of purchase to avoid being charged a late payment fee.

You can then follow the above step by step process up to step 4. After this however, once you have your compliance paperwork from the engineer, you can take this, and your registration papers to a Service NSW centre. They will update the information on their end and change it to a motorhome.  

They may still charge you a fee as there may be a difference in the registration cost from a bus to a motorhome.  

You may also need to contact your CTP company and advise them of the changes.  

My bus is coming from interstate –  

That’s okay, if it is coming from interstate, the process is exactly the same as if it were an unregistered vehicle in NSW. You will however need to surrender the interstate plates when you go into a Service NSW centre.  

If your vehicle is registered when it comes from interstate, you have 3 months to change it into your name in NSW.  

I have purchased a motorhome from interstate –  

The first thing we would suggest here is to contact an engineer in NSW.  

As the motorhome is coming from interstate, it may or may not be compliant with NSW motorhome requirements. In this case, you may need to make adjustments to your motorhome, then attend the engineer to get a NSW engineer certificate.  

You would then attend a Service NSW registry to complete the interstate transfer process. You will need to provide proof of purchase for the vehicle, as well as surrender the interstate number plates.

What if I want to decrease or increase my GVM? 

If you want to change your GVM, or are concerned with your weight, it is really important to keep this in mind throughout the process of your build, and speak to your engineer.  

The situations where a motorhomes GVM can be changed are very limited.  

The most common thing people would do here is decrease the GVM so the vehicle can be driven on a different class of licence.  

We enquired about this with our engineer originally, and they said they could, however would need to make an adjustment to the springs on the bus. We opted against due to cost, and decided to keep the extra weight allowance just in case.  

So, that’s it!

So that gives you an expanded list of requirements for a bus to be changed to a motorhome in NSW, as well as a guide to getting it registered. A lot of the states are similar but do have different requirements.

It seems like a lot, but as long as you know what you are expected to do, it makes the process a whole lot easier. There are definitely a lot of variations, and most certainly things we have not covered here. So again, when in doubt, contact your engineer or Service NSW for clarification.  

And good luck!