We all know that a driving license is mandatory for us to drive on the Indian roads. Likewise, a vehicle is allowable to be driven in public roads after its registration by the respective registration authority as per the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, section 39. Vehicle Registration is a process whereby you get the number plate of your vehicle and the same is registered under the list and records of the government. The main purpose of registration is to link the owner and the vehicle through a distinct identification number and shows a vehicle registration number plate. It is of extreme importance to register the vehicle to have a separate identity which is given to the vehicle and its owner.
Another important point to note here is that without proper registration, you will not get the coverage for insurance. Therefore, registration certificate or RC book can be defined as a sanctioned and authenticated document which acts as proof that the vehicle is listed and registered in the records of the Government of India. You will have to register the vehicle within 7 days compulsorily from the date of delivery of the vehicle. The transport authority has facilitated to have RC copy downloaded from the website as well.
Types of Vehicle Registration Certificate:
RC is of two types as follows:
- Temporary Registration: When you buy a vehicle, a provisional registration numeric number is allocated by the dealer from whom the vehicle was purchased. This number acts as the temporary registration number and needs to be registered permanently as per the law. The temporary Registration number is effective for a month and by this time the respective vehicle should be registered by the respective RTO or RTA. In India, mostly the authorized car dealers only get this registration done on behalf of you
- Permanent Registration: This is nothing but the number plate of your vehicle to prove the authenticity of you as the owner together with other details of the vehicle.
Important things-to-know for getting RC book
Though the registration is done by the dealers in India as mentioned above, you need not have to spend your time and energy on this, however your certain vital points which you must remember for your knowledge which are stated as below:
- Application to made for receiving the permanent registration of the vehicle by filling form no 20 and submit to the respective RTO
- Cases where the vehicle is registered on a temporarily, there one should apply for the permanent registration certificate
- An Endorsement is needed if the registration includes any kind of hypothecation or not
- A confirmation is required about the type of registration number whether it is a discrete number or any number according to the choice of the vehicle owner or a usual number.
- A confirmation about the condition of HSRP- High-Security Registration Plate or the smart card
- Payment needs to be made on the choice of the registration number if you desire to have any fancy number and use of the HSRP or the smart card as specified in Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989
- You will have to pay the essential tax as per CMVR 1989, based on the choice of the registration number
How to apply for duplicate RC offline?
For getting a duplicate RC offline, you will have to visit the RTO office. The RTO official from which you had registered your vehicle. Follow these steps to get the duplicate copy of RC from the RTO.
- Fill the form number 26
- Fill out the form for the request for duplicate RC and attach the documents.
- Make the payment of the fee and submit the form along with documents to the RTO.
- The officials will give a date for verification for the vehicle and challis number.
Required documents for requesting a duplicate RC:
- Copy of police FIR
- Pollution certificate
- Form 26
- Address proof
- Pan card
- Copy of engine and pencil challis
- Form 60, form 61
- An affidavit that states the original registration certificate is lost
Process for procurement Duplicate Registration Certificate (RC) Card
Most of us have the tendency of losing important documents, either the same gets misplaced or might be stolen etc. And hence, you need to what you will have to do in such situations. You need to follow the correct process. There might be other situations as well where you would need to get a duplicate RC.
Top #4 Reasons to apply for a duplicate RC:
- When you have the original RC but it is broken or the chip is missing and also if the RC is not valid
- When your RC has incorrect details for example number of ownership serial, manufacturing year, etc
- The details are varying from the original RC in Vahan portal
- When the chassis number of your vehicle can’t be read
Steps for Lost RC:
Now let us see the below-stated process if your RC is stolen, lost or damaged and you can easily get a duplicate Registration Certificate:
- You will have to mandatorily file an FIR ( First Information Report) at the nearest police station the RC is lost
- You will have to give an application to get a duplicate RC through Form number 26 which is the application for getting a duplicate RC
- If you have bought the vehicle t through any financer or lender, you will have to get a NOC- No Objection Certificate with the signature of the financier
- Then, you will have to submit Form number 26 appropriately along with other necessary documents. All documents together with a complaint in writing need to be submitted to the RTO office by you which had issued the original Registration Certificate
Documents required for getting duplicate RC book
- Application for duplicate RC i.e., form number 26
- Copy of the FIR if the RC is misplaced
- Original copy of RC if it is spoiled
- Details of tax for the preceding 4 quarters including tax token and payment of tax
- Insurance Certificate of the vehicle
- No objection certificate or NOC has to be taken from the financier
- Effective and authentic PUC
- Address proof
- For commercial vehicles, the challan agreement from traffic department & Enforcement Wing
- You will have to submit the affidavit confirming that Registration Certificate has been misplaced and the same hasn’t been seized
- Your attested PAN card copies or form 60
- Draft inscription of the Chassis and the Engine
Fees for getting registration certificate
Now let us have a look at the fees for getting theregistration certificate. Here given belowlist of RC fees for the vehicles
The following is the list of RC fees for some of the key type of vehicles: Apart from below, an extra fee of INR 200 is applicable if the RC is a smart card which has been issued or is renewed under Form number 23A.
Type of Vehicle | Amount (INR) |
Light Motor Vehicle used for Non-Transport | 600 |
Light Motor Vehicle used for Transport | 1000 |
Two Wheelers | 300 |
Vehicles with medium goods | 1000 |
Vehicles with medium passengers | 1000 |
Vehicles with heavy goods | 1500 |
Vehicles with heavy passengers | 1500 |
Imported Motor vehicle | 5000 |
Imported Motor Cycle | 2500 |
Other vehicles not appearing in the above list | 3000 |
Procedure to get an RC book
As mentioned above authorized dealers of vehicles in India are officially allowed to perform the registration process for the newly bought vehicle on behalf of you when you are buying a new vehicle. The vehicle gets delivered to you only post the process of registration is completed, in this case, the vehicle is being registered through the dealer. You can also do the registration yourself where you have a choice to go to the respective RTO to register your vehicle. Post the authentication of all the required documents and examination of your vehicle, the register gives the registration certificate or the RC book to you and allots registration number to your vehicle. But keeping in mind our busy life, no one opt for the registration by himself or herself, instead wants the car dealers to do the same for us.
The Registration Certificate is typically sent at your registered address within 7 days. But, if you want to know the status of the same in the meantime, you can visit the official site of https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/vahanservice/vahan/ui/statevalidation/homepage.xhtml.
You need to fill in the registration number and the status of the Registration Certificate will be shown. You have also the option of downloading RC copy if you want to.
Steps to convert RC copy downloaded to RC Smart Card
These days where everything is waterproof and is laminated to avoid the document getting soiled, torn etc, likewise an RC book also can be converted to a smart card which is again a tamper-proof plastic card with an fixed microprocessor chip of 64 KB memory size that has all information about you as the owner of the vehicle with details of the vehicle as well. One can have the RC copy download in the same way as explained above.
- You will have to place a written application to the administrator of traffic police in the city mentioning the reason for receiving the RC book changed to a smart card
- You will have to give a copy of the insurance certificate and emission certificate
- You will have to pay the required fees which are of INR 500 for transport vehicles and INR 300 for non-transport vehicles as applicable
- You will have to submit the RC book and the documents as mentioned above at the nearest RTO office
- The RC smart card will be received at your registered address within a week.
So now, are you still worried as to what will you do if you have lost your smart card or the RC book? Well, surely you are not as you know by now what exactly you need to do in those situations and how to apply for a duplicate RC book or a smart card. So, go ahead, apply for a duplicate RC or the smart card needed and have a safe drive.
What Is the Processing Time for a Duplicate RC?
The average processing time for a duplicate RC is 15 – 30 days. After that, you will be able to download a soft copy online or it will be sent to your home address if you applied offline. You can follow the steps mentioned above to get your duplicate RC as quickly as possible. It is highly recommended that you always have a photocopy of the original RC book, just in case you lose the original.
Step-by-step guide on how to Apply for Duplicate RC Online
RC is the Registration Certificate of a vehicle, it is a very important document just like a driving licence. Whenever you take the vehicle out on the road, it is mandatory that you have the driver’s licence and the registration card with you. In case you lose it or it is damaged, you can apply for a duplicate copy of the RC online. If you lose it, the first thing you need to do is to file a Police report. After that, you can go for a duplicate one. So, Here is how you can apply for duplicate RC online:
- Visit the official Parivahan Sewa website
- Select your state and the nearest RTO
- You need to enter a few details of your bike and then click on proceed
- Make sure to check the details of your bike carefully
- In the next page, select “Duplicate Registration Certificate”
- Mention the last 5 digits of your chassis number and click next
- A form will appear. Fill all the details carefully and upload the documents needed and submit
- In the final step, make the payment. Do not forget to take a print out of the acknowledgement
- The print out of the acknowledgement along with the required documents must be submitted to the nearby RTO
- The RTO will provide you a date for the verification of the vehicle and the chassis number.
After successful completion of the verification, you will receive duplicate RC copy at your registered address within a few days
Details present inside the RC copy downloaded of the vehicle (100)
Like you the details which are mentioned in your PAN card like your name, date of birth, signature etc. You must be wondering what are the details which are present in the RC or the smart card. Let us see the details that can be seen in your RC Card or smart card:
- Your name as the registered motor vehicle owner
- Vehicle registration number
- Recorded address of the owner of the vehicle
- Category of the body of the vehicle
- The cubic capacity of the vehicle
- Motor vehicle registration date
- Hypothecation details of the vehicle
- Vehicle’s engine number
- Type of fuel
- Manufacturing details of the vehicle like a month and the year of the motor vehicle
- The validity of the registration
- Vehicle’s seating size
- Your Signature
- The Chassis number of the Vehicle
- Class of vehicle
- Colour of the vehicle
- Vehicle Maker’s class
- Weight of the vehicle
- Wheelbase