Is the renewal of registration of the vehicle and re-registration of the vehicle the same?

A vehicle needs to be re-registered in two conditions.

• The Central Motor Vehicles Act makes it mandatory for all private vehicles to be re-registered after 15 years from the date of original registration. Post which, the registration can be renewed in an interval of 5 years as long as it is considered safe and roadworthy by the RTO.
• A vehicle also needs re-registration if it is taken to another Indian state and used for more than a year in that particular state.

Re-registration of a vehicle that is more than 15 years old

For RC renewal of vehicles older than 15 years, an application has to be made in Form 25. The vehicle needs to be presented at the RTO for inspection and the required fee needs to be paid at the RTO cash counter. After vehicle inspection and verification of all the documents, the RTO will issue a new Registration Certificate (RC). To renew vehicle RC, the following documents are to be submitted at the RTO:

• Duly filled Form 25
• Original Registration Certificate
• Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate
• Vehicle Insurance Certificate

Vehicle Registration Process For Inter-State Vehicle Transfer

While transferring vehicle RC from one state to another, there are two important factors to be considered: 

• Status of Vehicle Hypothecation: If the vehicle has financer’s hypothecation in the Registration Certificate, you will need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the financer before you register your vehicle in any other state.
• Road Tax: The applicant might need to pay road tax at the depreciated value of the vehicle. If the state where you are moving to has lower rate of road tax, you may also be eligible to receive a refund of the tax.

Following are the steps involved in re-registration of a vehicle.

Step 1: Obtain A No Objection Certificate (NOC)

• A self-declaration affidavit is to be submitted on a stamp paper of Rs.10. It should be attested by a Notary declaring that all vehicle related documents are genuine and there are no dues pending against the vehicle.
• A NOC must be obtained from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) stating that the vehicle is not stolen.
• NOC from the financer in Form 35 if the vehicle has an active loan.
• To get NOC from the RTO, the applicant must submit 3 duly filled copies of Form 27, 28 along with No Objection Certificates from NCRB, Traffic Police, and the financer.
• Documents such as Insurance policy, Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate, Smart Card copy, Chassis imprint copy, identity proof, and address proof are to be submitted. The RTO will issue an interstate vehicle transfer NOC within 2-3 weeks.

Step 2: Arrange Documents

There are certain documents required to re-register the vehicle in another state. The same are mentioned below:

• Original Vehicle Related Documents - Insurance document, Smart RC Card, Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate
• Original Invoice of the vehicle: The invoice of the vehicle is necessary for the RTO to calculate the road tax based on the depreciation applied.

Step 3: Re-Registration And Payment of Road Tax

Once you obtain all the required documents and physically move your vehicle to another state, you can apply for a new registration certificate and pay the applicable road tax. The following documents are to be submitted at the RTO

• Vehicle Documents: Insurance Certificate, Pollution Under Control Certificate, Original Smart Card, Chassis Imprint, Vehicle Invoice
• Identity And Address Proof: Aadhar Card/PAN Card/Ration Card, New address proof, 2-4 passport sized photographs, self-attested affidavit (Based on RTO requirement)
• NOC Documents: NOC documents to be submitted along with duly filled Forms 27 and 28
• Road Tax Receipt for assessment of tax amount
• Re-Registration application can be made in Form 20. Details of address change can be submitted in Form 33. If you own a used vehicle, you must also submit the documents pertaining to transfer of ownership.
• Once the vehicle is registered, you can apply for a tax refund.