The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, makes it mandatory for vehicles in India to have a valid Registration Certificate (RC). The registration certificate serves as an official document that declares that the vehicle is legally registered with the government of India and serves as a proof of ownership. While it is important to have your new vehicle registered when you purchase it, it is equally important to have the RC transferred in case of purchase of a second hand vehicle. In this article, learn all about how to transfer your registration certificate: the process, the fees, the documentation required, etc.

In case you are purchasing a vehicle that is previously registered under someone else’s name, before getting the RC transferred, you must first check and verify the vehicle registration details to ensure that nothing in the vehicle is out of order, legally speaking. Apart from sale of the vehicle, there are other situations too that require transfer of registration certificate of the vehicle, such as death of the previous owner, or the vehicle getting sold in an auction. In case of sale of the vehicle directly by the owner to someone else, or in an auction, the registration certificate needs to be transferred in the new owner’s name. In case of death of the owner of the vehicle, the registration certificate is transferred to the owner’s legal heir. In order to get the ownership transferred, the legal heir must begin the transfer process within 30 days after the owner’s death.

There can be two instances when it comes to vehicle RC transfer in India. Either the transfer happens inter state or intra state. For either kind of transfer, you can check the transfer status online by using your application number on the ParivahanSewa portal. The portal provides you services related to vehicles and their documentation such as paying your e-challans, checking your vehicle blacklist status, applying for a vehicle fitness certificate online, obtaining national permits, etc.

In case of a normal sale, you can transfer the ownership of the vehicle by submitting form 29 to the registering RTO Office in India. The buyer would have to submit form 30 to the RTO within 14 days of the transfer in intra-state transfer, and within 45 days of the transfer in inter-state transfer. In case the vehicle is auctioned off, the buyer will have to submit form 32 to the RTO within 30 days of purchase. In case of death of the owner, the legal heir needs to begin the transfer process within 30 days of the death of the previous owner and submit form 31 to get the legal ownership of the vehicle. In all these instances, it is important to note that you will be required to pay the applicable fees and taxes as mandated by the Centre Motor Vehicle Rules. The transfer fee varies from one RTO Office to another, and is variable in different states in India. Along with that, you will also be required to submit Form 60 in all the cases mentioned previously.