What is the process of interstate car transfer?

You might have to shift from one state to another for the sake of your job, for looking after your parents, for your kids’ studies, or due to some other reasons. Whatever the purpose is, under such circumstances, you would not want to sell or leave your valuable car behind unless it is unmanageable. However, do you know if you are relocating to another state for more than a year, then the transfer of your car calls for some very important official formalities? Yes, it is not just about transferring the car physically from one state to another, but there is some vital paperwork that needs to be done to be compliant with the law. If you are wondering how the interstate car transfer process works, here you will get to know all about it.

Get Your Car Re-registered

Car owners are mandated by the Indian Law to register their car with the concerned Government Authority in order to establish their ownership. This also helps the government in the proper implementation of the car taxes. Hence, when you are shifting from one state to another it is obligatory to re-register your car with the new state authority that too within one month of making the transfer. Delay in the process might result in unwanted penalties. During the process, all the official formalities will be conducted by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) at the district level. At the end of the procedure, you will get a new registration number to display on the number plate of your car.

Steps for car registration

When you are moving your car from one state to another, the license of the previous state wouldn't be valid anymore. The vehicle needs to be registered once again under the RTO of the state to which you are relocating. Besides registration, you also need to pay the road tax or lifetime tax based on the depreciated value of your car. However, the already paid road tax can be reimbursed by submitting the relevant documents to the RTO of the new state. After re-registration of the vehicle, the rules and regulations of the new state need to be followed.
To understand the process better, go through the car transfer and re-registration steps elaborated below:

• Obtain NOC from the previous Traffic Department

For acquiring the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of your previous state, you have to submit the following NOCs:

• NOC from the traffic police certifying that there is no pending fines or dues for traffic violation.
• NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) report clarifying that the car has no past instance of car accident or been stolen (not applicable for all Indian states).

In order to acquire the NOC and the NCRB report from the concerned authority, the listed documents need to be provided:

• The Registration Certificate of the car
• Letter addressing the Deputy Commissioner of Traffic
• Pollution Under Control Certificate
• Road Tax Clearance Certificate
• Driving License/Passport/Ration Card/Bank Passbook as address proof
• NOC from the financing bank if the car is mortgaged for a loan

While submitting the NOCs to the Traffic Police Office, carry all the original documents along with you for successful and quick completion of the verification process. After the verification, within a few days, you will receive the NOC.

• Acquire NOC from the RTO of the previous state

In the next step, you have to apply for the No Objection Certificate and the Grant of Certificate from the RTO where your car is registered through Form 28. Make sure to fill the form with accurate details and duly sign it before submission. If any of the fields is not filled or is not applicable to you, write 'NA' (Not-Applicable) in the non-relevant fields. You are required to submit the following documents along with the form:

• Attested copy of the Registration Certificate
• PUC Certificate of the car
• Insurance documents of your car
• NOC obtained from the Traffic Police
• Emission Test Certificate
• Road tax payment related documents
• NCRB clearance (if applicable to your state)
• NOC from the financing bank (if the car is hypothecated)

Once the formalities are done you need to pay the fees applicable to your car. Wait for a few days to get the NOC from the RTO of your previous state. After getting the NOC at hand, you can transfer the car to the new state either with the help of the car transporters or by driving it on your own.

• Conduct the Re-registration formalities

As soon as your vehicle is relocated, place the request for the re-registration number with the RTO of the new state by filing Form 20 (application form for the registration of your car), Form 27 (application form for providing new registration certificate), and Form 33 (form for intimating the change of address). The other mandatory documents are:

• Original registration certificate from the previous state
• The NOC provided by the RTO of the other state
• Copy of your address proof attested by an authority
• Attested copy of your driving license
• Copy of the PUC Certificate with proper attestation
• PAN Card, Form 60, or Form 61, whichever is relevant
• NOC from the lending bank (if the vehicle is under a loan)

After the successful completion of the registration process, you will get the new registration number within a few weeks.

• Pay and reimburse the road tax

After you transfer your car to a different state, you need to pay the road tax once again as calculated by the RTO on the basis of your car’s invoice. The applicable road tax can be paid through a Demand Draft (DD). If you are concerned about making the payment twice, there is nothing to worry about as you can claim for a reimbursement of the previously paid tax by submitting the relevant documents to the RTO of the new state. The refund can be expected within 6 months from the date of application.
The re-registration formalities of an interstate car transfer are often considered to be tedious and time-consuming by the car owners. However, with good communication between the RTOs in the states, the process is quick, hassle-free, and can be completed in three simple steps by the car owner without taking the help of any agent or broker. The new registration certificate with the number will reach you within a few weeks of submitting the application with the concerned authority. So, shrug off all your worries if you are planning for an interstate car transfer anytime soon and get started with the re-registration process.