[tud]

Like most of my fellow citizens, I also believed that going to a Government office to get any work done was a tedious process, requires multiple visits and is not worth the time and boy was I proved wrong! Recently I transferred ownership for my car and I did it mostly from my computer.

A tiny bit on the car search and purchase:

I have been in the used car market for about 2-3 months looking for a automatic hatchback. I was keen on the i10 as it was equipped with the traditional AT. I came across some good and equally bad examples. After a series of searches across individual owner listings and used car dealers, I came across a 2015 Hyundai Xcent SX(O) AT with 27 clicks on the odometer, and it had just arrived at H Promise, Hyundai’s used car sales division. I referred the team-bhp used car guide to evaluate the car. Service records were clean and it did have the regular bumper repairs and rear view mirror replacements. The car was sent for a full service by H Promise and it came with a one year warranty. Orange book value, Cars 24 and OLX search helped me make an offer below the fair price and we ended up shaking hands at the fair price. I saw this car on a Saturday (29th Feb) and I had it with me the following Thursday (5th March). It spent the next day at Obsessive Compulsive Detailing studio and by the evening of Friday (6th March), I had an almost brand-new car with me.



And now to the ownership transfer:

Most of the used car dealers also used to offer name transfer on registration certificate for a charge and it varied from Rs 2000 to Rs 2500 and they were clear on a 3-4 weeks’ timeline for the same as it is a job with a Government office. H Promise offered it for Rs 1600 and I thought it was a very fair deal and I asked them to get this done.

The following weekend, I was intrigued to check if the ownership transfer could be done online and a quick check on parivan portal and voila – it is available; although I would call it partly online as it requires a visit to the concerned RTO to submit the physical documents. And the RTO fees for the same was only Rs 525 and it is to be paid online at the time of applying.

H Promise had to transfer the car sale money to the first owner and then get the original RC and the duplicate keys. This was delayed by two days due to their lethargic admin team and therefore the ownership transfer process from their end was a non-starter.

I told them that I’ll do it online and they were happy to let me do it and also wanted to know more in detail as they hadn’t heard of it and always entrusted this job with their RTO agent.

A quick overview on the ownership transfer timeline through the online portal:

9th March – I applied online, and paid the fees. The website generated the Form 29 and 30 pre-filled with the seller information as available in their databse and my personal details that I filled in. I emailed the Form 29 and 30 to H Promise.

10th March – H Promise took the forms to the first owner to get it signed, delivered his payment instrument and collected the original RC and duplicate keys. The executive who went with the documents messed up the transferor and transferee signature.

11th March – H Promise sends it again with a new set of print outs and by the evening, I have the signed Form 29, 30, original RC, and duplicate keys with me.

12th March – I got a PUC test done at a nearby outlet and then visit the RTO with the documents. I was guided to the concerned room. A friendly staff checked the documents and stapled them. Next, I took it to an officer in the same room, who checked it again and signed on it with red ink and kept it aside. I asked him if I should come back in a month. He was taken by surprise and asked me to come the same day next week. This time, I was taken by surprise.

13th March – I receive an SMS from Vahan saying the ownership transfer application is processed successfully and RC is under printing. It also asked me to download the digital RC from mParivahan app or DigiLocker app.

14th and 15th March – Weekend

16th March – Smart card RC printed

All in all, a very simplified process and a pleasant experience.

Let me list out the ownership transfer process in detail:

Visit the Parivahan portal.

Go to Online services -> Vehicle related services -> Select you state

Enter your vehicle registration number and click Proceed.



A confirmation screen with the original owner's name and the RTO where the vehicle is registered will be displayed for confirmation. If the data is correct click on Proceed. If it is incorrect then verify the same with the data on the RC.



Now select the service as required. In this case, go with Basic service - transfer of ownership.



Authenticate yourself with the last 5 digits of the chassis number of the purchased vehicle found on the RC as well as the insurance copy. This will be followed by a mobile number authentication through OTP. You will get the option to enter any mobile number and it need not be the same as in RTO records of the current owner.



You will now be displayed with the basic services available for your vehicle. Choose transfer of ownership.



Now you will reach the most important section where you key in the data for the transfer of ownership. Enter the name and address of the new owner as found in the supporting proof of identity and proof of address. The owner serial number is auto filled based on the data available.



Scroll down to choose the RTO where you would like to register. In my case, I was transferring the ownership registration from Chennai South TN07 to Chennai South-East TN06 RTO. The insurance data is autofilled. Although my vehicle has a comprehensive insurance, the website displayed the insurance type as third party. IDV was again pre-filled with zero. Insurance companies are not reporting the insurance type and IDV to the RTOs and hence this error. Rest assured, both these information does not affect you application as all you need is a valid insurance. Once you have filled in all the information, click Proceed.



You will now be displayed with the data you entered and asked to Confirm. Once you hit confirm, you will be taken to the payment gateway page. On successful payment, you will be displayed with the following e-fee receipt. This screen also allows you to print the Form 29 and Form 30 pre-filled with the seller information as available with the RTO and the buyer information as filled earlier before paying the fees.



Ensure you print the e-fee receipt as well as it treated as the cover note for your application.



Documents to submit at the RTO:

1. E-fee receipt (also used as a covering letter)
2. Original RC
3. Valid insurance
4. Valid pollution under control certificate
5. Form 29 signed by the seller (2 copies)
6. Form 30 signed by the seller and the buyer (2 copies)
7. Buyer's proof of identity and address. I included my passport copy as valid supporting document.
8. Buyer's photograph (2 nos)

I carried my PAN copy, an additional address proof of mine, seller's PAN copy and seller's address proof. I was not asked for any of these documents.

Important pointers:

• If you are registering the vehicle in a different state, then an NOC has to be obtained from the base RTO (in my case Chennai-South TN07). If an NOC is available during the transfer of ownership, then the screen where you select the RTO after filling in your name and address will also display the RTOs available in the state for which NOC is obtained. NOC can also be applied online and it requires a visit to the RTO to submit the documents and display the vehicle (if asked for).
• If the vehicle is on a hypothecation, then first visit the base RTO to remove the same and then proceed with the online transfer of ownership. This hypothecation removal is the duty of the seller or their agent.
• If the seller has given you a smart card RC, put it in a transparent pouch and staple it with the supporting documents. If it is the traditional paper RC, it is enough if you staple it with the supporting documents.
• I did a PUC test on my way to the RTO to submit the documents. By the time I reached the RTO, the PUC test and the certificate where already updated on the RTO's portal and mParivahan app also displayed the PUC validity date. It is seamlessly centralised. PUC test in Chennai Adyar costs Rs 200 (Rs 60 is the stipulated fee and Rs 140 is the service charge for the same). I got this done at Chennai Mandaveli for Rs 80 (Rs 60 is the stipulated fee and Rs 20 is the service charge for the same). Both the centres are well equipped and also add the car licence plate image into the PUC certificate.

[sayakc]

Thank you for posting this thread. I believe the Ministry of Roads has been doing a fantastic job as far as going online is concerned.

Can't speak about other states, but the Motor Vehicles Dept in West Bengal is ruled by touts and customers were frequently fleeced by them. With online payments of Road Tax Payments and now the other facilities it will definitely help those customers.

A link to my post on how to pay road tax online.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4648219 (West Bengal: Issues with paying Road Tax online)

Best,
Sayak

[bajica]

Thanks for posting your experience on this forum.


I hope to follow this process to get a duplicate RC for my car.

[tilt]

So let me see: the only thing preventing me from "stealing" someone's car (or someone "stealing" my car) is the original RC to be submitted to the RTO.


This means, if I am (or someone is) smart enough to find a way to get a duplicate "original" RC under some pretext, there's nothing to prevent this ownership transfer.


Cheers

[hserus]

Originally Posted by tilt

So let me see: the only thing preventing me from "stealing" someone's car (or someone "stealing" my car) is the original RC to be submitted to the RTO.

This means, if I am (or someone is) smart enough to find a way to get a duplicate "original" RC under some pretext, there's nothing to prevent this ownership transfer.

You need other documents of the seller as well during this process not just the RC.

Also, for the OP - you're lucky it was this smooth as the car was a TN07 one and you got the transfer done at the TN07 RTO. If your car was from some other RTO, they'd ask you to go there and get a NOC to their RTO.

So - to buy a TN14 Scorpio, I had to go to TN14 Sholinganallur, wait a couple of hours there because they had power cuts during the time and then less than ten minutes for them to create an online NOC to TN07.

I then went to the Thiruvanmiyur TN07 RTO the next day, and completed the process just as you describe. The data entry counter guy at TN07 had to look up the NOC and make some entry at his end, so that was an extra step.

[tud]

Originally Posted by sayakc

I believe the Ministry of Roads has been doing a fantastic job as far as going online is concerned.
With online payments of Road Tax Payments and now the other facilities it will definitely help those customers.

Getting things online sure does streamline a lot of process and is a welcome move. Thank you for your useful link on the tax payment.

Originally Posted by bajica

I hope to follow this process to get a duplicate RC for my car.

Definitely go the online way if you can spare some time for the document submission at the concerned RTO. The effort is worth it. Do let us know how it goes.

Originally Posted by tilt

So let me see: the only thing preventing me from "stealing" someone's car (or someone "stealing" my car) is the original RC to be submitted to the RTO.
This means, if I am (or someone is) smart enough to find a way to get a duplicate "original" RC under some pretext, there's nothing to prevent this ownership transfer.

The RC is sacred and is best kept under lock and key. I have never carried the original RC and have never been asked for it. And now I have all my RCs in the DigiLocker app.
Form 29 and 30 are to be signed by the seller and I'm sure the signature is verified with the records. The smart card RC does not carry the owner's signature so nobody can reproduce it.

I would suggest a step to the parivahan portal, to have all RCs mapped to the current owner's mobile number and any ownership transfer procedure can require a dual OTP - from the buyer and the existing owner (seller) to validate and go into the page where the new buyer's details are keyed in.

Originally Posted by hserus

Also, for the OP - you're lucky it was this smooth as the car was a TN07 one and you got the transfer done at the TN07 RTO. If your car was from some other RTO, they'd ask you to go there and get a NOC to their RTO.

So - to buy a TN14 Scorpio, I had to go to TN14 Sholinganallur, wait a couple of hours there because they had power cuts during the time and then less than ten minutes for them to create an online NOC to TN07.

I then went to the Thiruvanmiyur TN07 RTO the next day, and completed the process just as you describe. The data entry counter guy at TN07 had to look up the NOC and make some entry at his end, so that was an extra step.

I transferred the registration from TN07 (Thiruvanmiyur) to TN06 (Mandaveli) RTO. Unless the vehicle is under hypothecation, a visit to the base RTO is not required (this was mentioned on the parivahan portal). In your case, I think the previous owner paid the loan but did not remove the hypothecation.

NOC is mandatory for other state registration. If you look at the screen after filling the personal details, there is an option to choose the RTO. I was displayed with all the RTOs in Tamil Nadu. If the car had an NOC to sell in another state, then the RTOs from that particular state would also appear under that list.

[chieftain]

Interesting to see you had a smooth and quick experience. When my dad was selling his Honda last year (to a private party), it was a little more... let's say, bureaucratic.

The first time he went to the RTO, they said the VIN's sketch (presumably to make sure you do indeed have the car) was taken from the wrong place-- it was sketched from a plate under the hood, when it should have been taken from an engraving somewhere on the chassis. (This is understandable, since it's a lot easier to sketch it from the plate, which is exposed and can even be nicked with but a screwdriver. But, this requirement was not given on their website, so that was a good ol' "oh you don't have this document? See ya later alligator" experience).



It's quite difficult to reach the engraving (perhaps for good reason), so it took quite some tries over the next few weekends to capture it. After we finally captured it, it was dropped off with the RTO. The guy went through the file and said that our work was done. The assurance was that the process would be completed at his end within 30 days.



Well, 30 days, 31, days, 32 days... even more days passed on and there was no update in the status tracker. An acquaintance of the buyer went in to the RTO to ask the clerk about it. The clerk gave the typical oh-sometimes-it-takes-longer-wait-karo-ho-jayega response. And, also typically, many more days passed with still no update. This time my dad went to the RTO himself, where the guy pulled out the file which had been collecting dust and clearly looked like it did not have any intention of being opened. The clerk then kindly informed my dear father that the reason it was not being processed was a missing signature on some document! This is despite him supposedly going through all the documents before collecting them from my father. What was even worse was that after my dad signed the document, it only took some 30 MINUTES for the clerk to complete the process and give the NOC.



After that it's been another deal altogether to get the buyer to do the documentation from his end, but that's not quite related to this story.

Originally Posted by tilt

So let me see: the only thing preventing me from "stealing" someone's car (or someone "stealing" my car) is the original RC to be submitted to the RTO.


This means, if I am (or someone is) smart enough to find a way to get a duplicate "original" RC under some pretext, there's nothing to prevent this ownership transfer.


Cheers

I am not sure if this is a universal process but the RTO with jurisdiction over where my dad lives (in Delhi) asked for a tracing of the VIN number from the chassis.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by chieftain

I am not sure if this is a universal process but the RTO with jurisdiction over where my dad lives (in Delhi) asked for a tracing of the VIN number from the chassis.

That is the universal process regardless of whether you're using this new (actually 2-3 years old) parivahan system or old style paper forms.

They always insist on chassis engraving because the plates or stickers elsewhere that show the VIN are easier to forge.

[Aditya]

Great thread. Thanks for posting. It shows how easy things have become when it comes to transfer of ownership.

The website seems straightforward and easy to use. Even the time taken to transfer the car is very less compared to what I have experienced so far. Although I've never been to the RTO so far to get a car transferred, I have used agents to get things done. It has always been a long wait before my papers came into my hands.

This comes as a boon for us.

[AutoSphere]

Thanks, TUD for the wonderful thread. Very informative and useful for all of us.
In my case, although I have always used agents at the RTO, I have still found the experience nightmarish, especially because of small errors in the seller/buyer details.

[tud]

Originally Posted by chieftain

Well, 30 days, 31, days, 32 days... even more days passed on and there was no update in the status tracker.

I think the offline application doesn't make them accountable or specify a time frame to complete the task. Since my ticket was created online and is done centrally, the RTO folks might be accountable for any delay.

To give due credit, the officer I dealt with spent a good 15 mins explaining a senior citizen who wanted to get a duplicate licence (as he lost his original but valid one) but did not know his licence number and the exact name as it was used on the licence. All search on the online platform proved futile and the officer patiently explained how to apply for an LLR and then a permanent licence - all online.

Originally Posted by Aditya

Although I've never been to the RTO so far to get a car transferred, I have used agents to get things done. It has always been a long wait before my papers came into my hands.

This comes as a boon for us.

You are welcome, it sure is a boon. If not for the mandatory WFH right now, I would have opted to go with the agent.

Originally Posted by AutoSphere

In my case, although I have always used agents at the RTO, I have still found the experience nightmarish, especially because of small errors in the seller/buyer details.

You are welcome.
Tell me about it. The main reason I was keen on the online set up was because, I get to fill in my name and address the right away. My driving licence from 15 years back has my name and address spelt the way the data entry operator at the RTO preferred.

[VijayAnand1]

Beautiful thread and neatly detailed info with snapshots. I did want to transfer the ownership of the bike online and wanted to try it, but was always lazy to give it a thought. Though it was transferred via the RTO way manually, I think this will go a long way in desensitizing the process overall.

Cheers!
VJ

[Vians]

Originally Posted by tud

.
Unless the vehicle is under hypothecation, a visit to the base RTO is not required (

NOC is mandatory for other state registration. If you look at the screen after filling the personal details, there is an option to choose the RTO. I was displayed with all the RTOs in Tamil Nadu. If the car had an NOC to sell in another state, then the RTOs from that particular state would also appear under that list.

NOC was required for me even though the seller had no hypotheicaton. If the car is older than 200x (mine was 2007), they may not have records in vahan. So they ask for NOC. I had to get Noc from TN22 and take it to TN10. Unfortunately TN22 was the most corrupt RTO while TN10 was very good.

[vshankarhere]

Very useful post.IIRC, there was one more post regarding renewal of vehicle FC through VAHAN.

Looks like the RTO services have come a long way into becoming user and citizen friendly through VAHAN portal. Really appreciate the efforts from the Ministry to digitise all these processes.

[tud]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Beautiful thread and neatly detailed info with snapshots. I did want to transfer the ownership of the bike online and wanted to try it, but was always lazy to give it a thought. Though it was transferred via the RTO way manually, I think this will go a long way in desensitizing the process overall.
Cheers!
VJ

Originally Posted by vshankarhere

Very useful post.IIRC, there was one more post regarding renewal of vehicle FC through VAHAN.
Looks like the RTO services have come a long way into becoming user and citizen friendly through VAHAN portal. Really appreciate the efforts from the Ministry to digitise all these processes.

Thank you! Digital sure is the way forward for an efficient and transparent process.

Originally Posted by Vians

NOC was required for me even though the seller had no hypotheicaton. If the car is older than 200x (mine was 2007), they may not have records in vahan. So they ask for NOC. I had to get Noc from TN22 and take it to TN10.

Like you say, may be the vehicle details were not digitised by the previous RTO. But our fellow member hserus's Scorpio isn't very old and TN14 is a recently opened RTO.