State govt eases rules for registration renewal, vehicle ownership transfer

Kolkata: The state Transport department has eased rules for transferring ownership and renewing registration of non-transport vehicles, after detecting frequent lapses in compliance and difficulties faced by owners relocating across districts.

The move follows reports that many vehicle owners were selling their vehicles to buyers in other districts without completing the mandatory ownership transfer. In many cases, sellers failed to confirm the sale as required under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the West Bengal Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, leaving the vehicles still registered in their names. The government also noted that several non-transport vehicles registered with one district’s Regional Transport Authority (RTA) were being shifted to other districts, either temporarily or permanently, due to relocation of residence or occupation of the owner. To plug these gaps and improve ease of doing business, the government has now allowed ownership transfer of non-transport vehicles to be recorded at any registering authority in the state where the vehicle is registered, irrespective of the purchaser’s address.

The new provision, however, will apply only to vehicles both registered and sold within Bengal. The notification, signed by Transport Secretary Saumitra Mohan, makes it mandatory for the seller and buyer to appear in person before the registering authority concerned. A photograph of the seller, along with proof of identity, must be uploaded to the VAHAN portal.

The purchaser, however, may complete the process either physically or virtually.

The notification also permits renewal of registration of non-transport vehicles at any registering authority in Bengal without requiring a change of address in the registration certificate. At the time of renewal, officials will capture a geo-tagged photograph of the vehicle using an authenticated NIC App to verify its location, similar to the existing procedure for issuing fitness certificates.

It has also been clarified that restrictions linked to pollution norms will continue to apply to vehicles even after ownership transfer or registration renewal.