If you have ever been stopped at a police checkpoint in India, there are high chances that you would have definitely faced a question regarding the Registration Certificate of your vehicle. Registration Certificate or more commonly known as RC is one the most important document to prove the registration of your vehicle. According to the law, the RC book must be present in the car while driving and also the driving license of the individual behind the wheel.
An RC Book contains all the vital information about the car. Due to improvement in technology, the old RC book has been replaced by a smart card. The smart card contains all the information of the vehicle such as the registration number, registration date, chassis number, engine number, type and colour of the vehicle and also the model number.
Now with all this critical information, the smart card or the RC book is the only legitimate way to prove your registration to any authority. Now imagine if this important document were to be lost. It might even give the owner a panic attack. So if you have lost the RC book or your smart card or if you are just curious about the procedure for a new RC, here is a step by step guide.
The foremost task to do when you have lost an RC Book or even a driving license is to file a First Information Report. The First Information Report, also known as FIR, is one of the most important ordeals in the law system. An FIR marks the physical proof and documentation of the events for the law officials. An FIR can be lodged at the nearest police station where the event you might have misplaced the RC book or the police station that is nearest to your home. Filing an FIR is also crucial if you have lost your driving license.
It is crucial that the FIR contains all the factual information regarding the owner and the vehicle as it will be further investigated to match the details of the FIR and the registration records. Furthermore, it is critical to mention the place of event where the RC book might have been lost or misplaced.
Once the FIR is filed, a challan will be given to the owner titled ‘RC Lost’. This challan is an essential piece of paper since it marks the process of getting a duplicate RC book or a smart card. Once you have the challan, you are required to fill the Form 26 that can be downloaded from the RTO’s website. If the vehicle is under any loan agreements, it is crucial to obtain a NOC, i.e. No Objection Certificate from the loan providing company. This NOC is essential as it signifies that there are no issues with a duplicate copy of the RC or smart card that is being issued.
It is advisable to make triplicate copies of Form 26 with an endorsement from the registration authorities. Also, carry important identity cards and documents for the whole process. The important documents and ID’s include driving license, vehicle insurance, valid proof of address and the emission test papers. Further details such as the chassis number, registration number, model number and physical description of the cars must also be kept ready. It is better to make copies of these as there might be cases where you’ll be asked to submit attested sets of these documents.
The charges for duplicate Smart Card RC book varies from state to state as RTOs are administered by the respective state governments. For example, the fees for duplicate Smart Card or RC book in Delhi is INR 250 for two-wheelers and INR 500 for cars. But at the same instance, in Gujarat, for two-wheelers a small amount of INR 30 is charged and INR 100 for cars. So make sure that you verify the correct fees for your smart card from the respective State’s RTO website.
All these documents are verified and are eventually sent for official signature to the desk of the Superintendent. After the formalities are done, make sure to collect the receipts and acknowledgement slips as they are the proof. Your new Smart Card RC Book will be delivered by the expected date that is usually mentioned in the acknowledgement slips.
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28th Apr,2020