All about Regional Tansport Office (RTO)

RTO. You all have heard this term every time you speak about riding your vehicles or buying a new vehicle. Those who have applied for their driving licence at some point are sure to have encountered with the RTO. Ever wondered who they are? What do they do? Well, to keep it short, they are the ones responsible for letting you even own the vehicle, let alone taking it out for a spin. 

RTO, as it stands for Regional Transport Office, is a government body that is responsible for the registration of vehicles and issuance of drivers’ licences. Also, the RTO in each state is responsible for maintaining the database of its drivers and vehicles. 

We may be familiar with RTO as their basic function is to issue licences and register vehicles but there are certain strings of responsibilities that you should know about as laid out in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. 

1. Issuance of Driving Licences

We all have our driving licence, well at least, most of us do. Driving licence is not the only licence which the RTO issues. Other responsibilities that fall under the licence category are as below:

• Testing and issue of learning licence 
  
• Renewal of Driving licence
  
• Issue of international driving licence
  
• Issue of licence for motor driving school
  
• Issue of licence for driving instructors. 
  
• Issue of a conductor’s licence.
  

Know more about Types of Driving Licence in India

2. Registration of Vehicle

Having a driver’s licence alone is not enough. Authenticating the vehicle utilised is also essential. Some of the responsibilities that fall under this category are:

• Issue and renewal of Registration Certificate for Motor Vehicles
  
• Transfer of ownership in Registration Certificate 
  
• Entry/Hypothecation in R.C. Book. 
  
• Recording of changes in Registration Certificate 
  
• Issue of NOC (No objection certificate)
  
• Issue of fitness certificate
  
• Permits for tourist & transport vehicles
  

3. Revenue collection for the Government

Certain taxes are levied on the motor vehicles like the one time Road tax which is collected by the RTO. These can be categorized as below:

• Road Tax on motor vehicles (also known as MV Tax- Motor Vehicle Tax)
• Collection of IMV Fees.
• Departmental Action cases. 

4. Inspection of Vehicles at check posts

Timely inspection of vehicles is also carried out by the RTO. The vehicles on the road are to adhere to the rules laid out by the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

5. Environmental Upgradation

Keeping pollution under check is a matter of great concern. Under the Motor Vehicles Act,1988 these 2 aspects to the same are significant:

• CNG/LPG Conversion
• PUC Testing Centres. 

6. Road Safety Measures

It has been recorded that in India alone 150,000 death per year this equates to 400 accidents in a day. Hence, road safety measures are exercised in order to reduce unwarranted risks. Source

1. Process of obtaining Driving licence

Obtaining a driver’s licence may appear tedious but if the procedures are followed correctly it can be done easily:

• Age & address proof
• Form no.2/4 for learning as well as driving licence
• Medical certificate Form no.1(A)
• Apply for learner’s exam and clear the test. 
• Apply for the permanent licence after obtaining the learners’ licence. 
• Fix a date for practical test. 

Once you have passed your practical exam, your driver’s licence should reach you in a span of one week through speed post. 

2. Vehicle registration process at RTO

It does not end at just purchasing a vehicle. You also need to require your vehicle at your local RTO to keep a track of all vehicles on Indian roads. The RTO assigns a permanent number which cannot be changed. But hey! Don’t worry! We got your back on the procedure given below:

1. District Transport office: In order to register your vehicle, you have to submit a duly filled form and submit within a period of 7 days from the date of purchase of your vehicle and this form has to be submitted at your District Transport Office. 

2. Documents required: Documents required for the registration process are as below

• Duly filled Form 20
• Sale Certificate 
• Valid insurance certificate
• Passport size photographs
• The physical production of a vehicle
• Temporary Registration assigned by the dealer(if available)
• Invoice from the dealer
• Copy of PAN if vehicle cost exceeds Rs.4 lakhs. 
• Address proof
• Identity proof

An Inspecting Officer must verify all the documents above. Upon successful verification, the authority shall issue a vehicle registration number and a receipt. 

3. Plate approval: Within 30 days you will have to get registration mark on the number plate of your vehicle and get it approved by the registering authority. 

4. Validity: The validity spans up to 15 years for private vehicles. While for the transport vehicle the validity spans up to expiry date of the Fitness certificate. 

5. Renewal: The owner must apply for a renewal within 30 days from the expiry date. 

3. Transfer of RC from one State to another

There are instances when we move to another state, if you plan to move out along with your vehicle you must first deregister your vehicle from the original state of registration. Here are the below procedures:

• Apply for NOC by submitting RTO Form 28 to the RTO of the original state.
• In case you thought of selling your vehicle in the new state, you will need RTO Form 29
• Submit NOC to the new RTO
• Pay the road tax applicable in the new state.
• Get the new vehicle registration number from the new RTO. 

4. Transfer of Vehicle Ownership

Once you have sold your vehicle, you must apply for the RC transfer within 2 weeks (14 days) of the sale of vehicles. You must intimate the RTO and apply for the vehicle ownership transfer. The set of documents that are mentioned below: 

• Vehicle Registration Certificate
• Form 29. Notice form to change ownership of the vehicle. To be submitted along passport size photographs of seller and buyer
• Form 30. Report of transfer of ownership of a motor vehicle. To be submitted along with passport size photographs of seller and buyer. 
• Form 28. No Objection Certificate. In case the vehicle must be transferred to new RTO instead of the original RTO where it was registered. 
• Residential proof. 
• Report of NCRB. A certificate from the National Crime Records Bureau. In case your vehicle was involved with an activity that was against the law. 
• Insurance copy of the vehicle. 
• PUC. A photocopy of valid pollution under control certificate. 
• Transfer fee. 

Know more about Transfer of Vehicle Registration from One State to Another State

RTOs are present in every State and Union Territory (UT) across the territory. Even though a State may have multiple DTOs (District Transport Offices), there’s only one RTO for each State and UT.

So that’s about it when it comes to the RTO, a term that you may have heard quite a few times but never got to knowing all about it.