- Registration
Book (Registration Certificate / RC Book)
The Cars registration book is issued by the R.T.O. and
is the most important document. The RC Book shows the
date and address of registration and also a record of
the owners of the vehicle. Entries in the RC Book show
you how many times the vehicle has been sold earlier.
The name of each previous owner and his address is recorded
in the book. If the car was initially registered in another
state, the RC Book will have a record of the previous
registration mark which was issued by the R.T.O of that
State.
The RC Book also has a note of the financier's
lien - Hypothecation / Hire Purchase / Lease contracts.
The Cars Engine No. and the Chassis No. should be verified
with that shown in the RC Book. If the car has met with
an accident which involved changing the cars chassis,
then the RC Book would have a noting of the new chassis
no.
R.T.O offices of certain states do not
issue the registration certificate in the form of a
booklet, the registration certificate can be a single
document - 'Form 21'
-
Taxation
Book (Tax Certificate / TC Book)
The tax certificate shows the status of taxes paid.
While some State governments collect 'One Time' Tax
other Sates have an annual tax payment. The tax amount
depends upon the status of the registered owner - a
Corporate or an Individual and the value of the car.
While purchasing a car that has been registered in another
state, find out the amount that would have to be payed
as tax before buying the car. You can take this amount
into consideration while deciding upon the price of
the car.
You can take a photocopy of the RC & TC Book and
get an official confirmation from the respective R.T.O
office by paying a nominal fee. The time taken for this
could vary from 2 days to a couple of weeks depending
upon the R.T.O office location. An independent R.T.O
Agent can very easily assist you.
-
Insurance
Policy
Never even try to Test Drive a car without a valid insurance
policy. It is important to have a valid insurance policy
for any car and thus you need to check this at the onset
of your deal making.
The Insurance policy is not a fool proof way to find
out the cars accident record although it can help you
get some kind of assurance that the car has been 'cared
for'.
-
Other Documents
Invoice - Most car owners keep a copy
of the Invoice issued by the official car dealer / showroom.
It gives you an idea of the original value of the car.
PUC Certificate - Every car needs a
valid PUC certificate. PUC Certificate is valid for
a period of 1 year for all new cars and subsequently
a certificate has to obtained every six months.
Car Manual - All new cars come with
a manual that has instructions for the user about various
systems and mechanisms of the car. The car's manual
is a good reference source for all users and thus it
is important to read the manual to get the best out
of your car.
Warranties - You can find out if the
car is under any service warranty or any parts like
the Battery are under a warranty. This could be of use
to you as an owner.
-
Sale Documents
Delivery Note - The
Seller has to collect a deliver note from the buyer.
This is to indemnify the seller of any future legal
liabilities pertaining to the ownership of the car.
RTO & Insurance - Both the RTO
and the Insurance company has to be intimated about
the sale of the vehicle and the procedure for transfer
of ownership, completed in the stipulated period of
2 weeks.
