Fitness Certificate for Cars – Why Do You Need Vehicle Fitness Certificate?
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Fitness Certificate, commonly called as FC is a document that confirms the fitness of a vehicle. This certificate ensures that the vehicle is fit to ply on the roads. Let us learn more about it in this post.
As per the Motor Vehicle Act, 1989 it is the basic requirement for every vehicle to have a valid fitness certificate. This document ensures that the vehicle is good to move on the roads safely. An FC makes registration of cars easy (for both commercial and private vehicles). When you buy a new vehicle, it comes with a fitness certificate that stays valid for 15 years. After that duration, it becomes necessary for the vehicle owner to renew the FC so that they stay in compliance with the regulations of the motor act of India. So, read on to know about the vehicle fitness certificate and the process to apply for an FC in India. But before that you must know why it is important to apply for a fitness certificate in the first place.
Why is it important for cars to have a fitness certificate?
Getting a fitness certificate for your car ensures that your vehicle is fit to move on the Indian roads. It is a mandatory requirement for every car. Further, there are other valid reasons for a four-wheeler to have a FC.
- With pollution becoming a serious issue day by day, it is very important to monitor the amount of smoke released by a vehicle.
- A primary requirement of a vehicle fitness certificate is to monitor the pollution emission levels
- FC is important to maintain fitness of your car
- It also helps in avoiding road accidents which takes place because of the deteriorating condition of your vehicle
How to Apply for a Vehicle Fitness Certificate?
Fitness certificate can be applied via both offline and online procedures as mentioned below:
Offline Procedure
Below are the steps to apply for fitness certificate offline:
1. Visit the RTO office near to you and ask for form 20 and 21
2. Duly fill the forms and submit them together with the required documents to the concerned RTO authority
3. Now, submit the form 21 with sales certificate
4. Make payment of the required fees and get your vehicle inspection done
5. If the vehicle is fit, the fitness certificate of the car will be issued for 15 years for new cars or 5 years for old cars
Online Procedure
In the online process, you can get the procedure done from your home. Below are the steps to follow:
1. Go to the official portal of Parivahan Sewa.
2. On the menu bar, look for the ‘Online Services’ dropdown and select the tab of ‘Vehicle Related Services’
3. Enter the registration number of your vehicle
4. Select the option of ‘Application for fitness’
5. Now, submit your registered mobile number along with the Chassis number of your car
6. You will get an OTP on your mobile. Submit the OTP along with other required details
7. Make the payment and collect a copy of the receipt
8. Now, submit the receipt and the required documents at the Regional Transport Office (RTO)
9. They will inspect your vehicle and issue your vehicle fitness certificate if your vehicle is fit
Documents required to receive a car fitness certificate
You need the below mentioned documents to obtain a vehicle fitness certificate:
- Form 20
- Form 21
- Form 22
- Receipt of the road tax you paid
- Insurance document of your car
- RC or Registration certificate of the vehicle (original)
- PUC or Pollution Under Control certificate (valid)
- Imprint of the vehicle chassis
- Certificate of temporary RC, if any
- Address and ID proof
- Passport-size photographs
- Fees
Fees required to Obtain Vehicle Fitness Certificate
Vehicle type |
Fee to be paid |
| Heavy to medium heavy vehicle | INR 600 for Manual, INR 1000 for Automated |
| Light vehicle/three-wheelers | INR 400 for Manual, INR 600 for Automated |
| Two- Wheelers | INR 200 for Manual, INR 400 for Automated |
| FC renewal amount | INR 200 |
Process to Renew vehicle Fitness Certificate Online
The certificate of fitness of a new car remains valid for 15 years after which the certificate is renewed after every 5 years. Here are the steps to follow for car FC renewal:
- Go to the official Parivahan website
- On the menu bar, look for the ‘Online Services’ dropdown and select the tab of ‘Vehicle Related Services’
- Select the option of fitness
- From the dropdown menu select the name of the state
- Enter the RC number of your vehicle
- Choose the option of ‘Fitness renewal’
- Now, enter your mobile number and your vehicle’s chassis number
- Submit the OTP received on your mobile and verify
- Make payment of the FC renewal charges via online paying mode
- Download fitness certificate payment receipt
- Go to the RTO on the said date with your car for a fitness inspection. Once the inspection is cleared, you will be issued the fitness certificate for 5 years
FAQs: Vehicle Fitness Certificate for Cars - Why do you need one?
Yes, you can download the fitness certificate of your vehicle online via the portal of Parivahan Seva.
Yes, you can visit the official Parivahan portal to check the status of your vehicle fitness certificate application online.
If your vehicle fails the fitness test and it gets rejected during an inspection you can get the vehicle repaired as per the requirement or as suggested by the vehicle fitness officer. Once the issues are fixed in your vehicle, you can re-apply to receive the fitness certificate.
RTO rules state that an 8-seater car must be registered under the commercial vehicle category even if it is used for private purposes. Hence, for an 8-seater vehicle, you have to apply for a fitness vehicle as it is done for a commercial vehicle.
Yes, you can get your bike fitness certificate
For a new car fitness certificate, the validity is 15 years and for old car validity in India, it is 5 years.
Author Bio
Paybima Team
Paybima is an Indian insurance aggregator on a mission to make insurance simple for people. Paybima is the Digital arm of the already established and trusted Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd., a reputed name in the insurance broking industry with 17 years of experience. Paybima promises you the easy-to-access online platform to buy insurance policies, and also extend their unrelented assistance with all your policy related queries and services.
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