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Updated on Feb 15, 2024
The copies of your original RCs or registration certificates are called duplicate RCs. A registration certificate is issued to motor owners for all vehicles registered with the RTOs or Regional Transport Offices in India.
Generally, a registered vehicle owner can apply for a duplicate RC when the original RC of a vehicle gets mutilated, torn, or is reported to be lost. The second RC book or smart card can be obtained by the vehicle owner upon renewing the RC. However, it is important to file an FIR at your nearest police station where you have lost your RC before applying for your duplicate one. Once you have a copy of an FIR, you can apply for the duplicate RCs offline or online.
Having a duplicate RC Book is important because you might lose the original RC Book in case it gets misplaced or you lose all your vehicle documents in case of a car theft. In India, there are people who own cars but due to lack of space, they park them on the roadside. Thus, these car owners are at a risk of having their cars stolen. Moreover, when a car gets stolen, you also lose the important documents with that.
Having said that, if your cars gets stolen you can claim for the refund if you have an insurance policy for your car or bike. In case you have insurance with a comprehensive plan, you can claim for the equal amount of the monetary value of your car. But without a plan of comprehensive insurance, you chances of getting your due amount is limited to almost nil.
Here, to raise the claim of your stolen car, it is required for you to provide an FIR to the company that you got your insurance from. And to lodge an FIR, you would require a proof of possession of your vehicle. So if you don’t have a duplicate RC Book, you will have to visit the RTO to get the registration certificate.
A RC or Registration certificate is a necessary document required in India for anyone to drive a vehicle. In fact, it is equivalent in terms of importance as a license or an insurance for anyone willing to drive a vehicle; be it a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler. Having a RC legally proves that your car is registered with the Indian Government’s RTO or Regional Transport Office. The RC of a vehicle has a validity of up to 15 years, following which it needs to be renewed in 5 years every time.
Being an important document, you need the RC with you all the time for driving a vehicle. Hence, you must process for a duplicate RC. Now, the question is how you can acquire a duplicate RC book online.
The duplicate RC comes at a certain cost in terms of fees, which may vary as per the vehicle type. The fee structure of duplicate RC applications for different types of vehicles is shown in the table below:
| Sr. No | Type of Vehicle | Duplicate RC Fee |
| 1. | Carriage (invalid) | INR 25 |
| 2. | Motorcycle | INR 150 |
| 3. | Light motor vehicle (non-transportation) | INR 300 |
| 4. | Light motor vehicle (transportation) | INR 500 |
| 5. | Passenger motor vehicle (medium) | INR 500 |
| 6. | Goods vehicle (medium) | INR 500 |
| 7. | Passenger motor vehicle (heavy) | INR 750 |
| 8. | Goods vehicle (heavy) | INR 750 |
| 9. | Motorcycle (imported) | INR 1250 |
| 10. | Motor vehicle (imported) | INR 2500 |
| 11. | For any other kind of vehicle | INR 1500 |
It is a simple online procedure that you need to follow to get a Duplicate RC Book online. Here are the steps that you need to follow:
To apply for a duplicate RC Book Online, you would require the documents mentioned below. You also need to present the application form along with the other documents.
All the above documents needs to get attested by Public Notary or Nigam Parshad or MLA or any Gazetted officer.
Here is the list:
The primary difference is that one can submit an application for duplicate RC Book in case the original gets misplaced, lost or burnt. However, in case of RC renewal, it can be renewed only after a 15 years’ period from the issuance of the original RC expires.
Many people believe that the renewal of a vehicle registration certificate (RC) and applying for a duplicate registration certificate are the same. However, these are two separate things. Here are some differences mentioned in the table below:
| RC Renewal | Duplicate RC |
| RTO issues RC for 15 years, after which it requires renewal | Duplicate RC is applied when the original RC is lost, stolen, or goes missing, etc. |
| Your original RC needs renewal after the expiration period of 15 years | Duplicate RCs can also be applied if the details in the original RC are not legible |
| When you renew your RC after 15 years of being issued you get a new RC | Having a photocopy of the original RC is useful while applying for a duplicate RC to speed up the RTO procedure to receive the new copy soon |
RC of a vehicle is a legal and significant document, which certifies the ownership of the vehicle. Without the RC, the sale and transfer of vehicle ownership is not possible. You also need your RC if you want to drive without any hassle on the Indian roads/highways.
With the option of accessing important documents through DigiLocker, you may not be required to carry the physical copy of the RC or license in hand all the time. DigiLocker is a safe platform for online issuing and verifying your important documents such as DL, RC, PAN, Aadhaar, Insurance, and so on.
The registration of a vehicle expires in 15 years. To re-register the vehicle, you need to follow the below steps:
It takes about 15-30 days starting from its application submission time for your duplicate RC to be issued and reach your doorstep. However, until the application is processed, the duplicate RC system will not be accessible.
To obtain your duplicate RC, you can follow certain simple footsteps as mentioned in this post. The process is simple and can be done through RTO without any hassle or assistance from a third party.
It is advisable to keep a duplicate copy or photocopy of the original RC somewhere safe at home so that you can use it while requesting a replacement of the original RC.
To apply for a duplicate RC, duly fill out application form number 26A and include the RC number in the form along with other information.
To check the status of a duplicate RC application, you can go to the official website of Parivahan Sewa https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/vahanservice/vahan/ui/appl_status/form_Know_Appl_Status.xhtml
Once on the page, enter your vehicle registration number or the application number and click on the enter button to check the status.
RC book is a hard paper copy of RC or registration certificate, which was earlier presented by RTO to a vehicle owner. However, with an RC book the owner is at risk of it getting worn out or torn apart. Thus, to avoid such a situation, the RTO introduced the RC smart card choice.
It is easy to convert RC book online and change it into RC smart by following the simple steps as stated below:
Following documents along with a fee needs to be submitted to convert RC book to RC smart card.
Also Read: How to Check and Pay Delhi Traffic Police E-Challan Online
RC smart card is a better way to keep this document safe as compared to RC book as you don’t have to worry about damage. Moreover, being space friendly, you can easily keep the smart card in your wallet along with other important documents.
Moreover, it is necessary to have an insurance cover for your car to file for an FIR in case you lose your car and documents. Thus it is always recommended that a car owner gets an insurance cover for his/her vehicle not only to safeguard oneself from the unnecessary financial burden in case of loss of vehicle but also as a part of the important documents for efficient processing in case you want to get a duplicate RC online.
Browse Mahindra PayBima Blogs to read interesting posts related to Health Insurance, Car Insurance, Bike Insurance, Term Life Insurance, and Investment section. You can visit Mahindra PayBima to Buy Insurance Online.
No, a duplicate RC is not the same as renewing your Registration Certificate. You may apply for a duplicate RC when you lose your original RC or it gets destroyed. However, renewal of RC must be done after 15 years from its initial issuance date as per the Motor Vehicle Act of 1988.
Yes, an identical pricing structure is followed in all Indian states for duplicate RC.
No, an insurance certificate is not compulsory for getting a duplicate RC. However, having third-party insurance is compulsory for driving a vehicle on Indian roads.
Registration number and date, engine number, color of vehicle, vehicle type, seating capacity, chassis number, and model number are the information that are there in an RC smart card.
Yes, a stamp paper of INR 20 is needed while applying for a new RC.
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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