How to Get Vehicle Fitness Certificate for Car, Bike & Other Vehicles from RTO

The commercial vehicles are issued with a vehicle fitness certificate by the Regional Transport Office (RTO).  Unlike earlier, the vehicle fitness certificate can now be easily applied online though you must still visit the RTO once to get the vehicle inspected.

What is a Vehicle Fitness Certificate?

A Vehicle Fitness Certificate is one that is issued by the RTO to all vehicles which are used for commercial purposes. Like it is mandatory to follow traffic rules, similarly it is mandatory to have a fitness certificate for commercial vehicles. In fact, the fitness certificate serves the purpose of an added safety measure to ensure that the commercial vehicles which are always on the move are safe in terms of their engine condition and other working conditions. A fitness certificate is issued only after careful inspection done by an inspector at the RTO.

However, the car fitness certificate is not required to be obtained by the private vehicles or the non-transport vehicles such as two-wheeler bikes or four-wheeler cars. For private vehicles, the requirement is a roadworthiness certificate.

How to apply for a vehicle fitness certificate online?

As already mentioned above, getting a vehicle fitness certificate online is possible now. Though for inspection of the vehicle it is required to visit the RTO, but for the initial processing of the application to acquire the certificate can be done via online process. Once the application is processed and the vehicle inspection is also done, the RTO will issue a fitness certificate to your vehicle.

Here is the step-wise process of how to apply for vehicle fitness certificate as stated below:

Step 1: Visit the Parivahan Sewa website on the browser of your smartphone or laptop. This is the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India.

Step 2: Select the option of ‘Online Services’, and select the relevant option of the state that you reside in. You will be redirected to a new page.

Step 3: If you do not have an account, create one and submit the details of your vehicle, such as registration number.

Step 4: Now select the option of application for vehicle fitness certificate, and enter your vehicle’s chassis number along with your registered mobile number to initiate an OTP.

Step 5: Submit the OTP number and click on the tab called “Show Details”. Your details will be displayed. Verify them to see if all the details are correct.

Step 6: Click on ‘Payment’ tab and choose the desired payment mode to make the payment online. Now confirm the payment made.

Step 7: Write down the application number and keep it handy.

Step 8: The next step is to visit the RTO and get details of time and date for your vehicle inspection.

Step 9: Once you get the date and time, appear on the said date with your vehicle to get the inspection done.

Step 10: If there is any technical fault in your vehicle, the RTO inspector will ask  the vehicle owner to mend the same. They will give you another date for the inspection to check if the problem has been rectified and then issue the vehicle fitness certificate to you.

Charges/Fee of Vehicle Fitness Certificate in India

Depending on the vehicle type, the fee for the fitness certificate is levied on your vehicle. Below is the list of fees charged on different vehicles depending on their type:

For Medium to Heavy Vehicles: 

• Fee for Manual vehicle – Rupees 600
• Fee for automated vehicle – Rupees 1000

For Medium to Heavy three-wheeler vehicles (quadricycle): 

• Fee for Manual three-wheeler – Rupees 400
• Fee for automated three-wheeler – Rupees 600

For bikes

• Fee for Manual bike – Rupees 200
• Fee for automated bike – Rupees 400

For renewal or grant of authority

• Fee – Rupees 1500

For renewal or grant of vehicle fitness certificate  – there is an additional Fee – Rupees 1500

For Appeal under rule 70 – the fee charged is Rupees 3000

If you lose the original certificate – Rupees 7500 is charged for duplicate copy. You can get the vehicle fitness certificate download  from VAHAN portal.

Renewal Process of Vehicle Fitness Certificate Online

It is important to initiate the process of renewal of vehicle fitness in advance before the expiry of the date so that you can avoid any hassle.

The process can be done online or the owner can visit the RTO personally to fill the forms and apply for the renewal. Make the payment either at the RTO office or online via VAHAN Portal. You must carry the duly filled forms and the below mentioned documents with you while visiting the RTO.

• Vehicle Registration Certificate (RC)
• Tax Details
• Vehicle insurance policy details
• Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate
• Vehicle Permit

Like in the case of obtaining a new fitness certificate, while applying for renewal of fitness you have to get your vehicle inspection done at the RTO on the said date to get the renewal certificate. But before that the inspector will submit a detailed report, which will be uploaded on the official VAHAN portal for further checking. In case of any disparity, the authorities will inform the vehicle owner. Once the entire process is done successfully, the fitness certificate will be issued.

Documents Required for Vehicle Fitness Certificate

To obtain the fitness certificate, the commercial vehicle owner has to submit the following properly filled documents to renew or to get a new vehicle fitness certificate for his/her vehicle:

• Form CFA to seek a new Fitness Certificate
• Form CFRA to seek a renewal of the certificate
• Vehicle Registration Certificate
• Active Insurance Policy
• Legitimate Certificate of Emission/ PUC
• Details of Tax paid
• For auto rickshaw – Fare calibration meter