Briefly about whether it is possible to register a car using temporary registration of the owner

Temporary registration of a car in Russia: in what cases is it mandatory?

The law establishes several cases in which temporary registration of a car is carried out. These include:

• Leasing. The lessee temporarily registers the vehicle, and upon expiration of the lease agreement or after purchasing the vehicle, he is obliged to re-register it
• The owner of the vehicle is a citizen with temporary registration
• The owner of the vehicle is a foreign citizen or a stateless person. In this case, the car is registered according to the temporary registration of the owner
• The car is a prototype (test)
• The vehicle belongs to an employee of a consular office or diplomatic mission

The legislative framework

Previously, registration and identification of cars was carried out in accordance with Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation No. 1001 dated November 24, 2008. In accordance with paragraph 47, temporary registration of the vehicle was prescribed at the address of the place of stay if it was necessary to travel abroad for a period of more than 2 months.

The current regulations are approved by Order No. 605 of 08/07/2013, according to which the temporary registration of a vehicle is abolished. There remains a need to change the data. The exception is cars that are leased.

Each owner can register in any region. The same applies to non-residents who arrive on the territory of the Russian Federation from other states. This also includes stateless persons. At the same time, the need for registration at the address of residence in Russia remains.

Is it necessary to register a car using temporary registration?

Until 2013, registration of a car using temporary registration was mandatory. For example, if a car owner moved to another region for a long period of time and received temporary registration there, he had to register the car using temporary registration. When the registration was renewed, the registration of the vehicle was also extended. This had to be done in advance, since at the end of the period the car was automatically deregistered, and driving such a vehicle is prohibited by law. By the way, even today, after the expiration of the temporary registration, the car is automatically deregistered.

The requirements for registering a car for the temporary registration of the owner have changed since October 15, 2013, when a new regulation for registering a vehicle was introduced. Now cars do not need to be deregistered; instead, registration data is changed. A license plate number is assigned to the vehicle, and the owner, who has permanent registration in the Russian Federation, does not need to register the car using temporary registration at all.

If your car is currently registered under temporary registration, at the end of the period it can be re-registered, receiving a permanent STS and numbers. If you plan to move to another region for a long period of time, you do not need to register your car with a temporary registration. According to the new regulations, the car is registered at the owner’s permanent residence address. Transport tax is also paid at the place of registration.

Purchasing a car with temporary registration is possible, and we provide this service on a turnkey basis. If the owner is a citizen of the Russian Federation with permanent registration, you must immediately register the car for an unlimited period.

What does the law say?

The law states that according to the registration regime that Russians must adhere to, persons living at a different address or other than their permanent one must register. There is no need to leave your permanent place of registration. Registration is a notification to the state, since the migration service controls the movement of citizens. You must register at the residential address if a citizen lives there for more than 90 days. Foreigners must also prepare and submit documents upon arrival in the country. They have only one week to do this. Temporary registration is issued not only in the house and apartment, but also in:

• Hotel;
• Tourist base;
• Boarding house;
• Dormitory;
• A special institution.

After registration, the citizen will receive a temporary certificate. The period of residence is indicated at the new address. Those citizens who have temporary registration are interested in how to register their car. Now the procedure has been significantly simplified and cars are registered to suppress and identify violations. All information is entered into the general register, which reflects the owner’s residential address.

In what cases may it be necessary to register a car at the place of temporary registration:

1. Activities are carried out at a temporary registration address abroad of the subject where there is permanent registration. This may be due to frequent business trips;
2. When purchasing a vehicle in one entity and using it in another;
3. If the car is rented in one region and used in another;
4. When used by third parties;
5. When leasing.

The law provides for the possibility of temporary registration of a car at the person’s place of residence. A temporary residence address may be used if it is issued in accordance with the rules.

General rules for temporary registration of vehicles

Temporary registration of the car is carried out at any department; you can make an appointment in advance. Regardless of the MREO, a standard package of papers is required, state duties are the same everywhere.

To register a car with temporary registration, lease a car or a vehicle owned by a citizen with temporary registration, you need to pay the following fees:

• license plate – 2000 rubles
• STS – 500 rubles
• recording the owner’s data in the PTS – 350 rubles
• replacement or issue of PTS – 800 rubles

It is recommended to renew your registration a few days before the expiration date, otherwise the license plates will become invalid and you will have to obtain new ones.

How to register online?

You don't have to stand in line to register a vehicle. You can make an appointment in advance, choosing a suitable time, on the Public Services portal. By registering on the portal, the user can submit documents, select the appropriate MREO of the city, and also pay the state fee. Please note that only citizens with a verified account can use the service. After registering on the website, the user’s civil passport and SNILS data are checked by the Migration Service and the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation; confirmation may take several working days.

How to submit an electronic application:

1. Log in to the site
2. Log in to your “Personal Account”
3. Select
4. Fill out the electronic application, indicating the details of the car and the owner (when filling out, use the owner’s passport, PTS or STS)
5. Select the appropriate branch from those offered
6. Select time of visit
7. Confirm your application
8. Pay the state fee

To pay the state fee, a bank card of any popular payment system, as well as an electronic wallet, is suitable. By paying government fees online, the user receives a 30% discount. After payment you need to save and print the receipt.

The electronic application should also be printed and submitted to the department during a personal visit along with the original documentation. Having visited the MREO at the appointed time, the applicant must provide the car for inspection. After completing all procedures, he will receive a registration certificate.

Can they refuse to temporarily register a car?

Before registering a car at your place of residence, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the common reasons for refusal to complete the procedure. The applicant will be denied registration of a vehicle in the following cases:

• There is no data on temporary registration in the FMS
• The design of the car does not comply with traffic regulations
• the documents provided are expired or fraudulent
• VIN number, chassis and engine markings are not readable, damaged or missing
• the car is wanted
• there is a ban or restriction on registration actions in relation to vehicles
• the car was imported into the Russian Federation illegally, cleared through customs with violations
• the owner of the vehicle received a property claim
• an incomplete package of documents was submitted

If no violations are revealed during the check of documents and vehicles, traffic police officers will register the vehicle temporarily at the place of residence. At the end of the procedure, the applicant will be given a STS and new data will be entered into the PTS. Temporary registration, according to traffic police regulations, takes no more than 30 minutes. However, the procedure almost always requires more time, one to two hours, possibly several working days.

Reverse car registration

It is necessary to contact the traffic police with an application (“for removal from temporary registration”). The state fee is 200 rubles , the receipt is attached to the application and passport. The owner is returned with the previous car registration certificate and old license plates.

If the owner of the car decides to stay at his place of residence and has issued permanent registration, then he needs to go to the territorial office of the traffic police. Employees will issue him permanent license plates and enter data into the vehicle registration database.

What documents are needed to temporarily register a car with the traffic police?

Before visiting the MREO, the owner of the vehicle must prepare a standard set of documents. To register a car with temporary registration, it will need:

• passport
• temporary registration
• PTS (a paper document is submitted, electronic PTS introduced in 2021)
• STS (if available)
• number plates
• purchase and sale agreement, certificate of inheritance of property, deed of gift or other document of title
• MTPL insurance policy (it is recommended to print it out if issued electronically)
• a receipt received after paying the state fee for the temporary registration of a vehicle with the traffic police

To register a car under temporary registration, as well as register a car under lease, an application can be made not only at the traffic police department, but also online on the State Services portal. Please note that a foreign citizen will not be able to log in to State Services; to submit an application online, he will have to turn to an intermediary for help.

How to apply for compulsory motor liability insurance

For foreign motorists who entered the Russian Federation with their vehicle, compulsory civil liability insurance is not necessary, provided they have an international policy - a “green card”. Such a document is issued by a citizen in his or her state for a period of 15 days to a year or directly upon crossing the border of the Russian Federation.

If the car has been in Russia for more than 12 months, its driver must take out a Russian-style compulsory motor liability insurance policy from any insurance company. The presence of such a document is a mandatory requirement for issuing CASCO car insurance, which foreigners can take out without any restrictions.

To obtain insurance for your car in Russia, a guest of our country will need the following documents:

1. Passport, residence permit or migration card.
2. Translated national driver's license, notarized. You can also provide the insurance company with international rights.
3. Registration certificate with vehicle inspection marks.

How to replace STS when changing registration - is this always necessary?

What happens if you do not remove the car from temporary registration?

Temporary registration of the vehicle will end when the temporary registration of the owner expires. Within five days after this, he is obliged to contact the nearest traffic police department, submit an application, make changes to the registration data and obtain new license plates. If he does not do this within the specified period, the license plates of the car will be put on the wanted list.

If the temporary registration of the vehicle has expired, but the owner has not submitted the license plates and STS to the traffic police, within a month he will receive a notification about the cancellation of the vehicle registration and the search for license plates. In fact, the car becomes unregistered and cannot be driven. The driver driving such a car will be fined 5,000 rubles, and the car will be towed to an impound lot.

Upon expiration of the temporary registration of the vehicle, the owner must again contact the traffic police, submit an application and a standard package of documents, pay the state fee, and register the vehicle again.