Replacing license plates on a car: procedure

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Each vehicle is required to be assigned a state registration plate (SRP). This procedure is performed when registering a vehicle. But sometimes situations arise in which you have to change the registration plate. This may be due to a number of reasons.

How to change license plates on a car is described below.

In what cases is it necessary to change signs?

Russian legislation prescribes the mandatory replacement of license plates on cars and other vehicles (VVs) in the following situations:

According to GOST R 50577-2018, all characters must be recognized from a distance of 2 tens of meters. This requirement applies to the back plate in the dark and to both plates in daylight. If these conditions are violated, the license plate is considered non-standard. The GRZ is considered unsuitable and must be replaced if it is also worn out, has mechanical damage, traces of rust, or peeling of the coating. In this case, it is enough to limit yourself to making duplicate license plates in a specialized company.
When identification plates are stolen or lost, it must be reported to the police. It is possible to use them when committing illegal actions, which threatens the car owner with a number of troubles. A statement of theft obliges you to obtain new numbers, and not just update them, since the stolen license plates will be wanted.
When registering a car, a mandatory replacement of registration plates is required if the place of residence of the new owner does not coincide with the regional affiliation of the car or the previous owner keeps the plates for himself. In the opposite situation, you can save the old signs.

In the second and third cases, you need to amend the registration data.

Procedure for replacing numbers

In case of theft you must:

Fill out an application with the internal affairs authorities in your area of residence. Be sure to check the registration of the paper in the registry journal.
After 10 days from the date of filing, a criminal case will be initiated, so it is important to talk in detail about the nuances of the theft.
Attach the notification of the case to the package of documents required by the traffic police.

You must provide the following set of documents to the traffic police department and go through the appropriate procedure:

An application form, which can be filled out immediately before submission, according to the standard template.
Provide old signs if damaged or worn ones need to be replaced.
An authorized person will inspect the car and draw up an expert report. At the moment, there is no need to confirm the VIN code and all components.
Pay for the procedure.

Once new signs and the corresponding certificate of registration are received, appropriate changes will be made to the vehicle’s technical passport. It is quite fast and not difficult, all activities take no more than 2 hours.

Important! It is imperative to come to the office of the insurance company to make the appropriate changes to the CASCO and MTPL policies. This is a free procedure.

Documents for replacing license plates

To become the proud owner of brand new state registration plates for your car, you need to collect the following documents:

Passport for the car;
Papers confirming the registration of the vehicle;
State signs for recycling;
Compulsory MTPL insurance policy;
Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
Receipt of payment of the duty.

If the restoration is carried out by a representative of a company or company, it is required to attach a power of attorney for receipt. You will also need a certificate from representatives of internal affairs bodies if state registration marks were stolen.

Cost of car registration numbers

The state duty is a mandatory payment when registering state license plates of a car. Before making a payment, it is very important to carefully check all the details.

Payment of state duty:

State license plate – 2 thousand rubles;
Signs for motorcycle trailers - 1 thousand rubles;
Transit numbers – 1.6 thousand rubles;
PTS – 800 rubles;
Vehicle – 500 rubles;
Changing data in the vehicle passport – 350 rubles.

Registration marks issued on a metal base cost 800 rubles, on paper – 200 rubles.

So, as a result of the calculation, the state duty for registration of state signs:

For motorcycles – 1850 rubles;
For trailers – 1850 rubles;
For cars – 2850 rubles.

If you need to re-register marks from the previous owner, you will need to pay 850 rubles.

Number recovery (duplicate)

Provided that they have become unusable or unreadable after an accident or poor maintenance conditions, they can be restored by making a duplicate in specialized accredited companies.

To do this, you do not need to go through the vehicle re-registration procedure; you just need to give the vehicle registration certificate for review. The price of this event is approximately equal to the cost of new traffic police signs, about 2850 rubles.

Restoring a duplicate does not apply to stolen government signs.

Buying and selling a car without changing license plates

Mostly cars with license plates are put up for sale. Vehicle license plates can be:

Re-register to a new owner
Retained by previous owner. But in this case, the new owner must pay for the issuance of other numbers himself when he sells it.

The license plates given to the traffic police for re-registration will be stored for no more than 180 days and will then be used for disposal.

In order for the buyer to acquire new numbers, it is necessary to pay a re-registration fee and take the following steps:

Conclude a contract for the purchase of a car;
Pay the state tax;
Submit an application to the traffic police;
Conduct a reconciliation of the State Register;
Take all the papers back;
Re-register the car in your name and re-issue insurance.

What documents are required

You will need an application and a receipt for payment of the state duty.

Documents for changing the license plate on a car

When making changes, you will have to provide information about:

identity of the car owner (passport, residence permit, etc.);
ownership of the vehicle (sale or gift agreement, certificate of inheritance, court decision and other documents);
registration of a technical device (STS or technical passport);
insurance (MTPL policy);
representative of the owner (passport, power of attorney, etc.).

All license plate replacement services are provided on the same day of request.

Restoring body number and engine number

The Federal Law “On Vehicle Registration” introduced the possibility of restoring the body number or engine number of a car. Article 20:

2. If identification of a vehicle is not possible due to the fact that the marking of this vehicle or the marking of the main component of this vehicle is destroyed due to corrosion or repairs, or is tampered with, hidden, altered or destroyed due to illegal actions of third parties, additional marking of the vehicle or additional marking is applied marking of the main component of the vehicle in the manner established by the Government of the Russian Federation. Requirements for additional marking of vehicles, the procedure for its application and application are established by the Government of the Russian Federation.

This issue is discussed in more detail in a separate resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation. Nevertheless, this news will be received positively by owners of older cars.

How to restore a damaged engine or body number?

Let me remind you that from July 10, 2021, it has been possible to register cars whose body number has been destroyed by corrosion.

Note. The first version of the law provided for an additional option related to the engine and body number. The point was that if the car initially (from the factory) did not have such numbers, then they could be applied at the request of the owner. However, on July 30, 2021, this option was removed.

However, if the car did not initially have an engine number or body number, this will not be an obstacle to registration with the traffic police:

3. The absence of vehicle markings or markings of the main component of the vehicle, if it is not provided by the manufacturer, is not an obstacle to registration actions.

What risks does a driver face when driving without a license plate or with violations of their use?

Article 12.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provides for liability for driving vehicles on which the warning signs are installed in violation or are missing:

for unreadable, non-standard or incorrectly placed plates you will have to pay 500 rubles;
driving without license plates, attempting to make their identification difficult in various ways will cost 5,000 rubles or deprivation of the right to drive for 1-3 months;
installation of counterfeit signs is punishable by fines for individuals - 2.5, officials - 15-20, legal entities - 400-500 thousand rubles;
Driving with false license plates will result in deprivation of your driver's license for a period of 6 to 12 months.

Penalties

Sanctions are applied repeatedly until violations are eliminated.

Penalty for driving with fake license plates

Based on the regulated rules of current legislation, driving with unusable or fake license plates is punishable by fines:

5,000 rubles – driving without license plates, plates in an unsuitable place;
2500 rubles – obviously fake numbers;
500 rubles – unreadable, non-standard license plates.

To avoid problems with the law and ride your “steel horse” without fear of responsibility, you need to responsibly approach the issue of replacing license plates.

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What are the limitations and disadvantages of changing numbers?

Replacing a license plate on a car is a simple and not too expensive procedure, with the exception of purchasing or replacing a license plate. It has negative sides and limitations:

it is impossible to sell a car without individual registration plates;
You cannot leave the same combination of symbols when purchasing a car second-hand in another region or when moving for permanent residence to another subject of the Russian Federation;
to re-weight, you have to perform a lot of fictitious actions, which is inconvenient for car owners, increases the cost of replacing a license plate and creates an additional burden on the traffic police;
You can keep the signs with the Road Safety Inspectorate for 360 days;
All actions are subject to duties.

Russian legislation is constantly changing. You need to follow the updates so as not to break the law and save money, time and nerves.

Vehicle registration numbers and plates

The federal law deciphers 2 new concepts: registration number and vehicle registration plate. Previously, drivers believed that we were talking about the same thing, but Article 13 of the law “On Vehicle Registration” says something different:

Article 13. State registration number of the vehicle and state registration plate of the vehicle
1. State registration number of a vehicle is an individual alphanumeric designation assigned to a vehicle by the registration department.
2. State registration plate of a vehicle - a product manufactured in accordance with the requirements of the national standard and containing the state registration number of the vehicle.

The essence of the changes is as follows:

The registration plate is a plate that is installed on the car. Those. It is this that is currently commonly called a number.
The registration number is the inscription that is printed on the plate.

At first glance, it is not clear why the familiar picture should be so complicated. However, the following innovation sheds light on this problem.

How to buy a number

GRZ are the property of the state. Officially, the price of replacing a license plate on a car (in rubles) is the sum of the state fees:

2,000 - for new GRZ;
1500 - for registration plates for motor vehicles and trailers;
500 - for STS;
350 - for changes made to the PTS;
800 - for issuing a new vehicle passport;
800 - for providing a certificate of safety of the vehicle design.

How to buy a number

You cannot legally purchase a “beautiful” license plate separately. It can only be purchased together with a vehicle, which is not cheap when combined with the amount of government fees.

A child cannot be the owner of a vehicle

Article 4 of the Law “On Vehicle Registration”:

Article 4. Basic concepts used in this Federal Law
1) owner of a vehicle - the owner of a vehicle (except for a person under the age of sixteen or recognized as incompetent), or a person who owns a vehicle with the right of economic management, with the right of operational management or on the basis of a leasing agreement, or one of the parents, an adoptive parent or guardian (trustee) of a person under the age of sixteen who is the owner of a vehicle, or a guardian of an incapacitated citizen who is the owner of a vehicle;

Please note that the law states that a child under 16 years of age cannot . Instead, one of the parents is considered the owner. That is, it is in the name of the parent that the car must be registered with the traffic police.

Let me remind you that before this law came into force, it was possible to register a car even for a minor. This issue was discussed in detail in a separate article:

Registering a car for a minor child

Administrative fines by the traffic police cannot be imposed on a child under 16 years of age. That is why some parents registered cars in their children's names. From January 1, 2021, this scheme does not work.

Note. Once the child owner of the car reaches the age of 16, the registration in the parent's name automatically ceases. The issue is discussed in more detail in a separate article.

Step-by-step instruction

Replacing the number plate on a car is carried out without presenting it for inspection. To update registration data, duplicating lost and unusable GRZ on a car, you need to:

Write an application to the registration and examination department (REO) of the traffic police. You can fill out the form through the single portal “State Services” (EPGU).
When visiting the inspection in person, pay state fees, prepare the necessary papers and wait in line.
At the EPGU, you need to select a REO at an address convenient for the visit, the time and date of the trip, then send an electronic application and pay the required fees.
After receiving the application on the government services website, come to the traffic police department at the appointed time.
Get documents and new signs.
Inform the insurance company.

Issuance of plates with state numbers

Plates with license plates will be issued at a special point if the application does not indicate that they need to be picked up at the inspection.

Getting a new random number

You can change the number plate on your car to another one in a similar manner to the instructions outlined above.

The car owner can exercise the right to receive a new alphanumeric combination an unlimited number of times.

Buying a license plate from another car

The cost of changing a license plate on a car through such a purchase can be quite high. Steps need to be taken:

Purchase a vehicle with the required individual signs and hand over the plates for safekeeping at the REO.
Receive new gas seals for the purchased car.
Replace the plates on your car with the saved ones and sell the purchased car.

Scheme for purchasing a license plate from another car

Or:

“Sell” your own vehicle to the owner of a prestigious combination.
Save his license plate number.
Install the stored plates on the “sold” vehicle and “buy back” your iron horse.

Using this move is risky if the “buyer” is not a friend or good acquaintance.

Exchange numbers between two machines

You can change license plates on a car without changing the owner when he owns several vehicles. Required:

Remove the hydraulic seal of one of the two cars for storage.
Get a random license plate number for this car.
Hang the saved signs on the second car.

Alphanumeric combinations also change on vehicles belonging to different owners:

The owners carry out purchase and sale transactions with each other.
Retain vehicle identification marks.
Cars are registered with different license plates.
The car is returned and the saved plates are installed.

It costs a lot to replace license plates on a car, and the speed of operations depends on the queues at the State Traffic Inspectorate.

Replacement of gas protection zones - legislative basis for 2021

So, there is a small number of important facts on our issue. The legislation has changed significantly in recent years - changing numbers to others has become much more difficult and expensive. But it's possible. Here are the options that allow you to do this:

the owner can re-register the car without necessarily selling it,
when selling, the owner can leave the license plates with the traffic police for storage,
A mandatory condition for registering a car is the presence of a compulsory motor liability insurance policy, where the owner must be the one in whose name the car is registered (we’ll look at the loophole in this subtlety below).

What restrictions and disadvantages are there when changing numbers?

You cannot sell a car without a license plate, and the license plates are formally the property of the state,
Almost every action will have to be paid with state duty,
The shelf life of license plates is six months - during this period you must find a car on which to hang them.

Re-registration price

In 2021, the total cost of registration remains unchanged. It is regulated by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, Article 333.33, paragraph 36, and consists of several components:

registration of STS will cost the owner 500 rubles;
Registration of PTS will cost 800 rubles.

Additional information
If there is no free space in the PTS to enter additional information about the new owner, it becomes necessary to obtain a duplicate of the document. The cost of this service is also regulated by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, Article 333.33 and amounts to an additional 800 rubles to the total amount.

How to save time at the Moscow traffic police?

Together with the specialists of our company, the procedure will take a minimum of time and will be performed correctly. We will help you transfer registration plates from one car to another, avoid violations and fines. Our employees will draw up and submit applications for you to the traffic police department of your choice; the process will take no more than 30 minutes. For consultation and to make an appointment, please call.

Payment of state duties

To transfer license plates between your cars, you need to pay state fees. Since the beginning of 2021, the price has decreased. Now the car owner does not need to pay for the production of plates with an arbitrary (intermediate) license plate number, which means that the cost of the procedure has been reduced by 2,000 rubles.

Current fees:

registration of STS – 500 rubles
entering new data into the PTS – 350 rubles

Each state fee is paid three times, so the total cost of the procedure will be 2,550 rubles.

Termination of registration and deregistration

Another interesting change is the introduction of two similar procedures:

Article 18. Termination and renewal of state registration of a vehicle
Article 19. Removal of a vehicle from state registration and restoration of state registration of a vehicle

Let me remind you that until July 10, 2021, in Russian legislation there were 2 concepts “termination of registration” and “deregistration” and drivers were constantly confused. On July 10, 2017, the division was abolished, and both concepts began to mean the same thing.

However, the new law again separates these concepts. Each of them is described in more detail in a separate article:

Termination of registration and deregistration

What is the State Services portal?

State Services is a single portal for Russian citizens. The service was created to help the population obtain municipal and government services.

Automation and IT technologies have been introduced into the system. Queues at various government organizations have now been reduced.

You can receive services without leaving your home

. In order to receive the service, you must go through the registration procedure. The State Services portal is multifunctional; you can submit documents for various types of services.

The status of your application can be tracked in your personal account. Thanks to government services, you don’t need to spend a lot of time filling out documents or sitting in line. The driver himself chooses the day to visit the State Traffic Inspectorate.