Preparation of documents when purchasing a foreign car or a used car

Buying a used car is always a difficult and risky business. A person risks minimally if he purchases a new car at a dealership, but a used car can often contain bad points in itself or in its “history.” How to choose and complete the purchase correctly, what you need to check, what documents are needed, and how difficult it is to buy a car second-hand, we will consider further.

You can search for a car to buy second hand in different ways - online services, newspapers, advertisements on the vehicles themselves, etc. But it’s worth knowing what should alert a potential buyer at different stages of the search for an “iron horse” and the further purchase procedure.

What is car registration?

In essence, this is the registration of a vehicle by its identification VIN number in the traffic police with the issuance of other identifying items - license plates. That is, the car has a VIN, which is tied to its essence (more precisely, to the body). And when registering a car, they issue license plates, which are already tied to the car in the context of registration with the traffic police - for fines and the like. At the same time, the owner can change the numbers, but the VIN cannot.

Registration is carried out in a special registration department (MREO) of the traffic police. At the same time, if you bought a used car, then you register it; it is already registered with the previous owner. But since you need to change the owner’s registration documents, you need to re-register this car in your name. And only new, recovered from recycling or found vehicles are registered.

In general, the order of this process includes the main stages:

submitting an application for registration (registration) with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate,
payment of the state fee for the procedure,
collection of documents,
on-site inspection,
issuance of new documents.

Car inspection services

In this section I will place all the links to the Internet services necessary for working with documentation.

Checking your personal passport using the Federal Migration Service database.
Determining the legal purity of an Adaperio.Ru car by license plate or VIN code.
Check for property seizures using the database of the Federal Bailiff Service.
Checking unpaid fines in the traffic police database.
Security deposit check (paid).
PrEP form.

I also advise you to watch this video, where an experienced car dealer from Saransk talks about the new rules for registering a car:

What documents are needed for registration with the MREO in 2021?

The list of required documents is quite simple, but varies depending on the specific situation. In addition, there are a number of subtleties when some of the documents are lost, unusable and other non-standard cases. Let's look at them all!

Buying a new car

So, if you picked up a brand new car from the showroom, then it is registered with the traffic police for the first time, and you need the most minimal set of documents for registration:

PTS,
OSAGO,
contract of sale,
passport,
2 receipts for payment of state fees (see below),
registration application (can be filled out at State Services, instructions below).

If the car is used

In this case, there is exactly one more document:

PTS,
OSAGO,
vehicle registration certificate (STS),
contract of sale,
passport,
receipt of payment of state duty (see below),
registration application (can be filled out at State Services, instructions below).

Now let's look at all these documents in detail (perhaps, except for the passport - nothing complicated here)!

PTS

The vehicle passport is the only document the owner needs, which comes with the car from the factory. Everything here is quite simple - to register with the traffic police you will need a PTS:

in case of purchasing a new car - with a registered person - you after the legal entity-car dealership,
in case of purchasing a used car - with a person registered - you after the previous owner.

The buyer must be entered into the PTS at the stage of completing the transaction (signing the contract), and not at the registration department of the traffic police.

If the PTS runs out of space

In this case, it will have to be replaced, and there are 2 options:

the seller does this before the sale by submitting the appropriate application, then the MREO will issue a duplicate title,
This is done by the buyer already at the stage of registering the car in his name at the MREO, then, along with signing the contract, the buyer needs to write in the margins of the expired vehicle passport.

Which of these options to choose is a matter of the specific transaction, that is, how the parties to the transaction agree. There are no other subtleties in this matter for 2021.

If PTS is in the bank

This is already a rather difficult case, and the point here is not the lack of a passport as such and the difficulty in registering, but the consequences of the fact that the car itself is pledged to the bank (in this case, the bank can take it away even from a bona fide buyer). We examined all the subtleties of this issue in a separate article about cases where PTS is in a bank or microfinance organization.

If the PTS is lost

Then, in the same way as the empty space, it needs to be restored. This procedure is simple, and the application can also be submitted by both the seller during the sale and the buyer after the purchase. The only difference is that:

if the title is restored by the seller, then you need to submit an application (can be done at State Services by selecting the appropriate src=»https://AutoTonkosti.ru/sites/default/files/inline/images/2018-06-05_162200.jpg» class=»aligncenter "width="967″ height="402″[/img]
If the title is restored by the buyer, then in the application for registering the car with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, you must indicate that the title needs to be replaced, and pay a state fee of 800 rubles (560 if paid through State Services).

We have a separate article about restoring a lost passport.

OSAGO policy

To register or register with the traffic police, you will need valid MTPL insurance. The main requirements for it are:

the owner in the policy upon registration must be the current owner (buyer),
The period of use of the car in the policy must be at least 3 months (transit insurance for 20 days is not suitable).

According to the first option, it is also possible for the seller (more precisely, the policyholder) to change the owner in the current policy. But for the seller this is a loss, since otherwise he can return the money for the unused insurance period.

However, you won’t need the policy itself directly at the MREO of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate when registering the car (especially if you have issued an e-MTPL) - here they check its availability in the database. However, it is better to take it with you (or a printout in case of electronic insurance).

Calculate the cost of your MTPL policy

Registration certificate

Everything here is also simple - when buying a car, the seller, in addition to the keys and the contract, must give you a pink plastic certificate. When re-registering, you hand over the STS to the traffic police and receive a new one, where you will be indicated as the owner.

If the STS is lost

The situation is completely similar to the loss of PTS. It can be restored by both the seller and the buyer when registering the vehicle. Only in the latter case, unlike the loss of a PTS, you do not need to pay anything additional (after all, you will be given a new one in any case), and indicate in the application that the document is lost.

We have a separate article on restoring STS in case of loss.

Contract of sale

This is also a mandatory document. The data of the seller and buyer under the contract must match those entered in the PTS, and if we are talking about a used car, then the seller under the contract must be indicated in the STS. Also, when completing the transaction, make sure that you have 2 copies of the signed agreement in your hands - one will remain with the traffic police.

If you bought a car from a reseller who did not register the car in his name, then you will need the entire chain of sales contracts to present to the traffic police from the person indicated in the STS. Or, as an option (a rather dangerous option, however), an agreement with an empty buyer field (which will be filled in by you during the transaction), where the seller will again be the one indicated in the STS.

And remember, in 2021 you cannot buy a car without a contract - by proxy you are taking it just to show off, but legally the car still does not belong to you.

Statement

It is written in one copy and submitted at the place of registration of the car. You can write by hand or print, but we strongly recommend doing this through State Services (instructions below).

Checking for arrest, bail and unpleasant statuses of used vehicles

The following nuances should alert a potential buyer:

The title has been replaced or lost, but the owner has a duplicate in his hands.
The sale of a car is carried out not by the owner, but by his representative under a general power of attorney.
A large number of car owners indicated in the PTS with a relatively small age of the used car (for example, the car is only 5 years old, but more than 10 people have already owned it).

You can check the history of a used car, as well as whether it has been administratively arrested or stolen, through special online services or upon request from the traffic police. The only thing that cannot be checked with 100% probability (this can be done at the Federal Tax Service, but they do not always have complete information, and the verification process may take a long time) is the credit status of the car, because PTS can be replaced “due to loss”. The owner will not say that his car is in the status of collateral, a loan is being paid for it, or it is acting as collateral in a pawnshop. Here you should rely only on your own intuition and the seller’s honesty. Otherwise, the organization that issued the loan or the pawnshop has every right to take the car even from the new owner for non-payment of the debt. You can return the money given for a used car, but to do this you will have to write more than one application to law enforcement agencies and go to court for a very long time. Therefore, if you doubt the honesty of the owner of a used car, it is better to refuse the deal.

What is the danger of a duplicate vehicle passport and how to check it when purchasing

Duplicate PTS is a common trick of scammers. Sellers can name various reasons for the presence of a duplicate and not the original - loss, replacement due to wear and tear, lack of space in the original PTS, etc. All this should not be a reason to trust a person. When checking the title, you must also check the history of the used car through special services so that the information matches. We'll talk about this later.

Both the original and duplicate PTS must be checked for authenticity according to the following appearance criteria:

The passport ornament, which is a pattern, should not lose clarity upon closer examination.
The hologram must be clear and easy to read; it is the most difficult to fake.
There must be a three-dimensional design in the form of a rose on the back of the document. It can be determined by touch. It also changes color from green to gray at different viewing angles.
The volumetric watermark “RUS” can be found if you illuminate the PTS.
In case of a duplicate, it will be stamped “Duplicate”.

What to check besides PTS

Before you buy a car, you need to find out what documents, in addition to the car's passport, are needed for verification. Then carefully check everything on the list. In addition to the PTS, the owner of a used car must be prepared to present the following documents, which also need to be carefully and carefully checked for authenticity:

vehicle owner's passport.
a certificate of full repayment of debt to a bank or pawnshop, if any.
a document confirming payment for the cost of the car or other documents confirming the transfer of ownership of the vehicle to the current owner.

State duties

So, we moved on to the financial component of our question about the procedure for registering a car with the traffic police. To register your car, you may be required to pay the following government fees.

For issuing a new STS - always, since in all cases a new certificate is issued: 500 rubles (350 when paying through State Services),
For making changes to the PTS - always, unless the document runs out of space to add a new owner: 350 rubles (245 when paying through State Services),
For issuing a new PTS - if there is no space in the old one: 800 rubles (560 when paying through State Services),
For issuing new license plates - if you bought a new car: 2000 rubles (1400 when paying through State Services); 1500/1050 rubles respectively, if we are talking about a motorcycle or trailer. If you buy a used car, then in any case it must have license plates (you can only change them if you wish), only if the vehicle was not imported from abroad or deregistered.

All prices are valid for 2021. When paying at a bank, the applicant must match the state fee with the owner upon registration, otherwise the state fee will be invalid. Save the receipts for presentation to the traffic police when registering or registering the car.

Content

Documents provided by the buyer
Mandatory documents provided by the seller
Additional documents provided by the seller
Documents for completing a transaction
Documents required when purchasing a used car at a dealership
Documents required when buying a car on credit
Documents required for purchasing a car on lease
Documents required to purchase a car using maternity capital

Car registration procedure

The procedure for registering with the traffic police or registration is quite simple and, as we mentioned above, consists of 5 main procedures. We will describe them in more detail, except for collecting documents and paying state fees, to which we devoted a lot of text above.

And let's start with the procedure for submitting an application to register the MREO. It can be submitted online and in person to the traffic police department.

Step-by-step instructions for submitting an application for registration through State Services

To do this, we first need to register and log in to the State). For 2021, this procedure has been significantly simplified (previously it was necessary to come to various organizations in person with a passport).

So, here's the step-by-step application process!

Log in to the State Administration and go to the “Transport and Driving” section (hereinafter we will provide screenshots of the computer version of the site, but in the mobile version and in the State Services application everything is identical).
Next, go to the “Vehicle Registration” section.
Then select the set.
Now you need to choose one of the following, if you are registering a new car with the traffic police or one that was previously deregistered,
or “Change owner data” if you bought a used car.

Next, on the page that opens, you need to familiarize yourself with the terms of service, the cost of paying state fees, select the state fees you need from the instructions above and click on the “Get service” button.

Now the most time-consuming part is to correctly fill out all the fields of the application form. There should be no difficulties here, all data is standard.

Next, at the very bottom of the page, at the last stage of filling out, you need to select the traffic police department where it is convenient for you to register or register (this does not have to be your residential address), and the time to visit the traffic police MREO.

Submitting an application in person to the traffic police

Everything is simpler here: you need to fill out an application and submit it to the traffic police in person. The registration procedure must take place on the day of application.

(DOCX format),
(PDF format),

On-site inspection

This is a simple process if you or someone before you has not made changes to the design of the car, and its condition complies with the traffic rules, the Basic provisions for vehicle approval (Appendix to the traffic rules) and the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union.

Pay special attention to the following points that may cause registration refusal:

the car’s engine has been replaced with another one – different in characteristics and/or model (separate article on engine replacement),
tinting must comply with the rules,
the machine should not be equipped with gas cylinder equipment (LPG) without previously made changes to the design,
other design changes - even minor ones - must be suitable for a given car model (be approved by the manufacturer in the list or included with the car), including a towbar, roof rack and others,
The VIN number must match that indicated in the documents, be readable and have no signs of counterfeiting.

Required documents for other options for purchasing a car

Now that you know the basic list of documents for purchasing a car, I will focus on the nuances of documentation for other options for purchasing a vehicle (vehicle).

It could be:

Buying a car at a showroom;
Buying a car on credit;
Buying a car on lease;
Buying a car with maternity capital.

Documentation for purchasing a car in the showroom

I told you how to choose, check and buy a car at a car dealership in one of my previous articles. And here I’ll tell you about the documents.

Car dealerships, of course, mean real ones, and not “LLC screens” for seasoned resellers. The main rule of buying at a car dealership is to carefully read all the documentation offered to you for signature to look for areas with the notorious “fine print” where there may be legal pitfalls.

Salons usually never draw up individual DCTs with clients, but use only their standard forms.

In general, if a salon offers you a “Talmud” of 50 pages to sign, then this is suspicious and you’d better look for another place to buy.

From the very beginning, ask the salon for a copy of their activity certificate. There are plenty of “soap bubbles” in this area!

So, after buying a car at a car dealership, you should have the following documents in your hands:

A copy of the certificate of activity certified by the salon;
A fully completed vehicle passport;
Standard DCT from the salon;
A copy of the commission agreement or agency agreement certified by the dealership (if a used car was purchased);
Acceptance certificate certified by the salon;
Document confirming payment for the car;
Customs declaration (if the car is from a direct authorized dealership);
Completed service book;
A copy of the certificate of conformity;
Instructions and manuals for the vehicle and embedded systems;
Service and warranty manual for the car user (if it is new);
Insurance policy (CASCO or OSAGO), if the salon provides this service and you agree to be insured with them.

Here is the entire list of possible documentation. Of course, some salons may add some other papers, but these are special cases.

Documentation for purchasing a car on credit

Any loan, including a car loan, is a very delicate matter. Do you agree? Well, of course! Have you ever had cases of unfounded bank refusals for loans? This sometimes happens, because the modern credit system does not work for people, as is often advertised, but for itself.

In general, this is a terrible banking secret!

Well, for people, I mean real individual service for VIP clients; banks do not operate a system, but personal managers who conduct lending analysis manually.

But for the general public, a robotic system is used everywhere, which sometimes plays it safe out of the blue or simply catches a banal “glitch.” As a result, a loan can be refused because of a mere trifle, :cry:, and managers, helplessly throwing up their hands, will look at you with the face of Mona Lisa.

And all because these managers (those who sit at the tables) have the lowest level of access and their responsibility is only to collect initial data, which they then feed to the robotic system for analysis. They themselves decide almost nothing.

These systems are different for each bank and are analyzed differently. Therefore, one bank may refuse you, and another may give you a loan with the same input data and regardless of your credit history.

Having revealed to you this “secret of secrets” of the banking ins and outs, I will list the documentation that may be required from you when taking out a car loan. Some of this will not be needed, but some bank will require more than what is specified.

But the main list is as follows:

Personal passport and identification code;
An additional document confirming your identity (licence, military ID, etc.);
Work record book or employment contract;
Certificate of income for the last six months;
Bank application form for car loans;
Details of the car seller;
Certificates of availability of collateral;
DCT for the purchased car;
Transaction insurance documents;
Title certificates of cars owned by the buyer;
Documentation of additional income;
Documentation of other existing loan commitments.

As you can see, there are a lot of documents, but some banks also require certificates of income of working family members, documents on education, a description of the activity that brings you income, a certificate of marriage, family composition and any other banking fantasy.

But some banks use a progressive car loan system, requiring only a few documents. The choice is yours.

Documentation for purchasing a car on lease

What is leasing do you know? This is not known to everyone, although the word itself has been around for a long time and many have heard it. And leasing refers to very profitable options for purchasing all sorts of things, including cars, when you pay for the item with a deferred payment based on its residual value.

In our country, such purchasing options are not yet widespread because the law allowed only entrepreneurs to do this. But since 2011, it is already available to mere mortals.

And if you find a good option at any enterprise or company, you can draw up a leasing agreement and immediately use the car.

However, leasing usually requires a one-time down payment, much more than the monthly lease payments. Due to the numerous nuances of this method of purchase, it is best to draw up a leasing agreement not in person, but through special leasing companies that will correctly calculate everything and draw up the necessary documentation.

The package of necessary documents is approximately the same as for a car loan. Based on the information collected, a leasing application is drawn up, which is then reviewed by the lessor. Banks often act as the latter, specifically purchasing cars for leasing cool:.

Documentation for purchasing a car using maternity capital

Not everyone may know what maternity capital is. This is money that the state pays under social programs for children in families. Of course, owning a family car could solve many problems for many people who have 2-3 or more children.

For example, in Germany, families with 3 or more children are entitled to a free minibus and a house on preferential terms.

I will say right away that at the moment the possibility of purchasing a car for maternity capital is not provided for by the law of the Russian Federation. Why am I writing this then? But because since the beginning of 2021, there have been active discussions in the Duma about the possibility of providing families with the specified benefit.

And it is already known that the decision will be positive. They plan to allow only domestic brands of cars to be purchased with maternity capital.

About deadlines

An important point is the registration period. According to paragraph 6 of Order No. 399 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, owners are given 10 days to register a car with the traffic police after acquiring ownership - that is, from the date specified in the sales contract. The same period is allotted for car insurance under MTPL.

The fine for late registration of a car is 500 rubles under Part 1 of Article 12.1 of the Administrative Code, and if you are caught again, you may be deprived of your license for up to 3 months.

Also remember that if we are talking about a used car, then the previous owner on the 11th day after the sale has the right to deregister the car with the traffic police. And then for driving an unregistered car you will face the confiscation of license plates and STS.

You can rewrite the contract (even re-sell the car to your relative/friend, etc.), but this is also stopped by the courts in 2021.

Something else useful for you:

How to buy a used car legally?
Is it necessary to change the registration certificate when changing the registered address?
I lost the title of my car - how to restore it?

Useful tips

If the diagnostic card of the car you are buying is valid for at least 24 hours, then you will have time to apply for an insurance policy with your nearest insurer.
It happens that the seller provides a title with pasted sheets. This can only happen with very “ancient” cars and vehicles with “history”. These stories are usually bad, sorted out by criminal experts. Therefore, it is not recommended to take a car with PTS stickers.
Try to prepare all documentation in two or three copies, and also carefully proofread it before signing for errors and inconsistencies.
The most convenient lending conditions are usually provided by the bank where you are registered as a salary recipient.

By the way, in this video, a professional auto expert from Moscow reveals additional nuances that accompany the purchase of a car:

useful links

The procedure for checking a car before purchasing for successful registration.
About the period of registration and acquisition of compulsory motor liability insurance after purchasing a car.
About cases with a replaced engine.
Is it possible to register a car in another city?
Amounts of state duties for 2021.
How to register a car if 10 days fall on a weekend?
How to register a car of a legal entity with the traffic police?
How to check whether the previous owner removed the car from the traffic police register?
Will they be registered and deregistered if there are fines?
What happens if you don’t register your car within 10 days?
Order No. 399 on the procedure for registering a vehicle.
Order No. 605 on the state service for vehicle registration.

How to properly draw up a purchase and sale agreement

A sample DCP can be found on the Internet; the parties can also fill it out themselves, but it is still advisable to have it certified by a notary. In addition, the notary will check the correctness of filling out so that in the future there will be no problems in actions related to the subsequent operation of the car (registration, sale, donation, etc.).

The DCP must reflect the following information:

Data of individuals (full name, passport details).
Technical data of the car (VIN, make, model, year of manufacture, engine number, body, chassis).
PTS data (series, number, date of issue).

Before you fill out the DCT and buy a car, you should definitely check the car owner’s documents to ensure their authenticity. That is why it is better to carry out the procedure with a notary, so that if something happens, he can bring the fraudster to light. But you should not go to a notary recommended by the seller, especially if the buyer doubts the honesty of the owner. Often scammers, in our case the seller and the notary, operate together.

In addition to the DCP, you can draw up and certify a receipt from a notary indicating that the seller has received funds in the amount of the full cost of the car.

What will happen to license plates?

When selling a vehicle, the previous owner can keep the numbers for himself in order to later install them on a new car. To do this, he needs to write an application to the traffic police, and they will give it back after the car is re-registered and new numbers are assigned to the car. If it is not important for both parties what numbers will be on their cars, then those that were used when registering the DCT are retained and the car with them is registered to the new owner. The duty in this case is less than for replacement.

Documents for completing a transaction

Before completing the paperwork, be sure to check the vehicle's history. This can be done using the Autocode online service.

By VIN or license plate number you can find out here:

actual car mileage;
participation in an accident;
presence of traffic police restrictions;
the presence of pledges, arrests, loans;
OSAGO data;
technical inspections;
customs history;
history of fines.

Autocode is suitable if you need to check one or more cars. If you need to constantly check a large number of cars, use the “Autocode Pro” unlimited car check service. A subscription to unlimited car checks costs 2,500 rubles per month. “Autocode Pro” allows you to add comments to reports, create your own lists of liquid vehicles, quickly compare options and store data about cars in an orderly manner.

Also read: How to check a car: procedure

You checked the car and made sure that everything was in order with the documents provided by the former owner. We proceed to the transaction and draw up the purchase and sale documents.

These include:

Contract of sale. The first one necessary to complete a transaction. Fill out in two copies: one remains with you, the other with the seller. You can read about how to correctly fill out a car purchase and sale agreement on our website: How to fill out a car purchase and sale agreement.
Suppose the seller insists on carrying out the transaction on the basis of drawing up a power of attorney. This should be taken with caution. The purchase of a used car should only be carried out under a sales contract. The danger of another method lies in the fact that an unscrupulous seller can easily revoke this power of attorney, as a result of which you run the risk of being left without a car and without money.
The act of acceptance and transfer. It is recommended to make it a separate document in order to increase its legal force. The act reflects the actual condition of the used car.
A financial receipt is your guarantee in case of fraud or “gray” schemes. It is preferable to draw up such documents whenever transferring large amounts.

The executed purchase and sale agreement must be certified by a notary. Otherwise, your car rights will be illegal.

Also read: How to purchase a used car: general transaction procedure

Documents required for purchasing a car on lease

Buying on lease is a case when a used car is paid for with a deferment on the remaining amount. The difficulty is that when purchasing a car this way, you need to make a one-time payment that is larger than subsequent payments. It is better to entrust the execution of such an agreement to specialists who are knowledgeable in this matter. The package of documents is the same as what is required to be provided to the bank when applying for a car loan.

Also read: Buying a used car on lease: what is important to know