The Vehicle Registration Certificate South Africa (VRC) is the document issued to the registered owner of a motor vehicle in South Africa. It serves as proof of ownership and must be delivered when selling or transferring ownership of a vehicle.
The vehicle registration certificate (VRC) is considered a confidential document not only in South Africa but across the world. VRCs contain sensitive vehicle information, including the make, model, and VIN. For theft or other crimes, criminals could use this information to target a specific vehicle.
Furthermore, the VRC includes the owner’s name and contact information. A person with access to this information could use it to commit identity theft or fraud.
This blog post will cover the process of getting a vehicle registration certificate in South Africa. Plus I’m going to give you a complete overview of this legal document.
What is a vehicle registration certificate?
A vehicle registration certificate is an official document that states that a motor vehicle has been registered with the government. The certificate includes the make of the vehicle, it’s model year, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and other important information.
Vehicle Registration Certificate in South Africa
The NaTIS vehicle certificate of registration is always on priority when it comes to traffic security. That’s why recently the color of the certificate has been changed to a greenish-themed document. That means the VRC document has its own identity to ensure its uniqueness.
The motor vehicle registration authority has these pages in bulk with a watermark on the paper. The document has a unique kind of paper, font size & type, and watermark that keeps it free from duplication. That means, even if someone tries to copy your VRC the paper type can’t be found publicly.
However, if you have got a vehicle registration certificate but it’s not in green color, don’t panic. Because it’s still valid, all the provinces in South Africa may acquire a little bit different design of VRC but the information will be the same. Your vehicle registration certificate will be valid until it has the control number with the official stamp.
Let’s take a look at how you can register for vehicle certification in South Africa.
Required documents
Vehicle registration in South Africa doesn’t require too much effort until you’ve got the right documents. Before getting into the process make sure you have the following documents.
- The South Africa ID
- Manufacturer certificate that contains all the info about the vehicle
- Phone number
- Email address
- Proof of resident
Process of applying
Once you’ve all the relevant documents visit the nearest traffic department for registration. They will give you an application that you need to fill out. The application is called RLV which stands for the Registration and Licencing of Motor Vehicle.
Once you’ve filled the form with the required information provide your documents to the department and they will verify them.
Registration Cost
The price typically depends on the type of vehicle you’ve. For a new or old vehicle, the registration fee is R120 along with the R36 transaction fee. In any case, the price may vary based on the weight of the vehicle.
Fill the NCO from
A vehicle Notification of Change of Ownership form is a document that must be completed and submitted to the Department of Transport when a vehicle is sold or transferred. A copy of the following documents must be submitted with the form:
- A certified copy of the ID or passport of the new owner.
- Proof of residence (not older than 3 months) for both the old and new owner.
- The original registration certificate, license disc, and logbook for the vehicle.
- The buyer’s affidavit confirms that all outstanding fines/penalties have been paid.
Get your Vehicle Registration Certificate
When you complete all the formalities and paid the fee, the vehicle registration certificate will be issued to you within 21 days. The VRC is a legal document that proves that you are the owner of the vehicle and it must be carried with you at all times when driving.
The VRC also serves as your proof of insurance. If you are involved in a traffic accident, the law requires that you supply your VRC to the other driver. A fine or even arrest could be imposed if you don’t have your VRC.
How to get a duplicate registration certificate of the vehicle?
If you’ve lost your previous vehicle document, changed the car engine, or replaced the VIN or chassis number. It’s crucial to update your document.
Here is the process that you need to do:
- Go to the nearest vehicle registration authority
- Bring your Identity documents, along with proof of address.
- If you’re a foreigner living in South Africa bring an affidavit certified by the company owner or ward councilor that confirms you’re living at the same address.
- Apply for a duplicate registration certificate and fill out the given forms.
- Pay the fee and you’ll be issued a duplicate vehicle registration document (in case of losing the document you may have to pay the extra fee).
- The process may take up to seven days.
You can also read about
Apply For Registration of a New Vehicle
How to register a foreign car in South Africa?
To register a foreign car in South Africa, you will need to take the following documents to your nearest Vehicle Registration office:
- Original vehicle registration certificate (V5C) from the country of origin
- Passport photocopy
- Proof of ownership – e.g. title deed or purchase agreement
- Proof of residency – e.g. utility bill, bank statement, etc.
- Importation permit
- South African vehicle insurance proof
- Roadworthy certificate
- Driving license
Breakdown of Vehicle Registration Certificate South Africa
The data you provide for vehicle registration is recorded on the NaTIS website and is available online. Here is the list of what your vehicle registration certificate includes. Let’s break it down!
1. Registration Authority
This is written on the top of the certificate which refers about in what state/city your car is registered.
2. Registration Number
The registration number is only for the NaTIS record it doesn’t have any concern with your vehicle or license. In other words, if you try to access your vehicle or license online, they will ask you for your registration number. That’s the time when you need to use this number to access your portal.
3. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
A VIN, or vehicle identification number, is a unique code that consists of 17 characters and is used to identify a specific car. The VIN can be found on the car’s registration certificate and is used by The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration (FMSV) to issue recalls. You can also find the VIN under the driver’s door pillar.
Why is a VIN important? Knowing your VIN can help you find information about your vehicle that can be useful in several situations, such as ordering parts or estimating repair costs. Plus, if you ever need to sell your car, the VIN can be used to prove that the vehicle is yours.
4. Engine Number
Each vehicle has its unique number that is stamped on the main part of the engine block. This is an important element in the registration certificate any mismatching between the engine and certificate can put you in legal inquiry. When you replace the engine it’s important to register the engine number with the NaTIS. So that the traffic department has your record in the portal.
5. Make/Manufacturer
In the make section, you’ll see who is the manufacturer of the vehicle e.g. Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet.
6. Series/Model
It refers to the correct vehicle definition. The model number will represent the sub-category of the vehicle.
7. Vehicle Category
Typically there are seven different types of vehicle categories. The category section represents the size of the vehicle and how many people are allowed to sit on the vehicle.
- A: Motor Cycle
- B: Vehicles that carry fewer than 12 passengers
- C: Vehicles carrying more than 12 people
- K: Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of less than 3500KG, such as small bakkies
- L: Vehicle with a gross weight greater than 3500 kg, such as a truck
- U: An industrial vehicle, such as a tractor
- M: A heavy load vehicle with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3500 kg and a trailer attached
8. Driven
Self-driven or towable.
9. Tare
The tare is the weight of the vehicle that is used to analyze the overall cost of the vehicle’s license depending on the tare weight of the vehicle.
10. Date of liability for first licensing
The section shows when was the vehicle first registered on NaTIS (if you bought a used car). If the certification is for the new car then you’ll use the current information.
11. Status
It shows the vehicle condition status whether it’s new, old, rebuild, used, or scrapped. However, on new certificates there are only two status options are available, New or Old.
12. Date liable for registration
Here you need to provide the date when you became the owner of the vehicle. If there is a gap of more than 21 days between buying and registration, you may have to pay an extra fee for late registration. According to NaTIS’s latest announcement, all the vehicles need to register within 21 days.
13. Last License
This section requires the data about the last 3 license numbers registered against this car. However, if the car is new then leave it empty or provide your first license that is registered with the car.
14. Title Holder
An actual owner of a vehicle is the holder of the title. Please ensure that if you bought the used car and still have not paid for the car, you can not claim your name as a titleholder. However, if you’ve cleared the payment for a used car or bought it newly, write down the name of the owner.
15. Type of Identification
The section has the data about the type of ID that the vehicle owner wants to use in this certificate. It can be any like the South African ID, Vehicle License, or business ID.
16. ID Number
This section required the ID number of what type of identity you used in the above section. For example, if you use the South African ID type then provide its ID number here. If you used a traffic license certificate then type its ID number here.
17. Country of Issue
Write the name of the country from where the above ID was issued. If you’re a local citizen you need to write here South Africa and if you’re a foreigner write down your country name.
18. Name
The name of the title holder. Please ensure you need to write the name that matches your documents.
19. Owner
Write the actual name of the car’s owner. Please keep in mind that the owner of the car will be responsible for traffic violation fines, car license, and it’s legal inquiries.
20. Control Number
This number is used to check the vehicle’s online documents. NaTIS unit uses this control number to check a vehicle’s overall performance. In case of any inquiry, the control number is used to compare the documents of both vehicle and the driver. That means if you’ve lost the original registration certificate you can apply for a new certificate by telling this control number to the traffic authorities.
21. Issue Number
This is the NaTIS code number that keeps the record of this certificate.
22. Date of issue
It refers to when this VRC was issued to you.
23. Fee
It shows how much fee was paid for the registration.
24. Received by
The name of the person who you dealt with.
Conclusion
The vehicle registration certificate is an important document that is required for certain transactions involving the vehicle, such as transferring ownership or applying for a loan. Therefore, this document must be kept safe and secure to protect both the vehicle’s and its owner’s personal information.
I hope now you’ve got enough idea about the vehicle registration certificate in South Africa and you know how to get this.