What will it be like to drive a deregistered car?

What is car registration?

Car registration is the registration of a vehicle with the traffic police. It is prohibited to operate a vehicle that is not registered. Driving such a car is a violation of traffic rules. The punishment for this act is very severe - up to deprivation of rights and confiscation of the car.

A set of rules and laws for motorists - the Code of Administrative Offences. Chapter 12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation specifies penalties for non-compliance with traffic rules. The first and mandatory step after purchasing a car is its registration.

It is clear that a completely new car from a car dealership has never been registered with the traffic police. But what could be the reasons for deregistering a used car? According to paragraph 60 of the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated August 7, 2013 No. 605, their list is as follows:

• loss or theft of a car;
• appeal from the former owner ten days after the sale of the vehicle;
• the lessor's request upon termination of the contract;
• end of the limited period for vehicle registration;
• death of the owner and transfer of the vehicle as an inheritance.

In the case of the purchase and sale of a car, Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation dated June 26, 2018 No. 399 “On approval of the Rules for state registration of motor vehicles and trailers for them” sets the deadline for re-registering the vehicle to a new owner. Within ten days, the former owner must contact the traffic police to deregister the vehicle. After this, the new owner applies to the traffic police to re-register and register the same car. Sometimes the new owner himself deregisters the vehicle, and the old owner only needs to inquire that the car is no longer registered with him. If the buyer does not re-register the car, then all taxes and fines will go to the name of the former car owner.

How to register a vehicle?

To register a car, you need to contact the nearest traffic police department. You should have the following package of documents with you:

1. Statement. It is issued on the State Services website or at the traffic police department.
2. Contract of sale.
3. PTS.
4. Vehicle registration certificate (VRC) of the previous owner (in case of purchasing a used car).
5. Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
6. MTPL insurance policy, which already contains information about the new owner.
7. Receipt for payment of state duty.

If a car imported from another country is registered, it is necessary to provide transit numbers.

After receiving the documents, the inspector sets a time for issuing license plates. All temporary regulations are prescribed in the Administrative Regulations of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. Registration does not take long: it usually takes from one to three hours.

Changes to the design of the car are also subject to mandatory registration. These include changes in mass and dimensional parameters, body, engine, lighting devices, seats, installation of gas equipment, brake and fuel systems, as well as control systems.

Registration can be considered complete if the owner has received a certificate of state registration of the vehicle, two registration numbers and all his documents.

There is a possibility of refusal to register the vehicle. The reasons for this are:

• incomplete package of documents;
• PTS is declared unfit;
• the state duty has not been paid;
• it is impossible to identify the vehicle as a result of replacing the body or frame;
• a ban or restrictions have been established on registration actions specifically for this vehicle.

Is it possible to drive a car without registration?

You cannot drive without a vehicle registration certificate. The only exception is buying a car. But here the period for registration is limited to ten calendar days , both in the case of purchasing a vehicle at a car dealership, and when purchasing on the secondary market.

Some cunning people try to delay or avoid vehicle registration. The most popular method is the open date in the purchase and sale agreement. Thus, when stopping the traffic police, the violator enters any suitable date. If document falsification is discovered, the punishment will be more severe.

There are no legal ways to avoid registering a vehicle. Sooner or later, the violator will be caught by the traffic police and will be fined.

How long can you drive a deregistered car?

The answer to the question posed is also regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation and is strictly binding in the absence of valid reasons. So, the car is deregistered - can you drive it? The correct answer is yes, but only within 10 days from the date of the transaction. That is, the ability to drive a vehicle is provided by law within 10 days from the date of purchase of the car from a third party.

Since we are talking about preliminary deregistration, a similar situation in principle cannot happen in the salon, and therefore is allowed only on the secondary market.

An equally important question is how you can prove to traffic police officers that you have legal grounds for driving without registration. On the one hand, they will not be able to take my word for it, but they will have to check the availability of STS, which the citizen does not have. This is where another equally important document comes to the rescue - the car purchase and sale agreement. You just need to show it, because this document shows when the transport was purchased and that the allocated 10 days are still in force.

Important! If we talk about the seller’s obligations regarding this point, then after 10 days he is recommended to come to the traffic police department and clarify whether the car has been deregistered or not. If this has not yet happened, then the citizen should carry out this procedure independently and no longer bear any obligations related to the vehicle. Even if after a long time the car does not pass registration, then all penalties are automatically transferred to the new owner.

In addition to the above, since 2013, some updates have been introduced in legislative acts and now either party to the transaction can deregister a car. That is, if desired, the original driver can carry out the procedure himself and prepare for the sale. In the exact opposite situation, the new owner can take care of this issue himself without the presence of the previous owner.

How long can you drive a car after deregistration?

When purchasing a car, you are given 10 days to register the car. During this period, the vehicle can be operated with a purchase and sale agreement. It indicates the date when the car became the property of a new owner. From this date (inclusive) 10 days are counted. On the eleventh day, the car must be registered, otherwise the owner will be fined for failure to comply with the deadlines, and the car may be confiscated.

If registration is overdue, a fine will be issued not only if the driver is stopped, but also when he contacts the traffic police to register the vehicle.

How long can you use a car after deregistration for sale?

10 days.
Until 2013, the car had to be deregistered in advance before making a sale transaction. But Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated December 21, 2019 N 950 established new registration rules . Now there is no need to deregister a car in advance if you decide to sell it. Deregistration is carried out automatically when the new owner registers the vehicle in his own name. Or, as mentioned above, the former owner will do this if the car was not re-registered on time, i.e. within 10 days after the transaction.

The question of whether it is possible to drive a car that was deregistered for sale, but for some reason was not sold immediately, lost its relevance back in 2013. This situation simply will not arise.

What is the penalty for driving an unregistered vehicle?

If the driver is stopped and it is discovered that his vehicle is not registered, the initial fine will be from 500 to 800 rubles. A repeated stop may result in a fine of 5,000 rubles or deprivation of rights for a period of one to three months.

According to Article 19.22 of the Administrative Code, violation of the rules of state registration of a vehicle is punishable by a fine:

1. Individuals – in the amount of 1,500 to 2,000 rubles;
2. Officials – from 2,000 to 3,500 rubles;
3. Legal entities – from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.

A fine is imposed automatically if you contact the traffic police later than ten days. It is valid even if the car is picked up by a tow truck.

The only way to avoid fines, deprivation of rights and confiscation of a car is timely registration of the vehicle. You can drive an unregistered car only for ten days from the date of purchase. To avoid problems, it is better not to delay registration until the last day, but to contact the traffic police on the day the transaction is concluded.

What happens if you drive a deregistered car?

According to the new rules, the buyer is required to register the purchased vehicle within ten days from the date of purchase. If a car is deregistered, can it be driven? Yes, during this time the new owner can operate the specified vehicle without having a license plate, without fear of being held accountable.

However, very often purchasers, for various reasons, are unable to register the car within the allotted time. Some drivers do this on purpose, some cannot pass the technical inspection, and others simply do not make it in time due to a long line at the registration office.

So, the following penalties are provided for driving an unregistered vehicle:

1. For driving a car without registration you can be fined in the amount of 500 to 800 rubles. However, you need to know that this size is assumed at the first stop. Repeated violation threatens to increase the fine to 5,000 rubles or possibly confiscation of a driver’s license with a ban on driving a vehicle. In general, this sanction is applied only when an unregistered car is stopped by law enforcement officers during a road check. If such a car is picked up by a tow truck, then the specified fine is not imposed.
2. Violation of the 10-day period allotted for registration, if required, is also subject to a fine of 1,500 to 2,000 rubles for citizens, for a person performing official duties - from 2,000 to 3,500 rubles, for an organization from 5,000 up to 10,000 rubles. It is important to know here that a fine is automatically imposed on a person who applied with documents to the registration authority to register a car, but did not manage to do so within the required time frame. Moreover, a fine is imposed even if the car is picked up by a tow truck.

Thus, you should not delay the registration of the purchased car, and register it as soon as possible.

The time during which they can be brought to administrative responsibility for these violations is defined as two months.

According to the resolution of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated February 20, 2015 N 31-AD15-4, failure to comply with the registration deadline is not considered to last; accordingly, this rule can be applied to this offense.

The violating driver will be held accountable by imposing penalties only in the situation where he registers the vehicle after the expiration of the required ten days, and earlier than two months and ten days from the date of conclusion of the purchase and sale agreement.

Thus, after 2 months and 11 days it is no longer possible to impose a fine, and the driver just needs to wait out this time.