A used car is always a “pig in a poke”. External well-groomed appearance and the presence of all documents do not mean anything: modern technologies make it possible to easily and quickly turn a neglected car with numerous defects into an attractive, marketable vehicle. As for documents, they are forged everywhere and en masse, and in many cases the fact of forgery can be recognized only through a complex examination.
Even when buying a car at a car dealership or autohouse, you cannot be completely sure that it:
- is legally clear;
- is not listed as stolen and is not wanted, for example, for participation in an accident;
- has no claims from customs, banking and insurance companies;
- is not under arrest or on bail;
- is not the subject of civil, judicial or other disputes;
- has no restrictions on use and alienation, as well as other encumbrances.
But currently it is possible to check a car for free using the PTS number on the traffic police website online. This service is a truly effective measure against fraud and dishonesty of sellers, and allows you to receive detailed and up-to-date information about the vehicle of interest in just a few minutes.
What is PTS and why is it needed?
A vehicle passport is a document that stores all the basic data on the vehicle, sufficient for its unambiguous identification. These include the vin code, which consists of 17 characters and is indicated not only in the title, but also on the car itself; depending on the model, it can be located on the frame, under the hood, under the windshield, etc. When buying a used car, first of all It is the VIN code that is verified.
In addition, the transport information passport indicates the make, model and color of the car, its license plate number, engine volume and number, vehicle weight, chassis number, and production date.
Before checking a car using its PTS number in the traffic police database, you need to verify the authenticity of this document. To do this, pay attention to the following features.
- Passport ornament. This is a specific pattern that should not lose clarity upon closer examination.
- Hologram. It should also be easy to read and clear. Falsification of this information is the biggest problem for scammers.
- Volumetric drawing. It is located on the back of the document, made in the form of a kind of “rose” and can be detected by touch, and also changes its color under different viewing angles.
- Watermark. It is visible in the light and represents the inscription RUS.
A vehicle passport can be issued by the vehicle manufacturer or by organizations involved in converting vehicles into special equipment, by the traffic police or by the customs service. In the latter case, you should be especially vigilant if Lithuania or Belarus is indicated as the country of origin of the car. These countries have a well-developed business in restoring vehicles after serious road accidents, as well as in assembling cars from fragments of several different cars.
Where can I see when a document was issued?
The date of issue of the registration certificate is set at the time the vehicle is registered. The indicator indicates that the vehicle is being operated in a legal manner.
The date of issue of the PTS is required when applying for compulsory motor liability insurance. Insurance companies require an issue date for the document. Information will also be required when purchasing a car.
When buying a vehicle from a former owner, you need to check the documents and make sure that the car is not involved in crime. The date of issue of the registration certificate must be later than the release date of the car. The big difference should be alarming. The car is not in demand for any reason.
On the first page of the PTS, the date and issue of the document and department are recorded. You need to find column 25 that contains this information. When applying for MTPL insurance, information will be required.
You can find out the date of issue of your passport by contacting the traffic police. To do this, you need to come with a passport, STS and a sales contract.
Find out the issuance date online
You can find out the date of issue by using the original. State Traffic Inspectorate employees can check the vehicle title in the database and find this information.
If the document is lost, you need to contact the department and get a duplicate. You cannot sell a car without a registration certificate.
Information about the document can be obtained through the official website. The system is being improved, new functions are being included, and certificates are being fully verified.
What can you find out with an online service?
To check, you will need the VIN number, body number and chassis number. If there is no PTS, the number can be obtained by viewing it on the car itself and in the STS.
What do you need to know about a copy of PTS?
You can check a car by PTS number online based on both the original and a copy of the document.
However, you should be careful when purchasing a car with a copy of the vehicle title. Using a duplicate is one of the most common schemes for selling problem cars. In particular, this is how credit cars are usually sold (since the original title in this case remains with the bank), as well as vehicles that are listed as stolen.
You can recognize a problematic credit car by a combination of the following signs:
- small age;
- low mileage;
- duplicate PTS;
- transit numbers.
Please be aware that a copy of the PTS has a structure and details identical to the original document (watermarks, three-dimensional image, etc.). The only difference is the presence of a “Duplicate” stamp in the special notes column.
As for legal cases of using a copy of a PTS, this usually occurs due to the loss of the original document, or when registration or personal data are changed. A duplicate is also issued if the vehicle passport runs out of fields intended for making entries about various registration actions. In this situation, the original document must be disposed of in the manner prescribed for such cases by current legislation.
Checking a car using PTS online
You can check your car using its title either in person at the State Traffic Inspectorate or via the Internet. The advantages of the latter option are obvious: the corresponding online services are available around the clock, the result is displayed immediately after sending the request (sometimes you have to wait a couple of minutes), the information is updated automatically. This check allows you to:
- obtain information about fines for traffic violations committed on this vehicle:
- check the information specified in the PTS;
- find out whether the car is under arrest and whether there are any restrictions on registration actions;
- check whether the car is listed as stolen;
- obtain information about road accidents committed on this car (if any).
Currently, there are several online services that allow you to quickly check a vehicle using its passport. But it is best to use the appropriate section of the traffic police website for this, since it contains the most complete, accurate and up-to-date information about vehicles. On other resources, database updates may occur with a certain delay.
○ Existing methods for checking PTS.
Let's look at how you can check your PTS.
- By personal contact to the traffic police. State Traffic Inspectorate employees will provide as much information as possible upon your request. To do this, you will need to present the vehicle documents to the traffic police officer.
- By calling the State Traffic Inspectorate and citing the basic data from the vehicle title.
- Using the traffic police online service.
- Using third-party resources that offer to find out more information about your vehicle, for example, whether the selected car is stolen.
Checking a car by PTS number on the traffic police website
You can check your car using its title on the traffic police website in just a few minutes. The process is carried out step by step, the service is provided free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Verification can be carried out based on the following data:
- vehicle chassis number;
- vehicle vin code;
- body number.
To perform the check, you need to go to the traffic police website at https://www.gibdd.ru. On the right side of the page there is a section “Online services of the traffic police” - in it you need to select the item “Vehicle check”.
Next, in the appropriate field, you need to enter the vehicle’s vin code or its body or chassis number, and then click on the “Request verification” link in the section that interests you at the moment.
After clicking the link, you will also be required to enter a verification code. After a minimum time, information about the results of the scan, including its date and time, will be displayed on the screen.
The check can be carried out repeatedly. Please note that the latest changes may not appear in the database immediately, but after a certain period of time. It is necessary to understand that scammers are trying to get rid of problem cars as quickly as possible - before they manage to get into the appropriate traffic police databases. Therefore, even if a car check according to the title shows that the vehicle is legally clean, does not have any restrictions on use/alienation, as well as claims from the traffic police and other authorities, it is recommended to carry it out again after a certain time.
In any case, it is advisable to begin re-registration of the car in the presence of its current owner.
Check the car at the State Traffic Inspectorate
The owner can check the vehicle's title directly at the State Traffic Inspectorate. In this case, all documents for the vehicle are transferred to an authorized traffic police officer. He receives information on them from the relevant databases.
This method is considered inconvenient, since it requires spending time visiting the State Traffic Inspectorate office, standing in line, waiting for an authorized employee, etc. However, at the same time, it is recognized as the most reliable way to obtain information about a car. The information comes directly from the traffic police officer, and it is the most up-to-date. At the same time, the receipt of information on online services may take some time, and accordingly, changes may not be reflected immediately.
In some departments of the State Traffic Inspectorate, you can check your car by phone. In this case, its owner names the details of the documents for this vehicle. Some inspectorates offer the use of special applications for mobile phones.
Checking information on STS
The vehicle passport (PTS) and vehicle registration certificate (VRC) contain information about the owners, fines, vehicle registration and re-registration, etc. Using the information recorded in one of them, you can calculate all the necessary data from another document, and vice versa.
Based on considerations of convenience of checking data on a car, the series and number of PTS and STS have identical meaning, and the document forms themselves are drawn up in parallel. The license plates of the PTS and STS are the same, and this facilitates not only the procedure for checking the operation of the vehicle, but also helps in restoring the form of one of the documents if it is lost.
At the same time, when operating a car, it is recommended to prepare several copies of documents in advance. This will help speed up the recovery process.
When do you need a car title check?
Checking a vehicle using its passport is most often required when purchasing a used car. However, it may be required in other cases.
A typical example is when two or more people use one car. If one of the drivers violated traffic rules and earned a fine, he can hide this fact from his colleagues and management, and checking the car with a PTS to see if it is in the traffic police fine databases will help establish the truth in such a situation. The same applies to information about a vehicle being involved in an accident, and checking the car’s registration history will help obtain information about its unauthorized re-registration to another person.
You can also check traffic police fines on our website. Other online services are also offered, including payment for Rosreestr services, repayment of tax debts, etc.
