STS will change size and appearance

The country's traffic regulations oblige drivers to carry a number of documents when driving on the country's roads. They must confirm the legality of the car and the person’s right to drive it. These documents include a certificate confirming the vehicle’s state registration. Every owner knows well what a vehicle registration certificate is, but not everyone understands why this document is needed.

What is a vehicle registration certificate?

Appearance of STS

The document has a standard form, which is common throughout the country. It changes periodically. Currently, the traffic police issues a document that is a plastic card measuring 80x115 mm. It is filled out on 2 sides, each of which contains information about the vehicle, allowing you to check its legality.

Sample STS

Table. Information contained in the STS

The number and series of the document are indicated on both sides of the certificate. Information about the car and its owner is applied to the finished certificate form using a printer. The document is protected by a hologram. It is located at the top of the card. When ultraviolet rays are pointed at the hologram, it begins to glow in a bright light green color. The document bears the signs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. The inscription “Russian Federation” is framed by a microscopic inscription.

Reference. In the near future, the traffic police plans to replace the old STS form. The document will take the form of a plastic card measuring 85.6x54 mm.

New vehicle registration certificate

The new STS will become an intermediate option until the introduction of digital documents. Registration certificates in the near future will be equipped with chips containing information about the vehicle. The transition to new documents in Russia will take place in parallel with the EAEU countries. This is a coordinated interstate decision made as part of the general planned transition of the Union member countries to digital technologies. Together with the STS, the PTS will also acquire an electronic appearance. The process of transition to new forms of documents will start in October 2019.

Fundamental differences between PTS and STS

Both documents contain information about vehicles and their owners. In the registration certificate, it is compressed to the minimum necessary to verify the legality of the car by traffic police officers. The PTS is a vehicle passport containing more complete information about the vehicle. Unlike STS, which is subject to exchange after a change of owner, PTS is issued for equipment upon release and serves until it is disposed of. Based on the information entered in the technical passport, you can not only establish the legality of the vehicle, but also trace the history of its operation.

PTS and STS

Documents vary in size and color. The laminated STS card has a pink tint. The PTS is an A4 document, colored blue. In its production, the paper lamination technology that is used for STS is not used. The registration certificate contains information about the authority that issued the document. This data is not included in the vehicle's technical passport. Instead, the document contains information about the vehicle manufacturer. When importing equipment from another country, a mark from the customs authority is placed in the PTS.

Normative base

The requirements for the production of a vehicle registration certificate and the procedure for its issuance are regulated by various regulations. Among them:

• PP No. 938 dated 08/12/1994;
• Federal Law No. 117 of 08/05/2000;
• Code of Administrative Offences;
• PP No. 1090 dated October 23, 1993

Important. From August 2021, a new vehicle registration procedure will come into effect in the country. Now it will not be possible to issue STS to persons under 16 years of age.

Video – STS

What does a vehicle registration certificate look like?

The certificate is printed on an official form with various degrees of protection, having rectangular dimensions of 80 mm x 115 mm. The paper contains the following information:

• Document Number;
• vehicle number issued upon registration;
• identification digital code of the car, which allows you to establish data about its main parameters and manufacturer;
• technical characteristics of the vehicle (power and engine size, information about the chassis and frame, vehicle weight, etc.);
• information about the owner;
• number of the document giving ownership of the vehicle;
• additional marks, the presence of which is mandatory in the document.

Is it possible to drive without a registration certificate?

Current legislation does not allow drivers to drive on the country's roads without STS. The absence of a document is considered a traffic violation. Various types of punishment for drivers not having a plastic certificate card are defined by the Code of Administrative Offences. The document is drawn up when the car is registered with the state. This must be done no later than 10 days from the date of purchase of the vehicle. This period is established by PP No. 938. During this period, the driver can drive on the roads of the country with a title, a compulsory motor liability insurance policy and a car purchase and sale agreement.

Documents for the car

Important. Late registration of vehicles with the state and the absence of vehicle registration certificates are subject to administrative liability.

The amount of the fine for this type of traffic violation is determined by Article 12 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Its minimum amount is 500 rubles. The driver's lack of a registration certificate is sufficient grounds for detaining the car and sending it to a impound lot. When faced with such a situation, many drivers do not know what to do correctly. There are 2 ways to avoid vehicle seizure:

• ask someone to drive the STS to the place where the car stops;
• present the PTS to the traffic police officers.

Having a PTS will allow you to continue your journey further behind the wheel of your car. In this case, the only punishment for violating traffic rules can be a warning, which will be issued by traffic police officers at the place where the car is stopped to check documents.

Checking documents by a traffic police officer

Most drivers receive harsher penalties. They have to pay fines for lack of documents, the amount of which depends on the type of traffic violations. If the vehicle registration period is overdue, the fine ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles. The procedure for his appointment is determined by Article 19.22 of the Administrative Code. If a traffic violation is repeated due to the driver not having a vehicle, the fine increases to 5,000 rubles.

Issuing the first fine is not an obstacle to issuing a second one within one day or even an hour. Without a vehicle registration certificate, the driver does not have the right to drive a vehicle. A more serious punishment for driving without an STS is the deprivation of your driver's license. The driver may lose the right to drive a car for up to 3 months.

Towing a car to a parking lot

The rights of traffic police officers to detain the car of traffic violators and send it to the impound lot are determined by Article 27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The law imposes on them the responsibility to check the legality of cars moving on the country's roads. If the driver does not have STS, the vehicle cannot be released by traffic police officers until it is checked for theft.

You can find out more about what penalties are provided for driving without STS by reading the article on our website.

Changes in the administrative regulations of the traffic police

Why do you need a vehicle registration certificate?

STS carries information about the vehicle and the car owner. The driver must have this document with him so that, at the request of the traffic police officers monitoring the road situation, he can provide the data necessary for their work. If the registration certificate is lost or damaged, it cannot be restored using the STS. Thus, the technical passport of the car can remain in storage at home. It is used in rare cases: when concluding purchase and sale transactions or presented during the registration procedure. And the STS is an everyday duplicate; its presence in the car is necessary.

The procedure for obtaining and replacing a document

The obligation of vehicle owners to register them with the state is determined by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and traffic rules. A registration certificate is issued every time the owner of a vehicle changes. This is done at the traffic police department. Reforming the current legislation involves changing the existing procedure for obtaining a document. It is planned to create specialized organizations in the country that will assume responsibility for performing these functions. Currently, the previous procedure for obtaining new and replacing old STS is in effect.

Step-by-step instructions for obtaining a vehicle registration certificate

Step 1. At the first stage of the STS registration process, a package of documents is prepared. It includes: a purchase and sale agreement, a receipt for payment of the state duty, a vehicle title and an internal passport of the vehicle owner.

Package of documents for obtaining STS

Step 2 . A prerequisite for obtaining a vehicle registration certificate is payment of the state fee. You can pay it through banks or the State Services portal. The last method of paying the fee allows you to save 30% of money.

Sample receipt of payment of state duty

Step 3. The collected package of documents and a receipt for payment of the duty are submitted to the traffic police at the place of registration of the car.

Submitting documents to the traffic police

Step 4 . Before issuing an STS, traffic police officers check the documents and the vehicle. Vehicle inspections are carried out at special sites designed for these purposes.

Vehicle check

Step 5. The last stage of the procedure is to obtain the STS.

Obtaining STS from the traffic police

The procedure for obtaining a duplicate or replacement of a vehicle registration certificate

STS has to be replaced for various reasons. One of them is buying a car. The current procedure in the country allows vehicle owners to sell them without deregistration. The new owner of the car can change the car registration certificate without the presence of the previous owner. He must do this within 10 days after making the purchase. The countdown starts from the date specified in the contract. You can submit documents to receive STS:

• personally;
• with the help of third parties;
• through the State Services portal.

In practice, there are situations when applicants are refused to issue a document. Among the reasons for making such decisions by traffic police officers:

• lack of a compulsory motor liability insurance policy;
• providing false documents;
• lack of payment of state duty.

Sample application to the traffic police (

)

A justified refusal to issue an STS cannot be appealed in court. Current legislation provides for cases of issuing a duplicate registration certificate. These include:

• loss of STS as a result of dilapidation or theft;
• changes in the name or registration of the owner of the vehicle:
• engine replacement.

Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 605

According to Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 605, obtaining a duplicate certificate is considered a registration action. Replacing the STS takes several hours if the document is not stolen. The theft of a certificate is grounds for initiating a criminal case. Until it is closed, you will have to travel with a certificate, which is issued by the traffic police instead of a plastic card. Knowing such subtleties, many drivers do not report theft, but explain the situation by the loss of a document. The application for the issuance of an STS submitted to the traffic police must contain complete information about the vehicle and its owner.

Current legislation allows you to apply for an STS at any traffic police department in the country. The obligation of vehicle owners to replace the vehicle registration certificate when changing their place of residence is determined by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 1001. The procedure for paying the duty when replacing STS is determined by Article 333.33 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. The current regulations exempt the duty from the commission fee. Old STS, after they are handed over by the car owners, are disposed of by traffic police officers. The fact of destruction of vehicle registration certificates is documented in an act in the established form.

The procedure for replacing a certificate depends on the chosen method of carrying out the procedure. When submitting documents through the State Services portal, you cannot avoid visiting the traffic police. Inspection of the vehicle is a mandatory procedure when obtaining a certificate. The advantage of the services provided by the portal is the ability to schedule an inspection of the car at a time convenient for its owner.

State Services Portal

When submitting documents for replacement or receipt of STS through State Services, a receipt for payment of the duty is automatically generated on the website. This saves car owners from having to look for payment details. You can pay the fee on the portal not only using a bank card, but also with electronic money.

More information about the new procedure for registering a vehicle and obtaining an STS for it can be found in the video:

Video - New rules for vehicle registration

Where is STS issued for a car?

A certificate of registration of a car (CTC) or other vehicle can be obtained from the vehicle registration department of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Russian Federation. And in general, there are two situations that will encourage you to visit this department. More precisely, the situation is essentially the same, but the car will either be new or already used.

And so, you purchased a new car, motorcycle, trailer and you need to register it and receive this very vehicle registration certificate. To do this, you will need the following documents:

• vehicle passport - technical passport;
• contract of sale;
• a document indicating the cost of the purchased vehicle;
• vehicle owner's passport;
• OSAGO policy;
• receipt of payment of state duty;

What does STS look like on a car?

These are actually all the documents that you will be required to register a new car and obtain a vehicle certificate. The list of documents for a car or other used vehicle is not much different from the one given above. It’s just that in such a case, you will have to draw up the purchase and sale agreement yourself, and it is better to do it directly with the traffic police authorities. In addition, if the car is sold with the same license plates, you are required to present the old STS for it. That's all the differences.

Let us remind you that according to current legislation, you can drive a car without a registration plate - license plates - for ten days. But, in such a situation, you need to carry with you the purchase and sale agreement, as well as a document indicating the cost of the purchased car.

After providing all the necessary documents, the car is checked for involvement in various incidents of a criminal nature, the vehicle is inspected, including reconciliation of numbers and the issuance of a new registration certificate and registration plate, if necessary.

Decoding STS

The series and document number of the vehicle registration certificate are linked to the title. They allow you to determine the legality of the vehicle’s origin. To designate a series, 2 letters are used. The number consists of the same number of digits. You can find them below on the front side of the plastic card. The state number indicated in the STS, assigned to the vehicle upon registration, also consists of letters and numbers. It is a code by which traffic police officers can obtain certain information without stopping the car for inspection. For example, by using a car’s license plate, you can determine the region of registration of the vehicle and the status of its owner. License plates with the EKH series are issued to vehicles belonging to the FSO. Cars of the Office of Presidential Affairs receive license plates with the series:

• AOO;
• MOO;
• SBI;
• SOO.

FSO car

The selection of numbers and letters in license plates is regulated by GOST R-50577-93. The information about the issuing authority specified in the STS must be included in the vehicle purchase and sale agreement. They are important in case of doubts about the legality of the vehicle. The information contained in the registration certificate is of practical importance. Based on data on the vehicle's power, the amount of transport tax is determined. They also influence the cost of the insurance policy.

Purpose of STS

We will not go into legal casuistry, finding out why such a document exists and what its benefits are. Let's consider, so to speak, the everyday benefits of a vehicle registration certificate. The presence of this document allows its owner or a person who temporarily uses this same vehicle not to carry with them a vehicle passport, or, more simply, a technical passport. The technical passport is the main identification of the vehicle. And using it, you can easily restore STS. The reverse procedure, when the registration certificate is restored on the basis of the registration certificate, is impossible. Therefore, you carry with you, along with your driver’s license, technical inspection card, compulsory motor insurance policy, the vehicle’s certificate, and the registration certificate lies in a safe place, without being in danger of being lost or stolen. And this is the main benefit for motorists that STS brings.

It should also be noted that obtaining a registration certificate is not a complicated procedure at all, however, it is mandatory. Moreover, if you are stopped by a traffic police inspector, and you do not have a vehicle with you, you will be fined, and your vehicle may be impounded. Therefore, every time you go somewhere, make sure that all the necessary documents are available.

Source

Replacing STS: when and why to change

It is necessary to obtain an STS not only when the owner of the vehicle changes. There are several reasons to replace an existing certificate.

• when the owner of the vehicle changes his residential address;
• when changing the owner’s surname (marriage, divorce, at one’s own request);
• in case of painting in a color different from the previous one;
• when changing the configuration of the car or its re-equipment, replacement, adding new parts that differ in type from the previous ones, as well as when installing new additional components;
• when replacing parts marked with numbers;
• upon expiration of the STS validity period, after 10 years from the date of receipt.

Replacement cost

The amount paid for state duty is influenced by several factors:

• is there a need to make edits or changes to the vehicle passport;
• are registration plates issued?
• whether the PTS or STS is being replaced.

Replacing the STS for issuing authorities is equivalent to issuing a new one and therefore does not differ in amount. As of mid-2021, a state fee of 500 rubles will be paid to replace the certificate.

Regional branch of MREO traffic police