What is a diagnostic card
A diagnostic card is a document with a 21-digit identification number, issued to the car owner after a positive inspection result for his vehicle.
In the future, it will be required when applying for an MTPL policy, without which driving a vehicle is prohibited. The diagnostic card contains data from maintenance results in the form of a table, which must be immediately entered into a unified system.
The state regulates the contents of the card, and its form can vary and be different at different maintenance points.
Now you do not need to present your card when checking the traffic police, since the data on it is freely available on the official resource.
Minimum validity period of a diagnostic card for registration of compulsory motor liability insurance
According to the regulations established by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the cultural center is valid within the specified time. The period directly depends on the age of the vehicle. There are a number of exceptions:
- new cars (ex-showroom) do not require maintenance for 3 years;
- when aged 3-7 years, the car must be inspected every 2 years;
- Vehicles older than seven years must undergo a technical inspection every year.
Even if the owner changes, the diagnostic card is valid until the last maintenance time has expired. Therefore, when purchasing, it is often not necessary to undergo a second technical inspection.
How to get a diagnostic card
The only legal basis for issuing a document is the vehicle undergoing maintenance directly at a specialized point. There is no other way to legally obtain a card. And an illegally obtained document will most likely be false. Data about him will not be entered into the unified information system. Therefore, an MTPL policy will not be issued under it.
Expert opinion
Valery Volkov
Insurance expert
Buy eOSAGO through RSA
Maintenance takes place at special maintenance points. They must be accredited for this type of activity. Information about them is also freely available in the RSA database.
Recovering a lost diagnostic maintenance card in 2020
A diagnostic card is issued based on the results of the vehicle examination in the form of a detailed certificate containing the results of the inspection. Today, the driver, if he is not transporting passengers or dangerous goods, does not need to have it with him. But this does not mean that the vehicle’s condition is not monitored. Every car owner is obliged to monitor the serviceability of the systems and elements of the car. Is it possible and how to restore a diagnostic inspection card if lost, how much does a duplicate cost?
Why do you need a diagnostic card?
It would seem that in connection with the new requirements for technical inspection, the loss of a document that confirms the passage of technical inspection is not such an unpleasant event. However, this can still cause a number of inconveniences to the driver. First, let’s define what a car diagnostic card is and in what situations you can’t do without it.
This is a document containing reference information about the condition of the vehicle. A diagnostic card is issued based on the results of a vehicle inspection at a certified center. During the technical examination, the brake system, steering, tires, wheels, and other significant elements of the car are examined.
Without a document confirming the passage of a technical inspection, it is impossible to issue an insurance policy; a card will also be required if the car owner decides to sell his “iron horse”. Punishment for driving without insurance and technical inspection in 2021 will not apply to every driver, but only to those who are driving the following types of vehicles:
- ground passenger transport;
- Taxi;
- equipped with special signals;
- trucks weighing more than 3.5 tons;
- passenger cars designed for training novice drivers.
For car owners of other types of vehicles, a document with the inspection results will be required only when concluding a contract under MTPL. However, given that car insurance is required for every car, but in the absence of a card, the car owner will not take it out. Consequently, he will be fined for not having a compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
Since this type of car insurance is mandatory, the driver still cannot avoid a fine, because without a diagnostic card he will not be issued a compulsory civil liability insurance policy. The maximum monetary sanction for private car owners is 800 rubles. Is it possible to restore a diagnostic card and what to do if the document is lost, we will consider further.
Procedure for restoration in case of loss
If a driver has lost his diagnostic inspection card, he needs to know what to do. In this case, you will not need to undergo a vehicle inspection again. When a car owner undergoes a vehicle inspection at a specialized center, information about this is recorded not only directly in the document that confirms the passage of the technical inspection. After examining and issuing the card, the center specialist enters the information into a single database. Checking the diagnostic card using the EAISTO database online is available to every car owner. Based on information from this database, you can obtain a second copy of the document.
Duplicate diagnostic card
When a diagnostic inspection card is lost, you can restore the document by following the steps described below.
- The car owner must personally appear at any certified service center and write an application requesting a duplicate of the diagnostic card that was lost.
- To obtain a duplicate, provide information about the car.
- After a duplicate of the inspection card has been prepared by the center’s specialists, the applicant will only need to pay the cost of the service and receive the document in hand.
Each center operating on the basis of a license to conduct technical examination of vehicles has access to the EAISTO database. The current list of all maintenance operators is contained in the register of the Russian Union of Auto Insurers. You can apply for a duplicate diagnostic card at any service center from the list.
On the RSA portal you can find the OTO - technical inspection operator - by address and name. However, it makes sense to restore a document with the results of a technical inspection only when its validity has not expired. Otherwise, you will have to undergo a technical inspection of the car again.
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Cost and terms
How long will it take the service center specialists to make a duplicate of the diagnostic card? Considering the opportunity to obtain information about the applicant’s vehicle undergoing technical inspection online, the period for document restoration is minimized and limited to one day. There is no need to re-test your vehicle. This period of time will only be needed to issue a duplicate document containing information about the technical condition of the car.
You will have to pay a fee for a finished copy. The cost of a duplicate diagnostic inspection card is set at each service center, but its size cannot exceed the cost of the inspection.
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Card expiry date
The validity period of the document is affected by: vehicle category, year of issue and specialization. After all, the frequency of maintenance depends on this, after which the card is issued.
The validity period of the card, and, consequently, the date of the next inspection, is indicated in the document itself, accurate to the day. But we must understand that this is the day after which a new document should be in hand. Therefore, it is better to undergo maintenance in advance. Moreover, during a technical inspection, defects may be revealed that will take time to correct.
Information on maintenance completion is stored in the organization for 3 years , in EAISTO - for 5 years .
Cost of diagnostic card
Now the state fee for undergoing maintenance is not paid . This is due to the transfer of the technical inspection function from the state to third-party organizations. And organizations charge a fee for obtaining a diagnostic card.
Expert opinion
Valery Volkov
Insurance expert
Buy eOSAGO through RSA
The price of the card may vary and depends not only on the region. Each service point has the right to set its own price. However, if it exceeds the maximum permissible values established by the state, then this will constitute a gross violation of the organization’s activities. Violations may result in revocation of accreditation.
But the low cost of the document should also raise red flags. After all, this is how a fraudulent organization can act, issuing illegal cards, information on which will not be entered into the EAISTO.
Currently, some companies offer significant discounts when simultaneously undergoing maintenance and issuing an MTPL policy.
There are also discounts when paying for a diagnostic card. They are established both by regions and by individual points performing maintenance.
Why do you need to check the diagnostic card?
Cases of car owners receiving illegal diagnostic cards have become more frequent. This happens when, wanting to save money and not waste time on undergoing maintenance, a card is ordered to be delivered to your home. So getting a fake document is almost a 100% guarantee. Passing maintenance at a non-accredited point assumes the same result.
On the Internet you can find many offers to purchase a document for a fee online. These are illegal schemes. And the card that the driver receives after paying for the service (if he receives it) will not be entered into the unified PCA system.
To check this document means to verify the authenticity of the document. Using an illegal document, you will not be able to obtain an MTPL policy and drive a vehicle.
Diagnostic card and its contents
The diagnostic card includes the following information:
- Result of the previous check.
- Your transport details.
- Last name, initials, signature of the expert conducting the diagnostics.
- Technical description – condition of the brake system, make, mileage.
- Expert opinion on the condition of the vehicle.
- Date of next technical inspection.
If the validity of the diagnostic card has not yet expired when re-registering the car, then you can use the current card. In this case, do not forget to ask the previous owner for this document, without which it is impossible to obtain auto insurance.
Checking the diagnostic card using the RCA database
Any car owner can check their card absolutely free of charge. The RSA database has an official website for verification (EAISTO database). You need to go to it and fill out any field: the VIN of the car or one of the numbers (registration, frame, body, map). Next, you need to enter the numbers shown in the picture in a special field. Then click on the “Check” button.
How to check a diagnostic inspection card using the PCA database
Data must be entered accurately, without errors, without spaces.
Online services for checking the diagnostic card
The check can be carried out on other services that interact with the official EAISTO website. As a rule, you also need to enter data only in one of the proposed fields.
But you should avoid those online card verification services that offer to buy this card online. The verification data may also be unreliable.
How to check a diagnostic card by car number
It is easy to check the card by entering only the license plate number of the car for which it was issued. You need to go to the website where you plan to check according to EAISTO, and enter the car number (usually in the second field). All letters of the number are Russian, capitalized. And the letters and numbers themselves are entered without spaces, strictly one after another. At the end you must enter the region number.
How to check a diagnostic card by chassis number
The frame number, also known as the chassis number, can also be a piece of information suitable for verification. This value is entered into the fourth field, without spaces. This can only be done if the car has a body number. If it is not there, we check it using other parameters.
But it is better to register the body number so that there are no problems when checking the vehicle at the traffic police.
How to check a diagnostic card by VIN number
It usually consists of 17 digits. They are entered in the first field, indicated without spaces. It is important to know that the body number and VIN number may differ, or they may have the same meaning, although this is extremely rare. You can also check the diagnostic card using the body number.
How to check a diagnostic card using the coupon number
The card can also be verified by its personal 21-digit number. It is entered into the last field of the check.
What is needed for recovery
The owner or his representative can apply for restoration of the document. You will have to fill out an application for restoration of the diagnostic inspection card on the spot. Have with you:
- Passport or driver's license to confirm identity;
- Vehicle passport or certificate of state registration.
Attention! If the copy is not requested by the owner indicated in the documents for the car, then a simple power of attorney will additionally be required. A copy will be issued on the day of application.
Possible test results
What information can the system provide after verification:
- If the car has passed the MOT and, therefore, received the document on a legal basis, then we will see both information about the vehicle, its make and model, and about the card itself, including its validity period.
- If the last card received is already invalid, data about the vehicle and the expired diagnostic card will still appear on the screen.
- Information may appear about the absence of data on the document being checked. This answer will appear if the car is new. But there may be other options for obtaining this answer.
What to do if the diagnostic card data is not in the RCA database
If there is no information on the card, then this is evidence of some problem that has arisen. So, what could be the reasons for the lack of data:
- Failure or overload in the information system. You need to wait a little and try to check again.
- Information about the card was not entered into the organization conducting the maintenance. This should not happen, because when undergoing accreditation, an organization is obliged to confirm the possibility of instant transfer of information. But there are exceptions to the rules.
- Incorrect information was entered into the document by mistake. For example, if you enter your vehicle number, you may find that there is no information about the document. And after entering the card number itself, information about it is displayed on the screen. This indicates that the vehicle number was entered into the card incorrectly. This can happen with any number (VIN, frame, body).
IMPORTANT: check the numbers in the diagnostic card immediately after receiving it so that the error is corrected immediately. Indeed, in case of erroneous information entered into the document, the application for an MTPL policy will be denied. The document received is false.
What to do in these cases:
- Check online, free of charge, for an organization for accreditation to conduct technical inspections. If the organization is not accredited, then the card is therefore invalid. If the organization is included in the list of maintenance points, we proceed further.
- It is necessary to check the numbers indicated in the diagnostic card with the numbers indicated in the car's passport. If there are discrepancies, you should contact the organization that issued the card and request accurate information.
- If the organization is accredited, the numbers are entered correctly, but the card information is missing, then it should be checked a little later. After all, as mentioned above, there are failures in the operation of the system. If later the check does not show anything, then you should seek clarification from the operator who carried out the maintenance. If you refuse to deal with this issue, write a statement addressed to the director of the organization. If there is no result, you must contact the professional association of insurers.
What to do if the vehicle diagnostic inspection card is lost
It’s not difficult to undergo maintenance for compulsory motor liability insurance, but what to do if you have lost your diagnostic inspection card? The restoration process is not difficult, so if the policy has not yet been issued, it is better to immediately go to the inspection operator and get a duplicate. How? We will tell you about this in detail.
What is the penalty for not having a diagnostic card?
If the diagnostic card for a car is lost and it remains valid, then it is not necessary to restore it.
This is because traffic police officers do not have the right to check this document when stopping a vehicle. This means that there is no penalty for the absence of a recreation center. You can safely drive until its validity period expires and only then go through the MOT again and get a new card.
In general, a DC is required only when applying for compulsory motor liability insurance. By providing it, the car owner confirms that the car is technically sound and a sudden breakdown will not cause an accident. The absence of a DC cannot be the reason for refusal of compensation under a mandatory policy for owners of personal cars. Another document may be useful when selling a vehicle, as it will indirectly confirm that the car is in good condition.
But drivers of buses, taxis and some other categories of cars must carry a diagnostic card with them, since a fine of 500 rubles will be imposed for its absence. There is still a high probability that the insurance company will recourse after payment of compensation for repairs.
Recovery process
Lost DC is easy to restore. The procedure for obtaining a duplicate is even prescribed by law. The process is described in Art. 19 Federal Law No. 170 “On technical inspection”. Here in paragraph 7 it is stated that a duplicate can be obtained from any TO operator at any time during the validity period of the DC. It doesn’t matter where the document was received, you can contact the nearest service station accredited by the RCA. The full list is on the official website.
Each inspection operator has access to a special EAISTO database, so the process of re-receiving the paper takes literally 10 minutes.
You will not need to submit your vehicle for inspection again. All you need to do is write a statement or ask verbally for a duplicate of the diagnostic card.
To do this, the specialist should provide information about the car and, if known, the number of the lost registration number. A new paper will be issued on the day of application in just a few minutes.
A fee will be required to obtain a duplicate. The cost of the document, according to clause 9 of Art. 19 of the same Federal Law will be 1/10 of the price of the original. Typically, the owner pays from 800 to 1,500 rubles for a recreation center; it is not difficult to make simple calculations.
That's the whole procedure for restoring a diagnostic card. Remember that if you do not use your car for passenger transportation, you do not have to receive a duplicate, but can safely drive on any roads. All information about passing the technical inspection is already contained in the EAISTO database and the law does not oblige an ordinary driver to confirm this fact when stopped by a traffic police officer.
