How To Identify An Original RC From A Fake One

The Motor Vehicles Act has made it compulsory that the owner of every vehicle should have a valid registration certificate in order to drive it on the Indian roads.

Basics of a vehicle registration certificate

1. You can get the registration certificate for your brand new vehicle by visiting your nearest RTO.
2. You may also obtain a registration certificate with the help of car or two-wheeler dealers.  
3. The certificate is valid for a period of 15 years and once it expires, it has to be renewed every 5 years.

What to be aware of regarding a vehicle registration certificate

While applying for a registration certificate for your new car or bike, you need to be aware that you may be provided with a fake certificate. This can happen even if you take the assistance of an agent. It is very important to check for the authenticity of your certificate in order to avoid any confusion in the future.

In India, there is no fixed pattern or format for the registration certificate of vehicles in different states. Moreover, the format keeps varying on a regular basis. Hence, it is quite difficult to check genuineness of a certificate.

Ways to assess the authenticity of a vehicle registration certificate

It is crucial to see if your registration certificate is real or fake. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to identify its genuineness:

1. Check for the colour and the font in the certificate: If you have a fake certificate, the text will be given in light font with different font styles. If it is an original certificate, there won't be any difference in the colour shades and the font of the text will be absolutely clear.
2. Check for the size of your vehicle registration certificate: You can tell if your certificate is fake or genuine by looking at its size. A fake certificate is much bigger than the original certificate that is issued by official authorities.
3. Observe the finish of your registration certificate: Make sure you check the finish of your certificate thoroughly. If it has an improper finish with additional lines on the upper or lower part of the certificate, then you can be sure that you have got a fake one.
4. Observe the base paper of your certificate: Many people are forging the base paper of vehicle registration certificates nowadays. The original certificate will have a perfectly clear base paper format as opposed to the base paper used in a fake certificate.
5. Look at the colour of the stamp on your certificate carefully: Every registration certificate comes with a stamp at the bottom part of the certificate. This stamp can help you evaluate if your certificate is real or fake. If it is original, the stamp will be purple in colour. On the other hand, if it is forged, the stamp will be in blue or some other colour.

These are some of the ways through which you can check for the originality of your vehicle registration certificate. You need to make certain that you have an original one as it is a very important document for your vehicle usage.