How to Get a Vehicle Fitness Certificate for Car, Bike & Other Vehicles?

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1989 mentions that every vehicle should have a valid vehicle fitness certificate (FC) to ensure if it is fit for the roads. The registration of both commercial and private cars becomes easier when the Government issues an FC.

So, if you are planning to buy a car anytime soon, it is wise to clearly understand the process to apply for an FC and other formalities.

If you are still wondering what the primary purpose behind obtaining an FC is, keep scrolling down!

Importance of an Fitness Certificate for a Vehicle

Apart from trying to avoid paying fines and vehicle seizure, here are all the reasons that make a vehicle fitness certificate mandatory -

Since pollution is becoming a significant issue with every passing day, monitoring the amount of smoke a vehicle releases is necessary to prevent that. One of the key purposes of a fitness certificate for vehicles is checking and monitoring pollution arising due to motor vehicle emissions.
A fitness certificate is necessary to maintain excellent health of your vehicle.
Lastly, to avoid road accidents that might take place due to the improper condition of your vehicle.

Since it is pretty clear why a vehicle fitness certificate is necessary for both private and commercial vehicles, let’s see how its application process works.

How to Apply for a Fitness Certificate of a Vehicle?

As mentioned earlier, both offline and online procedures are available to help out the vehicle owners.

Offline Procedure for Fitness Certificate of a Vehicle

Here is a step-by-step guide to applying offline -

Step 1: Go to your zonal RTO office and collect both form 20 and form 38 for transport vehicles.
Step 2: Fill in and submit these forms along with the necessary documents at the counter.
Step 3: Pay the required fees and bring in your vehicle as well for inspection.

Online Procedure for Fitness Certificate of a Vehicle

Now, here is what you need to do to complete the entire process from the comfort of your home -

Step 1: Visit the official Parivahan Sewa portal and enter your vehicle’s registration number.
Step 2: Select ‘Application for Fitness Certificate’ under the ‘Online Services’ option on the menu bar.
Step 3: After that, provide both your Chassis number and registered mobile number. Next, you will receive a one-time password.
Step 4: Now, enter the OTP and other necessary information like insurance details, fee information for the application, etc.
Step 5: Make payment in the next step and collect the digital receipt along with the application letter. Once you apply for a vehicle fitness certificate online, you will have to submit these documents at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) to acquire your FC.

Note that to complete these procedures successfully, make sure that you are eligible for a vehicle FC in the first place. Generally, individuals can get a fitness certificate after his/her car or bike passes all sorts of fitness tests. There might be other parameters you need to meet before even applying for this, so make sure you contact your RTO to get those details along with document requirements as well.

Documents Required to Obtain a Vehicle FC

Make sure to keep the following documents handy when applying for a vehicle fitness certificate online -

Form 20
Form 22
Form 21
Receipt of road tax paid
Insurance certificate
Original registration certificate of the vehicle
Valid Pollution Under Control certificate
A pencil imprint of the motor vehicle chassis
Temporary registration, if any
Address proof
Certificate of permit
Valid ID proof
Passport-size photographs

Apart from these, you also need to provide the fee receipt and a copy of your application. Now that you know the basic requirements to obtain a car FC or any commercial vehicle, know the fees you have to bear for the same.

What Are the Fees to Obtain a Vehicle Fitness Certificate?

Go through the following table to get an overall idea regarding the prescribed fee payable for fresh FCs for commercial vehicles. However, you must also note that the fees might differ across different RTOs.

Type of Vehicles	Fee Payable
Heavy or Medium Motor Vehicle	Manual: ₹600, Automated: ₹1000
Three-wheeled or Light Motor Vehicle	Manual: ₹400, Automated: ₹600
Bike FC	Manual: ₹200, Automated: ₹400

Note that for private vehicles, the fee is generally applicable along with the registration fee.

As mentioned earlier, having a vehicle fitness certificate is mandatory. Otherwise, you will have to bear the consequences. The Motor vehicle Act 1989 states a penalty of ₹100 for the first offence, and a repetition of the same mistake can cost you up to ₹5000.

To avoid these complications, obtain your VC today!

Plus, if you are still wondering how to check the fitness certificate of a vehicle online, the Parivahan Sewa portal is there to help you with that too!

Frequently Asked Questions

✓ What happens if an online vehicle fitness certificate is rejected during an inspection?

An RTO officer conducts vehicle inspection, where he/she examines the vehicle visually. Additionally, RTO officers use other devices and drive the vehicle for a few meters to complete the check. If the vehicle owner faces rejection after that, the first step will be to know the reasons behind this and fix those. After completion of the repair work, he/she can apply for an FC again.

✓ How long does the validity period of a commercial vehicle fitness certificate last?

The validity period will depend on the age of your vehicle. If it is 8 years old, then your vehicle fitness certificate will be valid for 2 years. Conversely, for vehicles more than 8 years old, the validity is 1 year.