Car examination during re-registration has become voluntary again
The government simplified and reduced the cost of re-registering cars in the domestic market.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Bohdan Drapyatyi told the Censor.net website that the Interior Ministry has abandoned the mandatory examination of a car during its re-registration within Ukraine.
This is enshrined in the government decree “On Amendments to the Procedure for State Registration (Re-registration), Deregistration of Vehicles…”
A year and a half ago, the expert examination procedure was made mandatory when re-registering a car from one owner to another (except for inheritance and transactions between relatives). And now it is becoming voluntary again. The exception is the first import of used cars from abroad.
Without a mandatory examination, the procedure for buying and selling a car becomes more convenient and cheaper. Now, to re-register a car, you need to sign up for an electronic queue for a specific date and time (online or via a terminal) and receive the service in about 25 minutes. Previously, the examination procedure took the same amount of time or even longer.
From now on, expert examination of a vehicle and its registration documents is carried out exclusively at the request of the seller or buyer. It will be done by MIA experts before the vehicle is registered at the MIA Service Center for about 320 UAH. “This approach is in line with the philosophy of providing citizens with a choice in the format and method of receiving public services,” explains the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And also because of the negligible percentage of “problematic” machines detected during expert research.
However, there are a number of risks for a buyer who does not want to do additional expertise, Bohdan Drapyatyi is sure. In particular, it is not uncommon for the identification number of the engine and chassis of a car to be forged or replaced. Such actions fall within the scope of a criminal offense under Article 290 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for a fine of one hundred and fifty (UAH 201,300) to two hundred and fifty (UAH 335,500) tax-free minimum incomes, or correctional labor for up to two years, or imprisonment for up to three years.
When expert examination during vehicle re-registration was mandatory, in 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs experts found 1202 vehicles with forged or replaced engine and chassis identification numbers, and in the first half of 2023 – 381. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs admitted that most of these violations were detected during the examination of used vehicles imported from abroad for the first time (the obligation to have them expertly examined remains). In total, about 1.5 million expert examinations of vehicles and their registration documents are carried out annually. In other words, as a percentage of the total number of studies, experts found 0.08% of violations.
If you purchase such a car, the person in whose name the vehicle is registered will be liable.
Interestingly, the abolition of the mandatory examination will finally make the upcoming online vehicle re-registration service (scheduled for September 2023) really convenient. To buy a car, two smartphones (buyer and seller) will be enough through the Diia app or the Driver’s Electronic Office. After that, the new license plates and registration certificate can be picked up at a convenient service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or ordered by mail or courier.
