What it costs to re-register a 15-year-old car or bike in India

Every Maruti 800, Yamaha RX100, Padmini and Contessa still on the road has been through this at least twice. A private vehicle in India is registered for 15 years, after which the owner has to get the registration renewed, and then renew it again every five years. Miss it and the vehicle is unregistered, which means it cannot legally be driven, insured in the normal way or sold with clean papers.

The fees, in one place

The fees come from the central fee table under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, which state transport departments publish. The Telangana transport department's registration fee page lists renewal of a certificate of registration for a vehicle that has completed 15 years at ₹1,000 for a motorcycle, ₹2,500 for a three wheeler or quadricycle and ₹5,000 for a light motor vehicle. An imported two or three wheeler is ₹10,000 and an imported four wheeler ₹40,000, which matters if your classic came in from abroad.

A renewal needs the vehicle to pass a fitness check. For vehicles exceeding 15 years, the same table lists the test at ₹400 for a motorcycle done manually and ₹500 at an automated station, and ₹800 manual or ₹1,000 automated for a three wheeler or light motor vehicle.

Late applications are charged extra. The fee table adds ₹300 for every month or part of a month of delay for motorcycles and ₹500 a month for other classes of non-transport vehicle, and ₹50 for each day of delay after a certificate of fitness has expired. On an old bike left standing for two years, that penalty can cost more than the renewal itself.

Step by step at the RTO

Autocar India's walkthrough of the online process says you can apply within 60 days before the registration certificate expires, which is the window to aim for. You apply in Form 25, with the original registration certificate, valid insurance, a PUC certificate, the road tax receipt, identity and address proof, and a pencil print of the chassis and engine numbers.

The rest is practical. Pick your state and RTO on the Parivahan portal, choose renewal of registration, upload the documents, pay online and book an inspection slot. Then take the vehicle in. For a 1990s icon, the inspection is where owners lose time: get the chassis number area clean and readable, make sure the engine number matches the book, and have lights, horn, wipers, brakes and the handbrake working. A chassis number that has rusted away is the single most common reason an old car fails to get renewed.

Green tax, and the Delhi NCR exception

Green tax is a state levy and is paid at renewal. Telangana's notification sets it at ₹2,000 for five years for a motorcycle aged 15 to 20 years and ₹5,000 for one over 20 years, and ₹5,000 for five years for other non-transport vehicles aged 15 to 20 years, rising to ₹10,000 beyond 20 years. The same notification exempts vehicles classified as vintage.

Delhi is the exception. Diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years cannot run there, so renewal is not on offer and owners move the vehicle out on a no objection certificate. The Tribune reported on 31 October 2025 that the Delhi government put the one year deadline for those NOC applications in abeyance, so an owner can now apply irrespective of how long ago the registration lapsed, and re-register in a state that still allows the vehicle.

Sources

• Telangana Transport Department, registration fees under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules
• Telangana Transport Department, green tax
• Autocar India, how to renew your registration certificate online
• The Tribune, Delhi removes one year limit on NOC applications for old vehicles