The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has notified certain changes in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to facilitate the owner of a vehicle to nominate a person in the registration certificate. This option will enable easy transfer of ownership, in case of the death of the owner. The current process is cumbersome and non-uniform across the country. In case of the death of a registered owner of a vehicle, the procedure of transferring the vehicle to a nominee requires complying with a raft of procedures and frequent visits to different offices.
As per the new notification, the owner can add the name of the nominee at the time of registration of the vehicles or can also add it later via an online application. The owner of a vehicle has to submit proof of the identity of the nominee, in case the nominee is mentioned. The notification reads, “Where the owner of a motor vehicle dies, the person nominated by the vehicle owner in the certificate of registration or the person succeeding to the possession of the vehicle, as the case may be, may for a period of three months from the death of the owner of the motor vehicle, use the vehicle as if it has been transferred to him, provided that such person has, within thirty days of the death of the owner, informed the registering authority of the occurrence of the death of the owner and of his own intention to use the vehicle.”
The nominee or person succeeding to the possession of the vehicle shall apply in Form 31 within the period of three months from the death of the owner of the motor vehicle, to the registering authority for the transfer of ownership of the vehicle in his name. For change in nominee in case of contingencies like divorce or division of property, the owner may change the nomination with an agreed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
On 27 November, 2020 MoRTH had proposed to amend the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 to facilitate the owner of a vehicle for nominating a person in the registration certificate.
