Losing your car’s registration papers can happen in many ways, fires, floods, accidentally throwing them away between a mess of other documents, or simply misplacing them and forgetting where they are.
No matter how you lost them, it can be a nightmare selling a vehicle if you do not have them.
There might be another reason you are in need of new vehicle registration documents, such as if the chassis, engine, or VIN number of your vehicle has changed.
Fortunately, a duplicate document can easily be requested from your local motor vehicle registering authority (MVRA) wherever you may find yourself within the borders of South Africa.
What you should do
If you are in need of a new car registration certificate, the first step to follow is to head to the nearest MVRA with your identity document (ID) and proof of address in hand.
If the proof of address is not in your name, the person who is named must sign an affidavit declaring that you live at the given location. If you live in an informal settlement, the ward councillor must sign a document confirming your residential address and verify it with an official date stamp.
Once at the MVRA, complete the necessary paperwork namely the “Application for duplicate registration/Deregistration certificate in respect of motor vehicle” otherwise known as the DRC form, as well as the “Declaration in respect of lost documents” (DCT) form.
The only course of action then remaining is to pay the application fee and wait for the MVRA to issue the new certificate, which can take up to seven days, according to the national government.
What it costs
The cost of applying for a duplicate registration certificate is dependent on which MVRA you visit.
In Johannesburg, for example, applying for the document via the Licensing Directorate costs R264.00.
In Cape Town, however, the price is listed at R165.00 and could be as low as R33.00 if you hand in your old registration papers when applying for new ones in the case of a chassis, engine, or VIN number change.
Where you should go
For the major metros in South Africa, there are several MVRAs at which you can apply for a duplicate certificate in person.
- Cape Town – 21 locations
- Durban/KZN region – 39 locations
- Johannesburg – 7 locations
- Pretoria – 4 locations
Click on the links to find the MVRA closest to you. Keep in mind that a standard driver’s licence testing centre (DLTC) may not double as an MVRA.
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