Punjab makes vehicle registration mandatory before delivery

LAHORE: A big announcement has been made for those buying new vehicles, as the Punjab government has made registration mandatory for all newly purchased vehicles before delivery.

Under the new decision, no new vehicle can be handed over to the buyer from the showroom without completing official registration.

On the instructions of Director General Excise Punjab Umar Sher Chatha, the new policy has been implemented immediately, under which all automobile companies, authorized dealerships, and motor branch officials have been obliged to complete the registration of every new vehicle before delivery.

Officials said that buyers holding Punjab’s computerized national identity card will now be provided with a fully registered vehicle, official number plate, and all legal documents, which will eliminate the need for them to visit excise offices later.

For this purpose, authorized dealerships will be given the option to register under the Dealer Vehicle Registration System, and vehicle manufacturers have been directed to provide a list of all their authorized dealerships to the Excise Department, after which they will be issued DVRS licenses.

Excise officials said that currently 102 dealerships across Punjab are registered under DVRS and are providing registration facilities, while preparations are underway to further expand this network so that this system can be implemented throughout the province.

Currently, dealerships are charging a service fee of Rs 2,000 for each vehicle registration; however, a proposal to slightly increase this fee is also under consideration to make the digital registration system more effective.

The government said that the new policy will make the vehicle registration process more transparent, ensure timely collection of token tax, registration fee, and other government revenues, while buyers will also have the convenience of completing all legal procedures at one place.