Procedure saving license plate has become much easier with the introduction of digital services, but requires strict adherence to the algorithm of actions so as not to lose the right to the desired combination. If you are planning to sell a vehicle or scrap it, but want to keep a “thieves’ license plate” or just a nice license plate, you must submit a corresponding application to the traffic police electronically. This action “freezes” the license plate for a certain period of time, allowing it to be installed on a new or other existing car in the future.
It is important to understand that there is no automatic extension of the retention period, and missing the deadline will result in the cancellation of the reserve. In this case, the combination of symbols will go into the general pool and can go to another citizen when registering any vehicle. Therefore, to the question reservations You should approach it responsibly by preparing all the necessary documents in advance and paying government fees.
The modern functionality of the portal allows you to avoid queues at registration departments at the stage of submitting an application. You fill out an application, pay for services online with a discount (if applicable) or through a bank, and come to the traffic police for the final procedure for issuing documents and, if necessary, the plates themselves, if they are stored in the institution.
Legislative basis and storage periods
The issue of assignment and preservation of registration plates is regulated by the Federal Law “On State Registration of Vehicles” and the relevant administrative regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to current regulations, the period for which you can reserve a room, is exactly 360 days (actually about a year) from the date of filing the application. This period is the same for all cases: be it the sale of a car, its theft, disposal, or simply the owner’s desire to change the vehicle, keeping the current number.
During this year, the license plate is registered with you in the traffic police database, but is not tied to any specific car. This gives you flexibility: you can sell your old car, buy a new one (or even multiple cars within a year) and reserve the combination for a new vehicle at any time before the expiration date. However, if 360 days pass and you do not complete the documents to assign a number to a new car, the right to it will expire.
⚠️ Attention: It is impossible to extend the storage period of the number beyond 360 days. If you do not have time to install it on a new vehicle within a year, the combination is automatically returned to circulation and can be issued to another applicant.
It is worth noting that the legislation does not limit the number of times you can save the number, but each time the procedure requires re-writing the application and paying the state fee when actually issuing signs or documents. It is also important that at the time of filing the application for preservation, the owner and the vehicle are in the same region of registration, since the region codes on the license plates must correspond to the owner’s registration.
Required documents and conditions
To successfully complete the procedure through the government services portal, you will need a minimum package of documents that must be up to date. First of all, it is necessary passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, the data of which must match the data of the vehicle owner in the traffic police database. If the owner is a legal entity, documents confirming the authority of the organization’s representative will be required.
The second key document is the STS (Vehicle Registration Certificate) and PTS (Vehicle Passport, if it is paper). In the case of an electronic PTS, the data is automatically pulled from the database, but it won’t hurt to have access to it for reconciliation. It is also necessary that the car undergoes technical inspection (if required for this category of vehicle) and is insured under MTPL, although the policy is checked automatically using the RSA database.
- 🚗 Vehicle passport (original paper PTS or extract from EPTS).
- 📄 Vehicle registration certificate (STS) - original.
- 🆔 Passport of the owner of the car (owner).
- 💰 Receipts for payment of state duties (saved electronically).
An important condition is the absence of restrictions on registration actions. If the car has fines, arrests from bailiffs or other prohibitions, the system will not allow you to complete the procedure. Therefore, it is recommended to check the vehicle's history and any debts before applying.
Before submitting your application, check that the data in the STS and Passport match 100%. Even one changed letter in the last name due to an inspector’s mistake during the previous registration can cause a refusal of automatic verification.
Step-by-step instructions for submitting an application to the State Services
The service registration process is completely digital and takes no more than 15-20 minutes if all data is available. First you need to log in to the portal Gosuslugi.ru under your account. The service is called “Change registration data” or “Save license plate”. It is important to choose exactly the section that suits your situation (sale, disposal, theft).
After selecting a service, the system will prompt you to fill out an electronic application. Data about the owner will be pulled up from the profile, and data about the car will be pulled up by VIN code or STS number. You will need to indicate the reason for keeping the plate (for example, "in connection with the sale of the vehicle") and confirm that you want to keep the registration plates. At this stage, the system will generate the cost of services that need to be paid.
☑️ Checklist before applying
Next comes the stage of registration with the traffic police department. Even if you apply online, an in-person visit to verify original documents and (sometimes) inspect the vehicle is required. You choose a convenient branch and time of visit. After filling out all fields, the application is sent for verification. The review status will be displayed in your personal account.
Sequence of actions in the menu:1. Services
2. Transport and driving
3. Vehicle registration
4. Changing vehicle data
5. Saving the license plate
Payment of state fees and cost of services
The financial side of the issue consists of several components. Saving your number is a paid service, and ignoring the payment will result in your application not being accepted. The main costs are for the issuance of a new STS with a mark on the storage of signs and making changes to the PTS. The service for issuing the license plates themselves is also paid if you decide to pick them up for physical storage, although more often they remain at the traffic police.
The amounts of state duties are regulated by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and can be indexed. The current cost structure is as follows:
td>Record about changing owner/saving number
td>If signs are handed over to the owner
| Type of service | Description | Approximate cost (RUB) |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance of a new STS | Plastic card with new data | 500 - 1 500 |
| Making changes to the PTS | 350 - 800 | |
| Issuance of license plates | 2 000 | |
| Saving a number | Administrative reservation procedure | Free (included in fees) |
You can pay the state fee directly on the portal with a bank card, through SBP or from your mobile phone balance. When paying through State Services, there is often (but not always) a 30% discount, which allows you to save significantly. Save electronic receipts - they are automatically loaded into the application, but it will not be superfluous to have a backup copy of them on your smartphone when you visit the traffic police.
⚠️ Attention: If you plan to assign the saved number to a new car in the future, you will again have to pay state fees for issuing a new STS and making changes to the PTS. Keeping your number does not exempt you from subsequent registration costs.
Receipt of documents and physical storage
After successful processing of the application and payment of fees, the stage of the visit to the traffic police begins. At the appointed time, you arrive at the selected department with the originals of all documents and the car itself (to verify VIN numbers, if required by the regulations of a particular department). The inspector checks the documents, verifies the unit numbers and issues you a new STS, where in the registration plate column there will be a mark indicating that the plates have been deposited (or issued).
There are two options for further actions with the metal signs themselves. The first is that you hand them over to the traffic police, and they are stored in a special room by the state. Second, you keep them. In both cases, the database assigns you the right to this combination. However, if you took the numbers for yourself, responsibility for their safety and readability falls entirely on you.
What to do if license plates are damaged?
If during storage in your home or garage the license plates have rusted, become bent or become unreadable, the traffic police will refuse to reinstall them. You will have to order duplicates from a private manufacturer (which is permitted by law if you have a certificate of compliance) or go through the procedure of obtaining new signs from the traffic police, which can be more difficult.
When you subsequently purchase a new vehicle, you simply indicate on your registration application that you wish to use the “stored” number. The system will automatically find your reserved plate and assign it to the new vehicle. Physically, you may be given new signs (if you returned the old ones) or allowed to install the old ones (if you have them in your hands and are in good condition).
Common errors and ways to resolve them
Despite its apparent simplicity, users often encounter technical or bureaucratic problems. One of the most common mistakes is trying to save a number that is on the wanted list or has a “lost” status in the database. There are also frequent refusals due to a discrepancy between the region of registration of the owner and the region code on the license plate. Since 2020, the link to the region has become strict: you cannot save a number with the code 777 if you are registered in the Moscow region.
Another problem is the expiration of the diagnostic card (technical inspection) at the time of submitting the application. Although technical inspection is not formally required for passenger cars of private owners under 4 years old, its presence is critical for older cars or commercial vehicles. The system can automatically reject an application if there is no valid coupon in the EAISTO database.
- ❌ An attempt to save a license plate for a car that is pledged to the bank without the consent of the pledge holder.
- ❌ Errors in filling out the VIN code when entering manually (it is better to copy from the STS).
- ❌ Ignoring the requirement for regional binding (number code = registration region code).
- ❌ Missing the 360-day deadline for installing a license plate on a new car.
If you encounter a refusal, carefully study the reason indicated in the application status. In most cases, the error can be corrected by eliminating the cause (for example, by paying a fine or updating the inspection data), and resubmitting the application. In controversial situations, when the refusal seems unfounded, you should contact the portal’s technical support or make an appointment with the head of the registration department for clarification.
Key Point: Successful retention of your number guarantees you the right to use it for a year, but does not give you immunity from general registration rules. The car on which you will put this number must be in good working order and legally clean.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to keep the number if the car is stolen?
Yes, the law allows you to keep your license plate if your vehicle is stolen. To do this, you must have a certificate from the police about the initiation of a criminal case. The storage period will also be 360 days, during which you can install this number on another car if the stolen one is not found.
What happens if I don’t have time to put a license plate on a new car in a year?
After 360 days, the reservation is canceled automatically. The license plate is returned to the general pool of available license plates in your region and can be issued to any other citizen when registering a car. It will no longer be possible to restore the right to this specific number.
Do I need to take my old car to the traffic police to keep the license plate?
In most cases, an inspection of an old car is not required if you are simply changing ownership or deregistering it. However, if the procedure involves a design change or other specific actions, the inspector may require production of the vehicle. The exact list of actions when registering for State Services will indicate whether an inspection is needed.
Is it possible to sell a saved license plate separately from the car?
No, Russian legislation prohibits the purchase and sale of license plates as independent objects. The number can only be “saved” for the owner and then assigned to another vehicle. Any scheme to “sell” a license plate number is actually the sale of a car with this license plate number followed by deregistration.
Is it possible to keep the number if I am registered in one region, and the car is registered in another?
No. According to current rules, the region code on the license plate must correspond to the region of registration of the owner. If you are registered in region A, and the car is registered in region B, you will first need to re-register the car in your region of registration, and only then (or at the same time) can you talk about saving the number with the correct code.