Preserving license plates when selling a vehicle is a service that is becoming increasingly popular among car owners. Previously, this required a personal presence at the traffic police and filling out numerous paper applications, but now the procedure has been significantly simplified. Public services allow you to initiate the process remotely, which saves the driver’s time and nerves. If you're planning to sell your car but want to keep some nice or memorabilia, you'll need to know the ins and outs of the current legal framework.
It is important to understand that the “put for storage” function itself in the classical sense (like things in a cell) through the portal is not implemented in one click. The portal serves as a tool for making an appointment and generating an application for preservation of registration plates. Since 2021, the legislation of the Russian Federation has allowed the owners to retain the numbers for up to one year. During this period, you can sell a car without license plates, and the plates themselves will remain reserved for you in the traffic police database.
This article will analyze in detail the algorithm of actions, the necessary documents and technical nuances that you may encounter when submitting an application via the Internet. We will look at how to fill out the form correctly, what state fees you will have to pay, and what to do if the system gives an error. Digitalization of government services makes the process transparent, but requires care when entering data, since any typo can lead to a refusal to provide the service or the need for re-entry.
Legislative framework and conditions for maintaining numbers
Before you begin active actions on the portal, you must clearly understand the legal framework of the procedure. The opportunity to keep the number plates is enshrined in Order No. 399 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. According to this document, the owner of the vehicle has the right save registration plates when performing any registration actions related to a change in owner. This means that you cannot simply “freeze” the number without selling or re-registering the car - there must be a change of ownership or deregistration.
The storage period is exactly one year from the date of application. During this time, you are required to place these signs on another vehicle in your possession. If you do not use the right to install within a year, the numbers will be disposed of and the possibility of restoring them will disappear. It is also worth noting that the signs must correspond current GOST. If your plates are old (for example, have letters at the end or are of a non-standard size), they may not be accepted for storage until the documents or the vehicle itself are brought into compliance, although in practice old plates are often retained if they are legible and not damaged.
What to do with damaged numbers?
If your license plates are dented, erased or have mechanical damage, the traffic police will refuse to store them. You will first have to make duplicates from a licensed organization, obtain new marks, and only then apply to retain them. Old, damaged signs are scrapped.
⚠️ Attention: Saving license plates is not possible if the car has unpaid fines or restrictions on registration actions. Check the status of the vehicle before starting the procedure.
Preparation of documents and technical requirements
To successfully complete the process through the portal, you will need a verified account. Without the “Verified” status, access to traffic police services is limited. A valid electronic signature is also required, which is built into the user’s personal account, but some actions may require a separate one. EDS, although in most cases standard authorization via SMS or through a bank is sufficient.
You will need original documents, the data from which will be entered into electronic form. We are talking about a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a vehicle registration certificate (VRC) and a vehicle passport (PTS). If the car is pledged or has restrictions placed on it, the system can see this, but it is better to check the car's history in advance. In addition, the license plates themselves must be in perfect condition.
Technically, to work with the portal, it is recommended to use browsers based on the Chromium engine (Google Chrome, Yandex.Browser, Edge) with scripts enabled and pop-up windows enabled. The mobile version of the State Services Auto application also allows you to make an appointment, but it is more convenient to complete the application for saving license plates from the desktop version of the site due to the large number of fields.
☑️ Readiness for the procedure
Step-by-step instructions: registration through the State Services portal
The process begins with authorization on the portal. In the service catalog, you must select the “Transport and Driving” section, and then go to the “Vehicle Registration” subsection. Here we are interested in the “Changing registration data” category. It is in this section that the required function is hidden. Do not look for the “Deposit numbers for storage” button; there is no such wording in the interface.
Select the service “Receipt of STS, PTS or registration plates to replace lost ones or to replace those that have become unusable” or “Change owner data”. Depending on the current version of the interface, the path may differ slightly, but the logic is the same: we initiate a data change, during which we indicate the desire to save the signs. In the application, you must select the item “Issuance of new license plates is required” (for the car) and indicate that the old plates are being transferred for storage.
Next, the system will prompt you to select a traffic police department, the date and time of the visit. It is recommended to choose a large MREO, where there is an equipped box for inspection and issuance of signs. After selecting the time, the form will automatically generate a statement that you will need to carefully check. Pay special attention to the VIN code and body number - mistakes are unacceptable here.
Payment of state duties and financial issues
The number saving service is paid. You will have to pay several government fees. Firstly, this is making changes to the PTS (if it is paper) or issuing a new STS. Secondly, payment for the issuance of new license plates for the car, since you take the old ones for yourself. The cost of services is fixed and established by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.
You can pay fees directly on the portal using a bank card, mobile phone or e-wallet. When paying through State Services, there is often a discount, but its availability depends on the current system settings and regional coefficients. The payment receipt is saved in your personal account; it does not have to be printed, since the inspector sees the receipt of money in the database.
| Type of service | Cost (RUB) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance of new license plates | 2000 | Paid because the car needs new signs |
| Making changes to the PTS | 350 | If the PTS is paper |
| Issuance of a new STS | 500 | Required when changing data |
| Saving numbers | 0 | There is no separate fee for “storage” |
The total cost consists of the cost of new license plates and paperwork. The legislation does not provide for a separate fee for the very fact of reserving old signs.
Visit to the traffic police and obtain documents
At the appointed time, you must arrive at the selected traffic police department. Be sure to take with you all the original documents used to fill out the application, as well as the car itself. The car needs to be driven to the observation deck, as the inspector must check number units and make sure that the car exists and is not stolen.
The queue process is now automated. Go to the terminal or information desk, scan the QR code from the State Services application or call the entry number. You will be given a ticket with the window number and an indication of the examination room. Once the site inspector has marked a successful inspection in the system, you can head into the building.
At the document acceptance window, you will hand over your old license plates (if the procedure involves physically handing them over to a warehouse, which is rare, more often they remain in your hands, but are marked in the database as “in storage”) and receive new ones. It is important to receive a document confirming that the numbers are assigned to you. Usually this is a mark in the application or a separate certificate that must be kept until the signs are installed on a new car.
⚠️ Attention: Do not try to rip or damage the numbers yourself before handing them in. The inspector may require to show the signs in kind. If they are missing or show signs of intentional damage, the service will be denied.
Installing saved numbers on a new car
When you purchase a new car or decide to transfer the saved signs to another existing car, the procedure will need to be repeated, but in reverse order. You will again need to sign up at State Services for “Vehicle Registration” or “Making Changes to the Design/Data”. The application states what you want to use saved registration plates.
Arriving at the traffic police, you provide documents for a new car and a certificate (or data from the database) about the saved license plates. The inspector checks whether the one-year storage period has expired. If the deadline is correct, you will be given your old signs to install on your new car. In this case, the state duty is also paid for issuing the vehicle registration certificate and making changes to the vehicle registration certificate.
It is worth remembering that you can only transfer saved numbers to a vehicle that belongs to the same owner. You cannot sell the “right to a license plate” separately from the car. If you sell a car that has saved plates on it, the right to them will expire if you do not have time to transfer them to your other car before the sale.
Save electronic copies of all certificates about saving numbers in the cloud. Paper documents tend to get lost, and access to the database through State Services may be temporarily limited.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to extend the shelf life of numbers after a year has expired?
Unfortunately, the legislation of the Russian Federation does not provide for the possibility of extending the storage period. If within 365 days you have not installed the saved numbers on another car, they are canceled and sent to the meltdown. It will be impossible to restore them; you will have to get new ones.
What should I do if I sold a car with plates that I wanted to keep?
In this case, you will no longer be able to save the numbers. The right to preserve registration marks is exercised only at the time of registration of the transfer of ownership. If you gave the car to the buyer along with the plates, they went with it. To save it, you had to first deregister the car or re-register it in your name without license plates, and only then sell it.
Do I need to go to the traffic police if I submit an application through State Services?
Yes, a personal visit is required. Public services are used only for submitting an application and making an appointment at a convenient time. Physical inspection of the car, verification of unit numbers and issuance of documents occur only in the presence of the owner and the car at the traffic police department.
Is it possible to save numbers if they are damaged?
No. To save the numbers must comply with GOST. If signs have rust, peeling paint, dents, or erased characters, the inspector has the right to refuse preservation. You will have to make duplicates at your own expense in a specialized company and contact the traffic police with them.