Selling a vehicle registered in another constituent entity of the Russian Federation often puts the owner in a dilemma: leave the current digital designations on the body or hand them over to the traffic police. If you plan to re-register the car to a buyer from your city, but want to keep the license plates of another region, you need to initiate the procedure for saving them in advance, since there is no automatic extension of the validity period of the codes when the owner changes. Ignoring this step will result in the unique combination of numbers being scrapped and the new owner being issued standard marks for your region, which can significantly reduce the marketability of the car for subsequent resale.
The process of securing oneself state registration plate (GRZ) with a foreign region code requires the implementation of a number of bureaucratic actions, which are regulated by the Administrative Regulations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The owner must physically deliver the car to the State Traffic Inspectorate department or use specialized sites for removing signs, if allowed by local rules, in order to transfer them for safekeeping. Without going through this procedure, when concluding a purchase and sale agreement (SPA), the current license plates will be considered to belong to the car, and not to a specific person, and will automatically be transferred to the new owner or will be replaced by the inspector during inspection.
The main difficulty is that the legislation clearly distinguishes between the concepts of “keeping a number” and “assigning a number”, and confusion in terms often leads to refusals to issue documents. Shelf life reserved signs is one year with the possibility of renewal, however, a state fee is charged for this service, the amount of which must be verified as current at the time of filing the application. It is important to understand that you can leave license plates of another region only if they are in proper technical condition and comply with GOST, otherwise the inspector has the right to demand their replacement with new ones before storing them.
Legal grounds for maintaining GRZ
The right of the owner of a vehicle to dispose of the property assigned to him registration plate enshrined in the current legislation of the Russian Federation and allows you to save the combination of numbers and letters even when changing your region of registration or selling a car. Previously, the rules were more strict and required that the region code on the numbers match the region of registration of the owner, but modern standards allow storing signs with any code of the subject of the federation. This means that you can be registered in Moscow, and the traffic police will have numbers with code 78 or 16 in storage, and this will not constitute a violation.
The key document regulating this process is the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which establishes the procedure for registering vehicles. According to it, when performing any registration actions, such as deregistration or change of ownership, the owner has the right to write a statement to preserve the GRZ. Without this statement, the inspector acts according to the standard algorithm: if the new owner does not want to keep the old license plates or does not have the right to them (for example, he sells the car to a reseller), the signs must be replaced.
⚠️ Attention: Saving the number is only possible if the car has passed a technical inspection and has no registration restrictions. If there are fines on the car or it is in collateral, the procedure for preserving the signs will not be possible until the obstacles are removed.
It is worth noting that the legislator does not limit the number of times the same number can be stored, however, each cycle requires payment of a state fee and going through the full registration procedure. Legally, a license plate is considered as an individualizing feature that can be alienated from a vehicle at the will of the owner, but cannot be transferred directly to another person, bypassing the procedure of re-registration to a new owner through the sale of the car.
Step-by-step instructions for saving your number
The procedure for securing the desired combination of symbols requires sequential execution of actions, violation of which may lead to loss of the right to use the GRZ. The first step is to prepare the car for a visit to the traffic police: you need to make sure that the VIN code is readable, that there are no design changes and that you have a valid MTPL policy. If you plan to leave license plates of another region, make sure that the car itself has no restrictions, since a “foreign” registration region often becomes the subject of close attention of inspectors when checking the car’s history.
This is followed by a direct visit to the registration and examination department, where an application for registration actions is submitted in order to preservation of the state registration plate. The application indicates the reason (vehicle sale, disposal, or simply the desire to reserve a sign) and the owner’s information. The inspector inspects the vehicle, checks the unit numbers and, if everything is in order, removes the old license plates, issuing new ones in return (if the car is still running) or deregistration certificates.
☑️ Checklist before applying
After successfully handing over the old signs, the owner is issued a new STS with new numbers (or a deregistration mark) and a document confirming the right to use the reserved GRZ. This document must be kept intact, since it is the one that will be required when you subsequently install the saved number on any other car that you own.
Cost and shelf life of rooms
The financial side of the issue of preserving registration plates consists of several components, the main of which is the state duty. Currently, a fixed amount is charged for issuing a certificate of assignment of a GRZ and making changes to registration data, which is periodically indexed. In addition, if you hand over old metal plates for storage and receive new ones in return (for example, when selling a car while keeping the license plate), you will have to pay for the production of new signs and changes to the PTS and STS.
The period during which saved number awaits its owner, is exactly 365 days from the date of application. This period is not automatically extended, and if within a year you do not contact the traffic police to install a license plate on your car, it will be canceled and returned to the general pool of free combinations. The storage period cannot be extended; you can only exercise your right during this year.
| Action | Cost (RUB) | Due date | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issuance of a certificate for the State Register | 3 000 | 1 hour - 1 day | Certificate |
| Making changes to the PTS | 350 - 800 | At the time of contact | Registration in PTS |
| Issuance of a new STS | 500 - 1 500 | At the time of contact | Plastic STS |
| Making duplicates (if necessary) | 2 000 - 5 000 | 15 min - 2 hours | Metal signs |
It is worth considering that prices for making duplicates in private licensed locations may vary depending on the region and urgency, while state duties are the same throughout the country. If you plan to change cars often, leaving the same number, it is more economically feasible to pay for the preservation procedure than to lose a beautiful combination every time and look for a new one.
The nuances of paying state fees
When paying through the State Services portal, there is often a discount, but at the time of writing, the functionality of payment with a discount may be limited. It is recommended to check current tariffs directly in the application or on the terminal at the traffic police department.
Technical requirements for license plates
One of the critical points where the preservation procedure often fails is the physical condition of the license plates themselves. According to GOST R 50577-2018, registration plates must be readable and free from creases, cracks, corrosion, painted areas or other damage that makes character recognition difficult. If the inspector finds during inspection that license plate does not meet the standard, he has every right to refuse to accept signs for storage and demand their replacement.
If defects are detected, the owner will have to independently make duplicates in a specialized organization that has the appropriate license and equipment. After this, the procedure is repeated: you arrive with new, ideal rooms and rent them out. Trying to return a worn or deformed number will only result in wasted time and the need for a repeat visit.
⚠️ Attention: Painting yourself, welding cracks or trying to straighten a number with a hammer is unacceptable