The situation when a car owner sells the vehicle, but wants to retain the current state registration plates, occurs quite often. This may be due to personal preference, numerology, or simply a habit of a particular combination of letters and numbers. However, many citizens mistakenly believe that the numbers remain in the police department forever or are burned out after a couple of months. In reality, the legislation clearly regulates the time frame during which license plates awaiting their owner.
If you are planning a purchase and sale transaction and want to keep “beautiful” or simply familiar signs for yourself, you need to understand the procedure for transferring them for safekeeping. Errors at this stage can lead to the fact that the desired combination goes to another buyer or goes into reserve. It is important to know not only the deadlines, but also the legal nuances of filing an application in MREO traffic police.
In this article, we will analyze in detail how much time is given to save the license plates, what documents are required to start the procedure, and what to do if you did not manage to buy a new car within the allotted period. We will also touch upon the issue of the cost of the service and common myths that exist among car enthusiasts. Knowing these rules will help you avoid bureaucratic delays and loss of the desired registration plate.
Legislative basis for storing signs
The main document regulating the procedure for registering vehicles and circulating license plates is Order No. 950 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. It was this regulatory act that made significant changes to the procedure, making it more transparent and convenient for citizens. Previously, there were certain restrictions and requirements for the status of numbers, which have now been simplified or abolished. Now the procedure for transferring signs for storage has become a standard administrative service.
According to the current rules, the owner of the vehicle has every right to retain state registration plates when performing any registration actions. This could be the sale of the car, its disposal, or deregistration due to export outside the Russian Federation. The key is to submit the appropriate statements to the registration department.
⚠️ Attention: Numbers are not automatically stored. If you simply sell the car and do not apply to retain the signs, they will go to the new owner along with the car, and it will be impossible to get them back.
It is important to note that the legislation does not differentiate between regions. The rules are the same for the entire territory of the country, be it Moscow, Vladivostok or any other populated area. However, the technical capabilities of a particular MREO may differ: in some branches they still require the physical presence of signs for verification, in others a statement is sufficient if the signs are already in the hands of the owner after the transaction.
How long are saved numbers valid?
The most exciting question for car owners is the specific time interval during which the traffic police guarantees the reservation of your particular combination of numbers and letters. Until recently, this period was only 180 days, which often created inconvenience for those who did not plan to purchase a new car in the next six months. Now the situation has changed dramatically for the better.
Currently established by law shelf life car number plates in the traffic police is 365 days (one calendar year). This period is counted from the date of filing the application to retain state registration plates. During this year, you have every right not to purchase a new car and not to register anything, while the reserved combination will be registered with you.
- 📅 The validity period of the reserve is exactly 365 days from the date of application.
- 🔄 Extension of the term is possible only once after the first year.
- 📝 The basis for counting is the date of registration of the application in the traffic police office.
There is a possibility of extending this period if during the allotted year you have not acquired a new “iron horse”. To do this, you must submit a second application before the expiration of the current retention period. However, it is worth remembering that storage can be extended only once and for another year. Thus, the maximum period during which the numbers will wait for their owner is two years.
The maximum period for storing numbers is 2 years (1 year + 1 year extension), after which they go into the general reserve.
Step-by-step instructions: how to deposit numbers for storage
The procedure for depositing numbers is not particularly difficult, but it requires care when filling out documents. It is important to complete all steps sequentially to avoid rejection of your application. You should start by preparing the vehicle itself and the documents for it.
The first step is to visit the traffic police department where the car is registered. You need to write an application for registration actions. The application must indicate that you wish to retain your state registration plates. After this, the inspector will inspect the car (if it is still running and registered) or check the documents if the car has already been sold or disposed of, and the signs are in your hands.
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After submitting the application and checking the data, the old license plates are confiscated (if they were on the car) or accepted according to the act. In return, you will be given new, random numbers if the car is still driving, or simply documents about deregistration. The main thing is to receive a document confirming the fact that your old signs have been accepted for safekeeping. Usually this is a note in the application or a separate act.
⚠️ Attention: When handing over your numbers, make sure that they are not heavily corroded, deformed, or covered in paint. If signs are found unreadable, the inspector has the right to send them for examination or refuse to preserve them, requiring the production of duplicates.
If you have already sold the car, but you still have the plates (for example, the buyer asked to supply others), you can come to the traffic police yourself. In this case, the procedure is simplified: you write an application to preserve the signs, present your passport and the signs themselves. It is important to do this within a reasonable time after the transaction, until the data in the database is completely updated.
Required documents and cost of service
To successfully implement the procedure for saving numbers, a minimum package of documents will be required. Bureaucracy in this matter is reduced to the necessary minimum, however, the absence of even one certificate may result in refusal to accept the application on the day of application.
The standard list includes:
- 🪪 Passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation (vehicle owner).
- 🚗 Vehicle Passport (PTS) or electronic PTS.
- 📄 Vehicle registration certificate (STS), if the car is still registered.
- 💰 Receipts for payment of state duties.
Many drivers mistakenly believe that the license plate storage service is paid. In fact, there is no separate state duty specifically for “storage” or “reservation”. You only pay for related registration actions: issuing a new STS, making changes to the title and issuing new license plates (if the car is still driving). If you are handing over only signs (the car has been sold or scrapped), then you only need to pay for the issuance of a new STS in your name (if you apply for a new car right away) or for other actions.
| Type of action | Duty amount (RUB) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Issuance of a new STS | 500 (paper) / 1500 (plastic) | Paid upon re-registration |
| Making changes to the PTS | 350 | If the PTS is paper |
| Issuance of new numbers | 2000 | If the car is still running |
| Saving signs | 0 | There is no separate duty |
Payment is best made through the portal Public services, where there is often a discount, although its application has varied recently. Save your receipts electronically, as they may be required for reconciliation at the branch.
Save electronic copies of all paid receipts in the cloud or on your phone. In the event of a failure in the traffic police database, this will speed up the search for payments and receipt of services.
Installing saved numbers on a new car
The process of “activating” your stored plates is only possible when you purchase a new car or motorcycle. You can’t just take the signs home as souvenirs - they must be installed on the vehicle. The installation procedure takes place at the time of registration of a new car with the traffic police.
When submitting documents to register a new vehicle, you indicate in the application that you want to use previously saved state registration plates. The inspector checks the database, makes sure that the storage period has not expired, and gives you your old plates. It is important that the car must be technically sound, and the signs must correspond to the type of vehicle (for example, motorcycle license plates cannot be placed on a passenger car without appropriate changes in the design and documents).
It is worth considering the standard size of the signs. If you kept old-style plates (for example, square ones for Japanese cars or motorcycles), but bought a car with a mount for the standard Russian format, difficulties may arise. In such cases, it may be necessary to order special frames or, in rare cases, to make duplicates while preserving the symbols, but in a new format (which requires a separate procedure and justification).
What if a new car was purchased in another region?
You do not need to go to the region where the numbers are registered. The saved signs can be installed on a car registered in any subject of the Russian Federation, since the region code on the plates themselves already contains the necessary information.
What happens to the numbers after the expiration date
Many owners forget that the shelf life is not infinite. If within 365 days (or 730 days upon renewal) you have not contacted the traffic police to install the saved signs on a new vehicle, they automatically go into the “free” category.
After your reserve expires, your combination of letters and numbers goes into the general pool of available numbers in your region. Theoretically, they can be received by any other citizen who comes to register a car on that day. It will no longer be possible to return them back, since legally they are no longer registered with you.
In some cases, if the number is considered “beautiful” or has commercial value, it can be withdrawn and put up for auction, although in practice this is still poorly implemented on a large scale. Therefore, if you value your signs, keep an eye on the calendar.
⚠️ Attention: The traffic police will not send out notifications about the expiration of the storage period. Controlling the dates is solely your responsibility. Set a reminder on your calendar a month before the deadline.
If you understand that you are not planning to buy a car in the near future, but the term is coming to an end, be sure to apply for an extension. This will take a minimum of time, but will retain your right to the signs for another year.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to sell saved plates separately from the car?
No, the legislation of the Russian Federation prohibits the purchase and sale of state registration plates as independent objects. The number can only be transferred with the vehicle or retained by the owner. Any transactions for the sale of “thieves” numbers are unofficial and are not protected by law.
What should I do if the saved numbers are damaged during storage?
If the signs were handed over to the traffic police and were damaged due to the fault of the employees (which is unlikely, but possible), the issue is resolved on an individual basis. If the signs are in your hands and have become unusable (rust, loss of paint), you will have to make duplicates of them in a specialized organization, preserving the original combination of symbols.
Is it possible to keep the license plates if the car is stolen or seized?
No, any registration actions, including saving license plates, are not possible if the vehicle is subject to restrictions or is on the wanted list. First you need to remove all prohibitions.
Do I need to take the car to the traffic police to save the license plates if it has already been sold?
If the car has already been sold and deregistered, but you still have the license plates, then you do not need to provide the car. You come with a passport, documents for the sold car (copies) and the license plates themselves, and write an application to preserve them.