Last updated: October 2026
When a registered owner dies, the vehicle does not pass to the family automatically on paper. The person who succeeds to the vehicle, usually a spouse, son, daughter or the nominee recorded on the RC, must apply to the registering authority in Form 31 under Rule 56 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. Parivahan gives two clocks: inform the registering authority of the death and of your intention to use the vehicle within 30 days, and file the Form 31 transfer application within 3 months of the death. The official transfer fee is Rs.150 for a two-wheeler and Rs.300 for a car (non-transport LMV), plus Rs.200 if a smart card RC is issued. All documents and fees below are from Parivahan, checked in October 2026.
| Deadline | What you must do |
|---|---|
| Within 30 days of the death | Inform the registering authority where the vehicle is registered that the owner has died and that you intend to use the vehicle. Parivahan states this condition for the interim use below. |
| Up to 3 months from the death | If you have informed the authority within 30 days, you may use the vehicle for up to 3 months as if it had already been transferred to you, while the paperwork is completed. |
| Within 3 months of the death | Apply in Form 31 for the transfer of ownership into your name and pay the fee and tax specified in Rule 81. |
Do not read the 3-month interim use as permission to skip the transfer. Insurance, challans and any later sale all depend on the RC name. If the 3 months have already passed, apply anyway and follow the directions your RTO gives.
Parivahan's Fees and User Charges page, checked in October 2026, sets the transfer of ownership fee at half of the registration fee for the vehicle class (entry 6 of the table, citing Rules 55, 56 and 57). Worked out class by class, that is:
| Vehicle class | Official transfer fee |
|---|---|
| Invalid carriage | Rs.25 |
| Motorcycle (two-wheeler) | Rs.150 |
| Three-wheeler, quadricycle or LMV, non-transport (a private car) | Rs.300 |
| Three-wheeler, quadricycle or LMV, transport | Rs.500 |
| Medium goods or medium passenger vehicle | Rs.500 |
| Heavy goods or heavy passenger vehicle | Rs.750 |
| Imported motorcycle | Rs.1,250 |
| Imported motor vehicle | Rs.2,500 |
| Any other vehicle not listed above | Rs.1,500 |
Add Rs.200 if the new RC is issued as a smart card in Form 23A. All fees in the Parivahan table are exclusive of GST. Vahan shows the exact total for your vehicle before you pay; trust that total. If someone helps you file, any amount above this table is a service charge for that help, so ask for an itemised quote. Our ownership transfer service page carries the same fee lines in brief.
Parivahan marks several items with an asterisk, noting they may be required in some states. Prepare the full list anyway: a missing declaration from one legal heir can stop the file.
Parivahan lists only the heading "proof of succession" and does not name one Kerala document for every case, so be careful with any page that promises one document always works. The proof has to show that you are an heir, and the declaration of the other legal heirs records their position on the transfer into your name. Where a court has decided succession, the court order governs. Where a nominee was recorded on the RC, the current Form 31 also covers the person nominated, but the death certificate and identity and address proofs are still needed. I could not verify a current Kerala MVD page stating case by case when a legal heir certificate is accepted and when a court succession certificate is insisted on, so confirm with your registering authority before paying for court paperwork you may not need.
Form 31 has a financier consent section for vehicles held under hire-purchase, lease or hypothecation, and it is filed in duplicate in those cases. If the loan is fully repaid, get the financier's no-objection certificate and close the hypothecation entry; our guide to hypothecation removal with Form 35 covers that separate step. The death transfer does not remove the loan entry on its own.
A sale transfer uses Forms 29 and 30, signed by seller and buyer, within 14 days in the same state. A death transfer has no seller signature: Form 31, the death certificate and the succession proof replace it, and the window is 3 months. If the family later sells the vehicle, complete the death transfer into an heir's name first, then do a normal sale transfer. That second step is covered in our RC transfer fees and time guide.
For up to 3 months from the death, yes, provided you informed the registering authority within 30 days of the death and of your intention to use the vehicle. After that, the vehicle should be in the successor's name.
The official transfer fee for a private car is Rs.300, which is half of the Rs.600 registration fee for a non-transport LMV in the Parivahan table, plus Rs.200 if a smart card RC is issued. A two-wheeler is Rs.150 plus the same smart card charge where it applies.
Parivahan requires proof of succession but does not name one document for every case. An uncontested transfer among agreeing heirs is a different file from a disputed one, and a court order governs where a court has decided succession. Confirm the exact document your RTO wants before starting court paperwork.
The RC can carry only one registered owner. The other heirs give the declaration Parivahan lists, recording their position on the transfer into the applicant's name. If the heirs cannot agree, the RTO cannot settle that dispute for you; it has to be resolved first, through agreement or a court order.
No. A dead person cannot sign Forms 29 and 30. Transfer the vehicle into an heir's name through Form 31 first, then sell it with a normal transfer.
Apply in Form 31 anyway; a late application is still the only route to a correct RC. Follow any direction your registering authority gives for the delay. Do not quote a late fee from another state's website as a Kerala figure; I could not verify a Kerala late fee for this service on an official page.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before applying.
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