🔧📋 Vehicle Documents & Checks

Vehicle Fitness Certificate (FC) — Complete Guide

Written and checked byManju Shekhar· Motor Law & Compliance

What a fitness certificate is, how long it lasts for private and transport vehicles, and what changed in May 2026.

A Vehicle Fitness Certificate (FC) certifies that a motor vehicle meets the safety and emission requirements to be used on public roads. A transport vehicle needs one from registration and renews it every one or two years. Since 8 May 2026, a new private (non-transport) vehicle is deemed to hold one for its first 15 years, after which it is retested every 5 years (CMVR Rule 62, as amended by G.S.R. 349(E)).

Quick Facts

●New private vehicle: deemed fit for 15 years
●Private vehicle after 15 years: 5-year renewals
●Transport vehicle: 2 years (up to 8 years old), then yearly
●Geo-tagged video required at every renewal (from May 2026)
●LMVs tested only at an ATS where one is operational

What Is a Fitness Certificate?

The fitness certificate (Form 38) is issued after the vehicle is inspected by the registering authority's inspecting officer or tested at an authorised testing station. The checks cover brakes, steering, lights and indicators, tyres, suspension, exhaust emissions, chassis and body condition, and the windscreen. A transport vehicle without a valid certificate is not treated as validly registered (Section 56, Motor Vehicles Act).

How Long It Lasts

Validity is set by Rule 62 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989:

›New private (non-transport) vehicle: deemed to have a fitness certificate for 15 years from the date of registration. No fitness test is needed when a fully built new private vehicle is registered.
›Private vehicle after 15 years: each renewal is valid for 5 years.
›Transport vehicle (taxi, bus, truck, auto): renewed every 2 years while the vehicle is up to 8 years old, and every year after that.

What Changed on 8 May 2026

The Central Motor Vehicles (Sixth Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 349(E)), in force from publication, rewrote Rule 62:

›Rule 62 now applies to every motor vehicle, not only transport vehicles — which is what brings private vehicles into the 15-year / 5-year scheme.
›Where an automated testing station is operational in a registering authority's area, light motor vehicles must be fitness-tested only at that station.
›Every renewal requires a geo-tagged video of at least 10 seconds, recorded on a government mobile app, showing the vehicle from the front, rear and both sides with the number plate, chassis number and features clearly visible.
›Five items were added to the inspection table: speed governor, vehicle location tracking device, high security registration plates (HSRP), reflectors and reflective tape, and seat belts.

What Does the Fitness Test Check?

The inspection covers the following systems, with transport vehicles checked against a longer list:

›Brakes: service brake and parking brake effectiveness.
›Steering: free play, alignment, power steering function.
›Lights: headlights (low and high beam), tail lights, brake lights, indicators, reverse light.
›Tyres: tread depth, condition, matching sizes on same axle.
›Suspension: shock absorbers, springs, ball joints.
›Emissions: exhaust test against the applicable norms.
›Chassis/body: no cracks, rust-through, or structural weakness.
›Windshield: no cracks obstructing driver vision.
›Since May 2026: HSRP fitted front and rear with the third registration mark, reflectors and reflective tape, seat belts and their reminder system, and — for vehicles that must carry them — a sealed speed governor and an active vehicle location tracking device.

Automated Testing Stations

An automated testing station (ATS) runs the fitness test on computerised equipment and uploads the result to VAHAN. Section 56 of the MV Act, as amended in 2019, lets the Central Government notify a date after which no fitness certificate may be granted unless the vehicle has been tested at an ATS. Rule 62 now makes ATS testing compulsory for light motor vehicles wherever a station is operational in the registering authority's area. To book a slot, you enter the registration number and the registered owner's mobile number.

Driving Without a Valid Fitness Certificate

A transport vehicle without a valid fitness certificate is not deemed validly registered under Section 56, so using it attracts the penalty for driving an unregistered vehicle under Section 192 of the MV Act. A vehicle that fails its test must be repaired and retested before it can be used.

Fitness and Vehicle Scrapping

A vehicle that fails its fitness test, or whose registration is not renewed, can become an End-of-Life Vehicle under the vehicle scrapping framework and be scrapped at a Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility. The facility issues a Certificate of Deposit, which can earn concessions on motor vehicle tax and registration fees when a new vehicle is registered against it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Vehicle Fitness Certificate?

A Fitness Certificate (FC), issued in Form 38 by the registering authority or an authorised testing station, certifies that a vehicle's brakes, steering, lights, tyres, suspension, emissions and body meet the requirements for use on public roads.

Which vehicles need a fitness certificate?

Every motor vehicle. Transport vehicles (taxi, truck, bus, auto) need one from registration. Since the CMVR Sixth Amendment of 8 May 2026, a new private vehicle is deemed to hold one for 15 years from registration and must then be retested every 5 years.

How often is the FC renewed?

Transport vehicles: every 2 years while the vehicle is up to 8 years old, then every year. Private vehicles: every 5 years once the first 15 years from registration have passed. Each renewal now needs a geo-tagged video of the vehicle recorded on the government app.

What is the penalty for no fitness certificate?

A transport vehicle without a valid FC is not treated as validly registered (Section 56, MV Act), so the penalty for driving an unregistered vehicle under Section 192 applies.

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