How to apply for a Form 28 NOC for inter-state vehicle transfer — complete 2026 guide

About 17 lakh inter-state vehicle NOCs were issued in 2024-25 (MoRTH consolidated data). The Bharat Series (BH) registration introduced in 2021 was supposed to eliminate this hassle for transferable employees, but BH eligibility is narrow (central govt, defence, PSU, and private-sector employees with offices in 4+ states) and at least 80% of inter-state movers still go through the Form 28 NOC route.

There are three different NOCs in the Indian motor-vehicle universe — don't confuse them:

• Form 28 NOC (this guide) — issued by the original-state RTO when you move the vehicle to a new state for re-registration under §47 read with Rule 50 CMVR.
• Bank / financier NOC — issued by the lender (HDFC, SBI, Mahindra Finance) after you've cleared the car loan, used to remove the Hypothecation (HP) endorsement on the RC under Form 35.
• Insurance NOC — issued by the insurer when you transfer the policy ownership at the time of vehicle sale.

You may need all three in sequence — bank NOC first (if loan ongoing), then Form 28 NOC, then insurance transfer separately at the destination.

The legal anchor is §47 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988:

“(1) Where a motor vehicle registered in one State has been kept in another State, for a period exceeding twelve months, the owner of the vehicle shall, within such period and in such form containing such particulars as may be prescribed by the Central Government, apply to the registering authority, within whose jurisdiction the vehicle then is, for the assignment of a new registration mark…”

And Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 spells out the form (Form 28), fee, and process.

Before you even open the NOC application, clean up:

• e-Challans: Open echallan.parivahan.gov.in → enter your registration number → list all pending challans. Pay all of them. The NOC application is auto-rejected if any unpaid e-Challan exists.
• Hypothecation status: If your car loan is paid off, get a Form 35 + bank NOC signed and stamped at the financing branch. Apply for HP termination on parivahan.gov.in → “Online Services” → “Vehicle Related Services” → “Termination of Hire-Purchase Agreement”. Wait for the reissued RC (5-15 days) before starting NOC.
• Theft / accident FIR: if your vehicle has any open FIR (especially theft-recovered vehicles), the NOC will be held until the case is closed — get a closure report from the local police.
• Court attachment / EMI default suit: if the car is involved in any pending civil/criminal litigation, the NOC cannot be issued until the court releases the attachment.
• Road tax dues: in some states (Karnataka, Telangana), if you owe back road tax, you must clear it before the NOC.

You need to know where you're re-registering before you apply for the NOC — Form 28 names the destination RTO.

• Confirm your residential address in the new state (rent agreement, utility bill, or Aadhaar with new address).
• Map the address to the destination RTO using vahan.parivahan.gov.in → “RTO Search by Pin Code”.
• If you change your mind later, the NOC has to be redone.

• Open parivahan.gov.in → “Online Services” → “Vehicle Related Services” → select your state → “Apply for NOC”.
• Enter registration number + last 5 digits of chassis. The system pulls your RC from Vahan.
• Select destination state and destination RTO from dropdowns.
• Reason for NOC: select “Transfer to another state” (other options: sale to another state buyer, change of address).
• Upload documents (next step).
• Pay ₹100 fee online (debit card, UPI, net banking).
• System generates an acknowledgement number — save this; the NOC tracking will use it.

Mandatory uploads:

• Original Registration Certificate (RC) — front and back.
• Valid insurance policy covering the vehicle.
• Valid PUC certificate (less than 6 months old).
• PAN + Aadhaar of the registered owner.
• Address proof for the destination state (rent agreement / utility bill / Aadhaar with new address).
• Bank NOC + Form 35 if the vehicle has any HP endorsement and you haven't cleared HP termination yet (some RTOs accept this combined; most prefer prior HP termination).
• Self-declaration that the vehicle is not involved in any pending court case, accident claim, or theft FIR.

For commercial vehicles add: fitness certificate, permit, and tax-paid challan for the current quarter.

The issuing RTO does the following before signing off Form 28:

• Cross-checks the Vahan database for any outstanding e-Challans, FIR registrations, or court attachments — these auto-flag.
• Checks tax clearance — most states require road tax to be paid up to date.
• Inspector verification in some states (Bihar, UP, West Bengal) — physical inspection of vehicle to confirm engine and chassis match RC. Done at issuing RTO premises.
• Counter-signature by the Senior RTO Officer / Assistant RTO before NOC release.

This is the slow step — typically 7-21 working days; can stretch to 30 days in busy RTOs.

• NOC is delivered as a digitally signed PDF on your parivahan dashboard. Download and print 3-4 copies.
• The NOC is valid for 6 months from issue — re-register in destination state within this window or apply afresh.
• You can drive the vehicle to the destination state under the original registration plate, carrying the NOC + RC + insurance + PUC. No temporary number needed.
• Important: NOC issuance does NOT mean you've cancelled the original registration — it just means the original RTO has no objection. The original registration remains active until the new state RTO does the re-registration.

• Apply at the destination RTO via parivahan.gov.in — select your destination state portal.
• Submit Form 28 NOC + Form 27 (application for assignment of new registration mark) + RC + NOC + insurance + PUC + address proof + Aadhaar + PAN.
• Pay lifetime road tax to the destination state at the prevailing slab. This is the biggest cost — typically 8-18% of the current market value of the vehicle.
• Inspector verification at the destination RTO (some states only).
• New registration number assigned, new HSRP affixed, new smart card RC dispatched in 7-30 days (same process as new vehicle registration — see new RC guide).

After the new state issues the smart card RC:

• Apply at the original state RTO in Form 16 (refund of unused tax) — most states still accept this offline; some (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana) accept online.
• Documents: Form 16, copy of Form 28 NOC, copy of new state RC, copy of original RC (cancelled), bank account details for credit.
• Pro-rata refund: the unused portion of the lifetime road tax is refunded based on the formula in your original state's MV Tax Act. Maharashtra: refund = original tax × (remaining months / 180 months for 15-year tax). Karnataka: refund = original tax × (1 - depreciation %), where depreciation is age-based.
• Refund timeline: 30-180 days. This is notoriously slow; many people give up. Use RTI to push (see escalation).

+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Form 28 NOC application fee       | ₹100 (Rule 81 CMVR)                  |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| HP termination (if applicable)    | ₹100 + smart card reprint ₹200       |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| NOC issuance timeline             | 7 to 30 days (RTO-dependent)         |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| NOC validity                      | 6 months from issue                  |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Re-registration fee (destination) | ₹600 LMV + ₹200 smart card           |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Lifetime road tax (destination)   | 8% to 18% of vehicle market value    |
|                                   | (state slabs, age-discounted)        |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| HSRP charges (destination)        | ₹500 to ₹1,200                       |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Road tax refund from original     | Pro-rata; 30-180 days; documented in |
| state                             | Form 16 application                  |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| RTI fee (for delayed NOC / refund) | ₹10 by IPO. BPL = free.             |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+

• Pending e-Challan in the original state — even ₹500 unpaid blocks the file. Run echallan.parivahan.gov.in check first.
• Hypothecation still on RC even though loan is closed. Bank NOC + Form 35 + HP termination must come first.
• Address proof rejected — destination state address proof must match Aadhaar pin code OR be a registered rent agreement (not a notarised one).
• Vehicle category mismatch (you bought from someone whose registration shows different fuel type / colour than reality). RTO insists on physical inspection.
• Inspector unavailable — common in smaller RTOs (Bihar, Odisha, NE states); files pile up over inspector leave.
• System glitch on parivahan — the destination state dropdown shows 'no RTOs available' for some districts. Workaround: file a parivahan grievance with screenshot.
• NOC expired before re-registration — you got the NOC but didn't complete re-registration in 6 months. Apply for fresh NOC (same fee, same process).
• Road tax refund refusal by original state on technical grounds (form not in prescribed format, missing originals). Most resolved by an RTI follow-up.
• Bharat Series eligibility confusion — if you're eligible for BH, you don't need NOC; if you're not, no shortcut. Check eligibility before starting Form 28.

• Visit the issuing RTO with your acknowledgement printout. Ask the public-info counter to pull the file movement.
• Many delays are mundane — file misplaced, inspector pending leave, signature awaited from senior officer.

• parivahan.gov.in → “Grievance” → “NOC related” → enter acknowledgement number. Auto-routed to the issuing RTO.
• SLA 30 days. Useful trail for escalation.

• Email a one-page complaint with: NOC acknowledgement, dates, dealer of escalation history, copies of clean e-Challan check + clean HP status.
• Karnataka: transport-comm@ka.gov.in. Maharashtra: commissioner.tc-mah@gov.in. Delhi: commr.transport@gov.in. UP: commissioner.transport-up@gov.in.

• 0120-2459169 (Vahan/Sarathi technical), 1800-11-3551 (NIC support).
• Useful for portal glitches and document-upload issues — not for clerk-level delays.

The issuing RTO and the destination RTO are both public authorities under §2(h) of the RTI Act 2005. The State Transport Commissioner is also an authority.

RTI helps here when:

• Your NOC application has been pending more than 30 days with no movement on parivahan dashboard — RTI to PIO of issuing RTO asking for: file movement noting, inspector remarks, reason for delay, expected disposal date.
• Your NOC was rejected without a written reason on parivahan — RTI for the certified copy of the rejection memo and the legal basis under Rule 50 CMVR.
• You suspect e-Challan reconciliation issue (you paid but it shows unpaid) — RTI for the e-Challan ledger reconciliation and the State Traffic Police's daily challan-payment register.
• Your road tax refund (Form 16) is delayed beyond 90 days — RTI to PIO of original state RTO for: file movement on Form 16 application, refund-sanction order status, and the State Government refund-disbursal account ledger.
• Your NOC was issued but lost in transit / parivahan dashboard not showing — RTI for the certified true copy.

See the dedicated guide: RTI for vehicle RC / NOC delay — copy-ready template.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You haven't cleared pending challans / HP — that's your homework, not a public-authority delay.
• You want the destination state's road tax slab reduced — that's a State Government tax policy, not “information held”.
• Less than 7-15 days have passed since application — wait the SLA. Premature RTIs invite “claim under processing” responses.
• You're trying to avoid re-registration altogether by hiding the move — RTI cannot be used to evade compliance.
• Bharat Series eligibility — that's a documents and employer-certificate issue (Form 60), not an RTI issue.

Q. I've moved to a new state for a 1-year project. Do I need NOC?
Strictly under §47, no — the requirement triggers only if you keep the vehicle in the new state for more than 12 months. But many state traffic forces (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) flag out-of-state plates after 6 months. Best to either complete the move within 12 months or start the NOC process at month 8-9.

Q. Bharat Series (BH) — should I just convert?
Only if you're eligible. Eligibility (under MoRTH notification 28 Aug 2021): central govt employees, defence, banks, PSUs, and private sector employees with offices in 4+ states (Form 60 from employer required). For a one-time move, BH conversion is overkill — Form 28 NOC + re-registration is simpler.

Q. My car is hypothecated and the bank is in a different state. What happens?
The bank's NOC + Form 35 can be obtained from any branch of the bank. After loan closure, the bank emails the NOC; you process Form 35 on parivahan from your home state. HP termination is independent of inter-state NOC.

Q. Can I sell the car instead of re-registering after the move?
Yes — you can sell the vehicle to a buyer in the destination state who will then re-register in their name. The Form 28 NOC then names the buyer's RTO as destination. Use Form 29 + 30 for the sale; the buyer pays road tax in the destination state.

Q. Will my Karnataka FASTag work in Maharashtra after re-registration?
After re-registration, the new KA registration number replaces the old MH on FASTag. Update your FASTag with the issuer bank (NHAI, ICICI, Axis, etc.) — usually free, takes 5-7 days.

Q. The destination state's road tax is huge. Is there a way to avoid it?
No legal way for non-BH vehicles. Some states (Karnataka, Telangana) give an age-based depreciation — for a 5-year-old car you pay only ~60-70% of the new-vehicle slab. The Maharashtra refund of unused old-state tax helps offset.

Q. NOC expired after 6 months because I delayed re-registration. What now?
Apply afresh — same fee, same process. The earlier file is auto-superseded.

• RTI for vehicle RC / NOC delay — copy-ready template
• How to apply for new vehicle RC — 2026 guide
• How to get a PUC certificate — 2026 guide
• How to get Fitness Certificate for a private vehicle — 2026 guide
• How to apply for a fresh Driving Licence — 2026 guide
• How to renew your Driving Licence online — 2026 guide
• How to apply for FASTag — 2026 guide
• RTI in 12 simple steps — for first-time filers
• All Indian government helplines — one master directory

Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. State road tax slabs and refund formulas change with State Budgets — verify on parivahan.gov.in or your State Transport portal, or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale figure.