Duplicate RC and DL 2026

Reviewed on 2026-06-20 by Dr. Shrawan Kumar Pathak.

Two different documents, two different portals. Do not mix them up. Your RC (the vehicle registration certificate) lives on Vahan. Your DL (driving licence) lives on Sarathi. Both give you a fresh smart-card with the same number and the same validity. No re-test. No re-registration. No fresh waiting period. Read on, move fast.

A quick word on when you actually need this. Lost the card. Stolen along with a wallet or handbag. Torn, faded or chewed up so the photo or number will not scan at a check post. Mutilated by rain or a washing machine. Any of these, and a duplicate is the clean fix. You do not need to wait for a renewal date, and you do not lose any of your existing endorsements or vehicle classes.

Speed-run for the registration certificate.

Gone for good, or stolen? File an FIR or an online police loss report first. The reference number is your proof of loss and goes straight onto Form 26. Only the document is damaged or torn? Skip the FIR and carry the old card instead.

Go to the Vahan portal, enter your registration number, validate with the last five digits of the chassis number, get the OTP, and choose the Duplicate RC service. This is the Form 26 application under Rule 53 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The portal fills most of it for you.

Attach the FIR copy (if lost), a valid insurance certificate, a current PUC certificate, and your address proof. Hypothecated vehicle? Add the financier or bank NOC. Pay the fee online by UPI, card or net banking. The fee depends on your vehicle class and your state, and the portal shows the exact amount before you pay. Verify the current figure on parivahan.gov.in.

Track ownership-change paperwork instead? That is a separate flow in our RC ownership transfer guide.

Speed-run for the driving licence.

Lost or stolen licence? Lodge an FIR or a Lost Article Report with your state police. Keep the reference number ready. Damaged card only? No FIR needed.

Go to the Sarathi portal and choose “Services on Driver's Licence”, then the Duplicate option. The portal pulls your existing licence record by DL number and date of birth, so you do not re-enter your whole history. Some states ask for a short notarised affidavit of loss, so check your state RTO.

Attach the FIR copy (if lost), identity proof, address proof and a photo. Pay the fee online. The DL fee also varies by state, so confirm the amount the portal quotes you. Once approved, the new smart-card licence is printed and dispatched to your registered address by post. The number and expiry stay exactly the same.

Need to renew an expired licence rather than replace a lost one? That is the driving licence status and renewal guide. Applying for your very first licence? Start at how to apply for a driving licence.

Keep these ready before you start, so you finish in one sitting.

• For duplicate RC: Form 26 (auto-generated on Vahan), FIR copy if lost, and the supporting papers the RTO usually asks for, such as a valid insurance certificate, a current PUC certificate, address proof, and a bank NOC if the vehicle is under loan.
• For duplicate DL: FIR or loss report if lost, identity proof, address proof, a photo, and a notarised affidavit of loss if your state asks for one.

A genuine smart-card replacement is a smart-card, not an A4 printout. The downloadable version on the portal is fine for everyday checks, but for a replacement you want the posted card.

One tip that saves a re-application: make sure your mobile number is the one linked to your Vahan and Sarathi records, because every step is OTP-gated. If the number on file is old or dead, you will be stuck at the very first screen, and fixing the linked number is a separate RTO request. Sort that out before you begin, and keep clear scans of each document ready so an upload does not fail at the last moment.

Figure: step-by-step flow. If a step stalls, use the grievance or RTI route shown.

No status movement for weeks? Application sitting in “under process” with no reason? You have two clean escalation routes.

1. CPGRAMS grievance. Lodge a complaint on the central public grievance portal pgportal.gov.in with your application number and the date you applied. You get a tracking reference and a time-bound reply.
2. RTI to the RTO. File an RTI application (fee Rs 10) to the Public Information Officer of your State Transport Department asking for the file status and the reason for delay. An RTI often moves a stuck file faster than a phone call.

Got a pending challan that is blocking the service? Clear it first using our check and pay eChallan guide.

Only when the document is genuinely lost or stolen. The FIR or police loss report is your proof of loss and is attached to the application. If the card is only damaged or torn, you do not need an FIR, just surrender or carry the old card.

No. A duplicate RC carries the same registration number, and a duplicate licence carries the same DL number and the same validity. It is a replacement of the physical card, not a fresh document.

Form 26 under Rule 53 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The Vahan portal generates and fills most of it for you when you select the Duplicate RC service.

The fee varies by vehicle class and by state for the RC, and by state for the licence. The portal shows the exact amount before you pay, so there is no guesswork. Verify the current figure on parivahan.gov.in rather than relying on an old rate.

For most applicants the whole flow is online, and the card comes by post. Some states still ask you to visit for biometrics or document verification, so watch the portal instructions for your RTO after you submit.

Usually a couple of weeks from approval to the card landing in your post. If it drags well past that with no reason, use the CPGRAMS or RTI route above.

The digital RC and licence in your verified mParivahan or DigiLocker account are accepted for checks. Still, get the posted smart-card replaced so you have the physical fallback.

Read the rejection reason on the portal, fix the gap (often a missing FIR, mismatched address or unpaid challan), and re-apply. If the reason is unclear or wrong, escalate through CPGRAMS or file an RTI to the RTO for the recorded reason.

• https://parivahan.gov.in/en/content/duplicate-rc
• https://parivahan.gov.in/en/content/duplicate-licence
• https://parivahan.gov.in/sites/default/files/DownloadForm/cmvr/FORM-26.pdf
• https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/vahanservice/vahan/
• https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in/
• https://pgportal.gov.in/

Driving abroad and need a permit too? See our international driving permit guide.