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Form 25: How to Renew Your Car's RC After 15 Years
Every private vehicle's registration certificate is valid for 15 years from first registration (see the full RC validity and renewal rules if you are unsure how many times it can be renewed). After that, the RC must be renewed, and Form 25 is the application that does it. For used-car dealers this matters more than most people think: cars near the 15-year mark are cheap to buy but cannot be sold on cleanly until the registration is sorted.
A filled sample of Form 25 generated with Bill My Car. Sign in to BillMyCar.in and generate yours, auto-filled, in seconds.
What is Form 25?
Form 25 is the "Application for Renewal of Certificate of Registration of a Motor Vehicle Other Than a Transport Vehicle", prescribed under rule 52(1) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. It asks the registering authority to extend the validity of an expiring RC, usually in blocks of 5 years for vehicles older than 15 years.
When you need it
- The vehicle is approaching or past 15 years from its first registration date.
- You are a dealer buying an old vehicle into stock and the RC will expire before or shortly after resale.
- A customer wants to keep running a 15+ year old car legally.
File within 60 days before expiry. Late renewal attracts additional fees for every month of delay.
The process
- Fill Form 25 with the vehicle's registration number, chassis number and engine number.
- Attach the RC, insurance, PUC certificate and fee receipt for any pending road tax.
- Produce the vehicle at the RTO for inspection.
- Pay the renewal fee (and green tax where the state levies it on older vehicles).
- The RTO endorses the renewed validity on the RC.
Why dealers should care
An expired RC blocks everything downstream: ownership transfer cannot complete, Form 29 and Form 30 get rejected, and the buyer cannot insure the car properly. If you deal in older vehicles, checking the RC validity date should be step one of your purchase checklist, right alongside the documents needed to sell a used car.
Bill My Car generates Form 25 pre-filled from the same invoice entry that produces your bill, sale letter and transfer forms, so a renewal-due car does not mean another round of copying chassis numbers by hand.
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Try Bill My Car free →Frequently asked questions
When should Form 25 be submitted?
Form 25 must be submitted to the registering authority not more than 60 days before the registration certificate expires. For private vehicles, the RC is valid for 15 years from first registration, after which renewal is granted in 5-year blocks.
What happens if I do not renew the RC?
Driving a vehicle with an expired RC is an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act and attracts fines. The vehicle also cannot be legally sold or transferred until the registration is renewed, which matters to dealers taking older cars into stock.
What documents go with Form 25?
The application is accompanied by the RC, valid insurance, a pollution under control certificate, proof of address if it changed, and the prescribed fee along with any pending tax. The vehicle is also produced for inspection at the RTO.
Can a dealer file Form 25 on behalf of a customer?
The application is made by the registered owner, but dealers routinely prepare the paperwork as a service, especially when selling a 14 or 15 year old vehicle where renewal is due soon after the sale.
Is there a filled sample of Form 25?
Yes, the sample above shows every field completed: registration number, chassis and engine numbers, and the renewal application details. Sign in to Bill My Car to generate your own, auto-filled from your invoice data.
Does Form 25 apply to two-wheelers as well as cars?
Yes. Two-wheelers registered as private vehicles follow the same 15-year initial validity and 5-year renewal cycle as cars, and use the identical Form 25. See the full validity and renewal rules.