COVID-19 Lockdown: Government Extends Vehicle Document Validity Period Till 31st Of July

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has announced that the validity of vehicle documents have been extended amidst the lockdown due to COVID-19 in the country. The vehicle documents in question include driving licence, permits, registration and fitness certificates; among a few others.

According to reports, the validity of all documents has been extended until the 31st of July 2020. These are for those documents which were set to expire after the 1st of February 2020. The extension offered on the validity of vehicle documents is due to the nationwide lockdown which was imposed in India in March, which shut down all operations and businesses.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways also stated that customers will not be charged any additional or late fee for validation of documents pending from the 1st of February. A government circular has also been released, offering relief to customers by mentioning,

"The fees paid on or after February 1, 2020, for the activity(s) including renewal of documents and in case such activity(s) is not completed due to conditions for prevention of COVID-19 pandemic, the fees paid shall continue to remain valid."

It further stated, "If there is a delay in paying the fees from 1st of Feb, 2020 till the period of lockdown there would not be any additional or late fee to be charged for such delays till 31st July 2020."

Previously, the government had issued a similar notice in the extension of vehicle documents as well. The concerned authorities had stated that due to the lockdown in India, vehicle documents expiring after the 1st of February would be considered valid until the 30th of June. This, however, has now been extended further by a month, due to the 4th lockdown period in the country.

Thoughts On The Vehicle Document Validity Extension In India

The validity of vehicle documents in the country is a good step, as many customers have been struggling to make the payments and registering the renewal. With the lockdown in place, government offices and RTOs have been shut, which has delayed processing of document renewals across the country.