Do you need a Police Clearance Certificate when registering a car?
When will you need a Police Clearance Certificate?
As far as licencing, registering and paperwork are concerned, buying a car through a dealership ends up being much more simple than buying it privately and having to do all the work yourself.
When buying a car privately it’s up to you to ensure that all the necessary documentation is in order. However, a roadworthy testing station can refuse to issue the roadworthy certificate and the licencing authority can refuse to register the car in your name without a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC).
Gumtree Auto explains when, why and how to obtain a PCC:
When is a PCC required?
- When the engine or chassis number of the vehicle differs from the number on the registration certificate, even if one digit is different. It could just be a misprint, but the danger is that your documents have been falsified.
- When a vehicle has previously been reported stolen and then recovered.
- When no documentation is received from the previous owner of the vehicle.
- Since 1 September 2012, all vehicles requiring Police Clearance need to have microdots fitted as do all newly registered vehicle after this date.
Where is a PCC obtainable?
Firstly, an RPC (Request for Police Clearance) form has to be obtained from any registering authority, and this, together with the microdotted vehicle has to be submitted for the clearance procedure at the SAPS Clearance Centre in your area. The vehicle either needs to be presented with a valid vehicle licence or a temporary permit obtainable from the registering authority.
Enquire at your local SAPS station on where the closest Police Clearance centre in your area is.
What are microdots?
Microdots are tiny (1mm) dots which have unique identification pin numbers that can be cross referenced to the vehicle identification numbers of a vehicle. Microdot fitment sees 10 000 dots fitted to a vehicle on 50 different areas on the car. None of the dots are affixed to the outside paintwork of the car.
Click here for more on the procedure of micro-dotting and what it entails.
Click here for more information on the clearance procedure.
Click here to submit an online inquiry for Police Clearance online.
Source: Gumtree Autos