PUC Certificate

Travelling has become convenient these days. With easy finance options available for new vehicles, buying your dream car or bike is easy. But did you know, a sudden rise in demand for vehicles over the past decade has seen an adverse environmental impact too? Well, this issue comes to the limelight now and then but has started to gain prominence. Government bodies have begun to recognise the need for keeping a check on the pollution levels emitted by these vehicles. Thus, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 makes it mandatory for every vehicle registered in the country to have a valid pollution certificate. Moreover, the Motor Vehicles Act, 2019 makes PUC a necessary document to be kept at all times with the driver or rider of the vehicle. Failure to do so would result in hefty car/bike insurance fines

What is a PUC Certificate?

Pollution Under Control Certificate or popularly abbreviated as PUC certificate is a document that contains the emission levels of your vehicle. The checking is done only through authorised testing centres which are generally found at the fuel stations around the country. This certificate is issued after verifying the emission levels of your vehicle and certifying whether they are within acceptable limits or not. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it mandatory through the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989 to possess a PUC certificate for every vehicle.

How to Obtain a PUC Certificate?

Obtaining a PUC certification for your car or bike is straightforward -

1. New vehicles are furnished with the PUC certificate by the dealer, which is valid for one year. So you need not apply for it.
2. In the case of renewals, you need to head over to the authorised testing centres. Pay the requisite amount of fee and obtain such certificate. Such a PUC certificate forms a part of the essential documents that one needs to carry to drive a vehicle in India legally.

How can I get a PUC Certificate online?

At present, only authorised emission testing centres and road transport offices can get a pollution certificate online. The Parivahan portal set up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways facilitates the registration or renewal of PUC centres, checking the application station of your PUC centre along with the facility of making a PUC certificate online check.

Can I download my PUC certificate online?

Yes, you can download your PUC certificate online. Three simple steps take you with the download process- #1 Head over to Parivahan’s web portal. Here you need to provide your vehicle’s registration details along with the last five digits of your chassis number. #2 Enter the security captcha and click on the ‘PUC Details’ button. #3 If you have an active PUC certificate, you shall be redirected to a new page containing the details of your emission test. You can click on the ‘Print’ button and download the same.

Do new vehicles require to have a PUC Certificate?

There is no special requirement for the owner of new vehicles to obtain a PUC certificate. These vehicles are tested at the time of manufacture and are exempt for the first year for a PUC check. The dealer generally provides the results of the pollution test conducted at the time of purchase of a new vehicle.

What is the validity of my PUC Certificate?

The different emission levels depend on your vehicle’s age. Thus, it is advisable to get it timely inspected and make sure your vehicle is not causing much harm to the environment. The validity of your PUC certificate differs depending on whether it is a new vehicle or an old one. New vehicles do not require to apply for one as the dealer provides at the time of delivery of your vehicle. This certificate is valid for one year. After the expiry of this tenure, you need to renew your PUC certificate. This renewed PUC certificate is valid for six months and should be renewed timely. So remember, in the interest of the environment and as legal compliance, get your pollution certificate. While not carrying a PUC certificate can attract penalties, you can either download your PUC certificate online or make use of apps like mParivahan that can help in storing these documents in electronic format. Explore car insurance and bike insurance plans offered by Bajaj Allianz and get your vehicle insured online!