Why is a duplicate PTS issued?

Duplicate PTS: how dangerous it is and how to distinguish it from the original

When buying a car from the secondary market, car enthusiasts from time to time come across a non-original vehicle passport. In this article, Autocode will tell you why a duplicate PTS is dangerous and how to avoid problems when buying a car with a duplicate PTS.

What does duplicate PTS mean?

A duplicate vehicle passport (PTS) is an official document that is issued by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate indicating the reason for issuance and the details of the original.

A duplicate PTS is issued to the car owner in two cases. The first is when there is no free space to enter new information (the columns have run out).

The original document has 6 fields for filling in information about the owner of the car. At first glance, it seems that there are a lot of fields, and there are more than enough of them even to resell the car several times. However, this opinion is wrong.

Let's explain with an example. The first owner of the vehicle is the manufacturer, then the car is sent to the dealership for sale. And 2 fields have already been filled, although the iron horse did not even have time to reach the hands of the car enthusiast. There are also frequent cases when a car wanders from one salon to another, waiting for the time of operation. These are a couple more filled-in boxes.

Also, when changing the owner’s last name, first name or patronymic, this information is indicated in the PTS. Thus, the car can only be used by one person, and there will no longer be any free space in the vehicle passport.

The second case is the loss or theft of a document. This is another reason why vehicle owners contact the traffic police. In this situation, future buyers of used cars should be careful. In this article, Autocode will tell you how to prevent problems that can result from buying a car with a duplicate title.

What a duplicate PTS looks like: how to distinguish a duplicate PTS from the original

A duplicate of a car passport is made on the same paper as the original. To the touch it resembles the material of banknotes.

If you move your eyes from top to bottom along the front side of the document, first you will come across a large inscription “DUPLICATE”, and then - the stamp of the traffic police (instead of the stamp of the manufacturer or customs authority, which is present on the original). On the other side there must be a special mark indicating the reason for issuing the duplicate. For example, ". due to the disposal of the original."

What to be afraid of when buying a car with a duplicate title

If the buyer is going to buy a car with a non-original title, he should make sure that the seller is not a fraudster.

There are several fraudulent schemes in the modern market for buying and selling used cars. One of the most popular is the sale of credit cars. Criminals buy a vehicle on credit secured by a title. Next, they contact the traffic police department with a request to restore the lost vehicle passport. And based on the legal owner, a duplicate is made in the name of the fraudster. He sells the loan car, thereby transferring all loan obligations to the new owner.

The second way to deceive buyers is to sell a car that is the subject of property disputes. In this case, the original PTS is in the possession of one person, and the car is in the possession of another. The fraudster contacts the traffic police, receives a non-original document and sells the car on the secondary market. Even after the sale of the vehicle, it does not cease to be the object of a property dispute, therefore, after the trial, the new owner will have to give the car back, even if he is a bona fide purchaser. In 98% of cases, the court sides with the real owner of the car.

How to check a duplicate PTS

Today, a person who wants to buy a used car can easily find a photo of a duplicate title on the Internet. From the photograph and description provided earlier, you can easily find the most obvious signs of differences.

However, immediately obvious differences do not guarantee the authenticity of a document. Autocode will tell readers how to distinguish the original from the fake.

Checking the authenticity of the paper. A duplicate of the PTS is made using watermarks and holograms. The document also contains three-dimensional images.

Check to retrieve information about the old owner of the car. If fraudsters tried to write any inscriptions on a duplicate, the letters will still remain on the paper. In this case, hold the document up to the light and look at it; the old information will be visible through the sheet of paper.

Compliance of the information indicated on the document with the vehicle being sold. The information includes the make, model and color of the iron horse, engine size, weight, production date, chassis number. You can see some parameters yourself under the hood, while others will only be determined in a car service center, for example, the weight of the car.

Online car check

A duplicate PTS does not always mean fraud on the part of the seller. But in order to sleep peacefully after the purchase, we advise you to check the car’s history in advance. This can be done using the online car checking service Autocode. Enter the license plate number or VIN of the car and within 5 minutes you will receive a full report about the vehicle:

data from PTS;
actual mileage;
the presence of restrictions on registration with the traffic police;
participation in accidents;
being on the wanted list, on credit or under arrest;
customs history;
history of fines and more.

The cost of a full report is 349 rubles. This is the price of a safe purchase. The check takes place using 16 official sources: databases of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, RSA, EAISTO, Federal Tax Service, Federal Customs Service and others.

If the check reveals legal problems with the car, feel free to refuse the purchase - you are being deceived. To check, go to the Autocode website. There you will see a search bar. Enter the license plate number of the vehicle. Next, a report will appear containing information about the vehicle of interest.

The site will provide information about all registration activities related to the car, thefts, the number of owners, and will also tell you whether the vehicle is pledged or leased. This is a simple tool for car enthusiasts that will help check a duplicate PTS.

All about the duplicate PTS

Any driver may encounter such a thing as a duplicate passport. As a rule, this happens when buying or selling a car. Let's figure out what kind of document this is.

Duplicate vehicle passport

A duplicate of the PTS (vehicle passport) is a document officially issued by the traffic police, which indicates the reason for its issuance. It is produced at Gosznak and the paper is visually similar to banknotes. The duplicate itself contains technical characteristics and information about the owners of the car. This document is given to the new owner along with the car keys.

If you have any doubts when making a transaction, protect yourself by checking the document for authenticity. Looking at the front side of the document, at the very beginning there will be the inscription “Duplicate”.

There can be two reasons for issuing a duplicate passport for a vehicle:

There are no more empty fields to fill with new information

The original document has 6 fields for entering data about the owner of the car. However, the free lines in the document may run out, even if the car was owned by one person. Since initially information from the manufacturer is entered into the PTS, then from the dealership that sells this car.

Loss or theft of a document

If the vehicle's passport is lost or stolen, the owner contacts the traffic police, where he is issued a duplicate.

How can a car owner legally obtain a duplicate PTS

To obtain a duplicate passport for a vehicle, you need to prepare the following documents:

Passport.
Vehicle registration certificate.
Documents regarding the purchase of a car.
Insurance policy.
Statement.
Explanatory.
Certificate from the Municipal Department of Internal Affairs confirming the closure of the criminal case (if the PTS was stolen and a case was initiated).
Receipt for payment of state duty (500 rubles for a new vehicle title).

Then come to the MREO in the car for which the document is being restored. In case of loss of the vehicle title, have it inspected by an inspector and sign a statement with him. And hand over all documents to the traffic police officer.

What to watch out for when dealing with a duplicate vehicle title

If you are faced with the purchase of a car where the seller does not have the original title, but a duplicate, it is advisable to find out whether you have been caught by a swindler.

Most often, for fraudulent transactions, they use such schemes as selling a car with a loan issued for it; the owner of such a car goes through the procedure for restoring the title at the traffic police, and upon sale transfers the loan obligations to the buyer. Or the sale of a car that is involved in judicial property issues, that is, the owner of the car itself can also receive a duplicate and sell it, but the car, in turn, does not cease to be the subject of legal proceedings. If you find yourself in such a situation, the court sides with the real owner and the car has to be returned.

How to protect yourself from fraud when buying a car with a replaced vehicle passport

The easiest way to protect yourself is not to make a deal with a person who provides a non-original duplicate, but if the offer is profitable and there is no way to refuse it, you can use the following tips.

Contact the car dealership where the car was purchased.
Buy a car personally from the owner, even with a notarized power of attorney.
Pay attention to the region specified when registering the car, and based on this, consider whether the car could have been stolen.
A recent date for issuing a duplicate may indicate that the car was recently re-registered, in which case there is a high chance of running into scammers. If the duplicate was issued several years ago and the car has had one owner during that time, there is a high probability that the original was actually lost or stolen.
Check the VIN code with the values on the body and inside the cabin.
Consider the basis on which the car was transferred. With the specified purchase and sale agreement, everything is fine, but if there is a pledge agreement, the car could be issued on credit.

Verifying the authenticity of a duplicate PTS

When visually inspecting the PTS, RUS watermarks can be seen in the light. The hologram on the form should not stick out; in the corner above it there is the inscription “PTS”; to see it, you need to highlight the paper and tilt the document slightly. The volumetric pattern, when tilted, changes the gamut from green to gray.

If scammers tried to remove text from a duplicate, you can see it in the light, since the old inscriptions will be visible.

Check the information from the vehicle passport, such as make, model, color, engine, with the car itself. Some parameters can be found out in person by looking under the hood, the rest in a car service center.

You can check the authenticity of the PTS on the traffic police website. The report will contain the following information: year of manufacture of the car, equipment, mileage, number of owners, information about the collateral in the bank and customs history. If it is indicated that the car is wanted, refuse the deal.

How not to buy a credit car

A new date for issuing a duplicate may be a reason to be wary. The seller may claim that he recently lost the title, but in fact he took it on credit and decided to sell it. When applying for a loan, the original PTS remains with the bank, but the fraudster can claim the loss of the document and receive a duplicate. The bank will take away such a car as soon as payments on the loan stop.

In order not to buy a car on credit, you need to check on the traffic police website, but this will not be a 100% guarantee that the car is clean, because some banks do not transmit such information to the traffic police. But by conducting an online check, you can only minimize the risk of an unsuccessful purchase.

How to sell a car with a duplicate title

Drivers who have a non-original title often face the problem of selling a car. In each case there is an opportunity to get out of the situation. Depending on the specific case, explain to the potential buyer the reason for replacing the passport: offer to check the car using the VIN code, show a bank certificate about repayment of the loan for the vehicle, present a copy of the old title.

If there is no opportunity to present a copy of the original, it is difficult to complete a transaction, people will think that you are a swindler. Then you can try to sell the car to your friends or sell the car to a company that acts as a special intermediary, protecting the buyer from credit obligations.

The absence of the original PTS or its copy is a problem for both the seller and the buyer of the car, who is at greater risk. After all, it is impossible to guarantee the cleanliness of the car.

Why is a duplicate PTS dangerous?

Vehicle registration

Initially, a PTS (vehicle passport) is issued either by the manufacturer, if the car was produced in Russia, or by customs authorities, if the car was imported from abroad. As a rule, a title is only needed when buying or selling a car. Further, the main document for the driver is the registration certificate (CTC). It is the STS that we are required to show to the traffic police inspector during a roadside inspection.

The PTS contains all the information about the car (make, model, identification numbers, power, etc.). In addition, information about the owner of the car is entered into the document. When completing a transaction, the seller and the buyer record the change of ownership in the PTS by filling out a special section.

Where is the duplicate from?

So, if you are buying a car, and the seller has a duplicate title in his hands, you need to find out the reason for its replacement and carefully study the document itself. The authority that issued the PTS is indicated on the title page. If the traffic police department is listed there, then it is a duplicate.

The reason for issuing a duplicate is indicated in special notes. Options may vary. If it says that it was issued as a replacement for a disposed title, it means that the previous one was damaged or there was simply no room in it to indicate the new owner. The latter means that the car often changed owners. The likelihood of any fraud in this case is minimal.

Vehicle registration

But if the reason for issuing a duplicate is the loss of the previous document, you should be wary. Especially when the date of issue of the new document is very recent. For example, you have chosen a suitable car, the seller assures that he is the only owner, but accidentally lost the title. In reality, the car belonged to an organization where the car was driven to its tail and mane. Or maybe even worse. A man took out a loan for a car, and then the situation changed and there was no money to pay the bills. When issuing a car loan, the vehicle title is usually transferred to the bank for storage until the debt is fully repaid. The car itself is pledged, and it cannot be sold without the bank’s consent. Then the car owner “loses” the title, which the traffic police notifies. Those, in turn, not being able to verify information on the loan and collateral, issue a duplicate. In this situation, the buyer risks being left without a car and without money. The bank will take back the pledged property as soon as payments on the loan stop coming. And the seller may disappear by then. Or “suddenly” he will become insolvent and will not be able to return your money even by a court decision.

Or it could be like this: you are buying a car from an intermediary. Resellers, as a rule, do not re-register the car in the traffic police department. When caught by cameras that automatically record violations, fines are sent to the owner last registered in the traffic police database. If he cannot force the reseller to make changes to the documents in order not to pay fines, he can apply to terminate the registration in connection with the disposal of the car. In this case, it will not be possible to register the car. To avoid getting into such a situation, you can use the traffic police portal and check the registration history of the car.

Car loan

Is it possible to avoid being scammed?

So, if you find a duplicate PTS, you should be very careful. If you can't refuse the purchase, check the car's history more carefully. The easiest way is to ask to check the compliance of the information in the PTS at the traffic police post or at the traffic police department. Traffic police officers, as a rule, do not refuse such requests. And if the seller does not agree to such an offer, I recommend refusing the purchase immediately. This means that something is unclean here.

But this check will not be a full guarantee of the cleanliness of the car. As I already said, traffic police officers cannot find out whether the car is on credit or not. A check through a special portal of the Federal Notary Chamber, which stores information about cars that are pledged, will not give a 100% guarantee. Banks simply do not always transmit such information.

Car selection

The same situation applies to other Internet resources. By analyzing information from several resources, as well as viewing data on the car through the official website of the State Traffic Inspectorate, you can only minimize the risk of buying a “pig in a poke.”

What does a duplicate PTS mean, is it worth buying such a car and how to check the PTS

Like a person, a car has a passport, which contains characteristics, terms and dates, and registration history. During use, the document fills out over time, wears out, deteriorates and periodically becomes unusable. It is being replaced by a duplicate PTS. A secondly issued vehicle passport when selling a car arouses suspicion among the potential owner, and for good reason. Let's figure out what a duplicate is, how the original and duplicate PTS differ, why buying such a car is dangerous and how to avoid trouble. Go!

Duplicate PTS - what does it mean?

A vehicle passport is a document that contains the information necessary to register a car (chassis number, body number, engine number, year of manufacture, country of import, etc.). This data can be called primary; it is assigned to the vehicle during manufacture and is stored until disposal (with some exceptions).

Next comes information about the owners who owned the car. Not only buyers are indicated here, but also the car dealerships that sold the car, as well as the manufacturer. From the records you can trace the entire chain of ownership. Sometimes car sales transactions happen quite often and the space for records quickly runs out.

The PTS has 6 lines for records of car owners. Once the free space runs out, you need to replace the car's passport.

The appearance of a duplicate PTS means that the original has run out or has been lost (deteriorated, stolen, etc.). A new passport for the car is issued by the traffic police with the appropriate stamp and a note indicating the reason: issued to replace a disposed or lost one.

In what case is a duplicate PTS issued?

A duplicate PTS is issued if:

The lines for entering data about the new owner have run out;
The document is lost, stolen, damaged, etc.

If the car is re-registered to a new owner, an entry must be made in the title. If there is no free space, a new one must be issued. The procedure must be carried out in the presence of the previous car owner with the transfer of the original to the traffic police officers.

It all happens like this - you hand over the documents to the registration window along with the original car passport filled to the brim, and in return for what was handed in, you receive a duplicate PTS with the new owner included in it.

We recommend saving a photocopy of the full original PTS before issuing a duplicate, this will simplify the sale of the car in the future

This situation is standard and does not pose any risks for the future buyer of such a car, since it is quite standard. The car's original title is disposed of by MREO employees and will not reappear anywhere.

A duplicate issued to replace a lost one is a more complex issue, since it is difficult to find out why the original was lost.

In case of damage, the owner contacts the traffic police department at the place of registration of the car with the vehicle registration certificate and an application for the issuance of a title to replace the lost one. If you have documents for ownership, the MREO registration certificate will not refuse to issue updated papers.

What is the cost of issuing a secondary vehicle passport?

Obtaining a new vehicle passport is a paid service. The issuance is carried out by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate; when submitting an application for a duplicate, a state fee is paid, its amount depends on the type of document: paper or electronic. From August 3, 2018, paper and electronic transport passports are issued.

How much does a duplicate cost:

Paper version – 800 rubles
Electronic PTS – 1500 rudders

Why is a duplicate PTS dangerous?

Usually, the issuance of a duplicate PTS is associated with the banal end of free space in the document and this does not pose any threat to the purchaser if everything is legally smooth. However, there are situations when a re-issued paper may indirectly indicate legal problems with the car.

As already described above, there are two reasons for issuing new papers: loss and disposal of the original. Usually, the reason is indicated in special notes on the new form. Disposal of the original PTS indicates the banal completion of places for entering data, and on cars older than 10 years this is the norm. Also, with the introduction of new registration rules and the lack of use of transit numbers, a new problem with filling out PTS appeared. I'll tell you a story from my life.

When buying a car in another region, the old owner wanted to keep the state number. Of course, I had to register the car in my name and get new plates (since there are no transits now), and since in my region I also planned to install my beautiful license plate from my previous car, I had to re-register the car and make a second entry in PTS. As a result, the owner does not change, and the free space runs out. In such a situation, we recommend that car owners keep a copy of their original title so that in the future they can confirm their story and guarantee peace of mind to the buyer.

Let's figure out what you should be afraid of when purchasing a car with a duplicate title.

If a car is younger than 4-5 years old and has a duplicate vehicle registration certificate, we recommend that you do not engage in such a purchase.

The greatest risk is borne by a vehicle passport issued to replace a lost one. One of the criminal schemes is the sale of a credit car.

When issuing a car loan, the bank keeps the original passport and the driver is given a copy. Is it possible to drive with a copy of the PTS? Yes, you can. There is no point in carrying your passport in the car, since traffic police officers are presented with an STS. Most often they drive new cars with a copy.

If you want to receive a PTS instead of a copy, the car owner submits a vehicle registration certificate to the MREO with an application for the issuance of a duplicate due to loss or destruction of the paper. Once received, the car is usually sold at a discount to the market price. At the same time, the owner of the collateral who issued the loan for the purchase, after the payment ceases to be received, can at any time pick up the car for sale to cover the debt.

In 2019, the scheme is no longer popular, since most banks leave the original paper to its owner, since storing it in the bank does not provide any guarantees.

The second danger is property disputes. When dividing property, people often do not behave nicely.

In a situation where the car is used by one of the parties to the dispute, and the documents are in the possession of the other. The car user contacts the traffic police and, without waiting for the decision of the trial, sells the vehicle. Moreover, if the decision is in favor of the party holding the original papers, the court decision with a 95% probability will be in favor of the previous owner and the vehicle will be taken from the buyer. There is a risk of losing both money and car.

If the original is stolen, a duplicate PTS is dangerous because a double may emerge. If there is a stolen car, criminals select a suitable car and try to take possession of the passport. Next, the numbers are changed, the papers are prepared, and a twin car appears.

As a result, when buying a car with a duplicate passport, in the future you may be faced with the need to prove that your car is the original source. Forensic examination, of course, will prove this, BUT whether these difficulties are necessary is up to you to decide.

What does a duplicate PTS look like?

A new vehicle passport is issued in exact accordance with the one being replaced. Made on security paper produced at Goznak. It completely duplicates the information from the original. In this case, a “DUPLICATE” at the top of one of the pages (not always in the same place).

The special marks reflect the reason why the duplicate was issued and in the lower part, where the issuing authority is indicated, it indicates where it came from, which traffic police department and a stamp with two hammers is placed. By the way, if there is such a stamp on the car’s passport, you can clearly determine that it is a duplicate.

How to distinguish an original PTS from a duplicate

To avoid problems with purchasing a car, even before a detailed technical inspection, ask the car owner for a passport for the car and check it. Ask about the history of issuing a duplicate PTS. A car that is 3-5 years old and has a re-issued vehicle passport should raise questions and increased attention. Without having the proper experience, we recommend that you refuse such an acquisition. Read the article for more information about checking documents before purchasing.

We recommend checking the documents before purchasing, but to do this you need to know the difference between an original and a duplicate PTS. Let's look at the main differences.

At the top of the page there is a large stamp DUPLICATE;
In the SPECIAL MARKS section, information about the previous vehicle registration is printed. The marks also indicate the reason for issuing a new document (to replace the one handed in or lost);
In line 23, the organization that issued the paper lists the traffic police department and has a seal with two hammers.

These are the main differences between the original and the duplicate, so you can check the vehicle passport.

If you still plan to buy a car with a duplicate, use all resources to check: paid and free Internet services, websites of official government agencies (traffic police, FSSP, etc.), employees at traffic police posts. When purchasing expensive cars, use the services of auto selection experts or auto forensic experts.

Once again we would like to note that a duplicate is not bad, but you should refuse to buy a car if the vehicle’s passport:

Issued to replace a lost one;
The owner of the car avoids answering questions about details in the operating history;
If the car is sold not by the owner, but by a trusted person.

Conclusions:

If a duplicate is issued to replace a scrapped vehicle title, such a car can be considered for purchase
If the car is less than 4-5 years old and a second title has already been issued for it, refuse the purchase to avoid problems.
If the reason for issuing a repeated document is loss for any reason - if you do not have the ability to thoroughly check the history of the car - refuse the purchase or engage a car forensics specialist to check it.

Video: Why is a duplicate PTS dangerous?