Govt extends registration period for auctioned vehicles

KATHMANDU, June 15: The government has extended the registration period for auctioned vehicles by issuing the 15th amendment to the Customs Rules. The new regulations extend the registration period for different types of vehicles based on their age.

Previously, auctioned vehicles could only be registered if their production period was up to 10 years. The revised rules now allow for a differentiated approach: two-wheelers and three-wheelers can be registered if they are up to 10 years old, while four-wheelers can be registered if they are up to 15 years old.

In rule 35 of the original rules, the phrase 'vehicles exceeding 10 years' has been replaced with 'two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicles exceeding 10 years and four-wheeled or other vehicles exceeding 15 years.'

Previously, vehicles more than 10 years old, or those with unclear engine or chassis numbers or poor physical condition, were not eligible for registration after auction and were sent directly for scrapping. This applied to all types of vehicles without distinction.

Under the new rules, the policy for two-wheelers and three-wheelers remains unchanged; they will not be registered if they are over 10 years old at the time of auction and will be scrapped. 

However, four-wheelers and other vehicles can now be registered if their production date is within 15 years. This change addresses the issue of relatively newer, well-maintained vehicles being scrapped simply because they exceeded the 10-year mark.