When making a vehicle transfer, you must be wary of common mistakes that could cause delays or even lead to additional expenses.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in a recent paper, has outlined common mistakes most motorists make while conducting a vehicle transfer.
According to the Authority, during the process of verifying motor vehicle transfer of ownership transactions, some applicants often make the mistake of submitting logbooks that belong to a different vehicle.
The Authority also disclosed that some drivers tend to submit a normal logbook copy instead of uploading a coloured document which is scanned and placed in a Portable Document Format (PDF). Such a mistake could potentially lead to a delay in transferring the vehicle ownership.
Similarly, NTSA noted that a section of vehicle owners submitted defaced logbooks or logbooks that were not visible thus making it difficult to authenticate the vehicle details against the system.
Vehicles at a yard at the Port of Mombasa (left) and Kenyans seeking services from NTSA offices in Nairobi.
Photo
KPA / NTSA
Other applicants submit different documents like payment invoices, blank papers, and newspaper cuttings instead of a scanned copy (PDF) of the original logbook. It is worth noting that the above documents are not needed during such a process.
NTSA further disclosed that some of the drivers submitted logbooks which captured the wrong new owner details instead of the details of the actual buyer.
How to Transfer Vehicle Ownership
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has outlined the requisite process needed for Kenyans to successfully transfer vehicle ownership.
It is a requirement that once a vehicle owner sells their vehicle, they should promptly apply for a vehicle transfer which takes about three working days for the whole process to be successful.
It is important to know that for a vehicle transfer process to succeed, both the seller and the buyer must have active NTSA portals which can easily be created or accessed through the e-Citizen platform.
Seller
To initiate the process, a seller should log into the e-Citizen account and select NTSA service portal (new), then proceed to the home page and select the specific vehicle they want to transfer.
The vehicle owner is then required to go to the motor vehicles service section, select vehicle transfer and then click ‘apply’.
After completing this step, the next step is uploading the original logbook colour in PDF, and subsequently fill in the new owner details after which payment should be submitted for the transfer of ownership.
Once this is done, the user is required to access the home page, proceed to the notification tab and accept the consent notification
Buyer
A buyer is required to log in to the eCitizen account, select the NTSA service portal then proceed to the home page, and click the notification tab to accept or decline the consent notification.
The buyer will then be prompted to fill in the required details click preview, scroll down, tick the declaration box then click preview and submit for approval.
The charges for the whole process will depend on the cubic capacity (CC) also known as the engine capacity rating of the motor vehicle.
NTSA will then start processing the new logbook and you will be notified to collect it at the selected collection center.
A photo of NTSA and police officers conducting an operation in Nairobi County on March 20, 2023.
Photo
NTSA
