It is mandatory for vehicles used for commercial purposes to have a Fitness Certificate unlike private vehicles like bikes or cars. A commercial vehicle owner can get a vehicle fitness certificate by visiting their local Regional Transport Office. RTO vehicle registration offices are set up in every state of India, thus those who need fitness certificates for their vehicles can visit their nearest RTO. However, thanks to digitalization, it is also possible to get a fitness certificate online.
Commercial vehicles have a key responsibility to transport goods as well as the public from one place to another. A fitness certificate is issued only after inspecting the vehicle properly to check if the vehicle is fit to be able to run on Indian roads. It is an important step especially when the safety and security of passengers are concerned. The vehicle inspection is carried out by the RTO and after successful inspection of the vehicle, the fitness certificate is issued. A fitness certificate is a highly important document and a person cannot apply for a registration certificate without a valid fitness certificate in the case of commercial vehicles.
RTO inspects the commercial vehicle on many parameters such as mechanical issues, technical issues, emission issues, and overall faults in the vehicle. Only a vehicle that is found to be mechanically as well as technically fit is issued a fitness certificate, considering only such vehicles can safely transfer goods and passengers. Inspections done by RTO also help the vehicle owner to stay updated about the overall condition of the vehicle. You should apply for the fitness certificate at your local RTO. The details about every RTO in the country are available online and a person can read all the information to know more about their local RTOs. For instance, if you live in Gujarat, then you must go through RTO Office details in Gujarat for your convenience.
If you wish to apply online for a vehicle fitness certificate, then you can visit the official website of your state transport department or the Government of India’s Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Parivahan Sewa. You need to click on the relevant options that will redirect you to the pages where you can get the application form for a fitness certificate. After filling in all the details and completing the necessary formalities, an application number will be generated. After this, you need to only visit RTO for vehicle inspection as per the given date and time. In case your vehicle is not found fit, the concerned person at RTO will suggest you to rectify the faults.
The fitness certificate will be issued only after all the faults in the vehicles are rectified by the vehicle owner till the next inspection date. The vehicle will be inspected again and if no issues would be there in the vehicle, then the fitness certificate is issued. If you wish to apply offline, then you need to visit your nearest RTO. The application form can be obtained from there after which the filled application form and other relevant documents have to be submitted. Thereafter, the procedure remains the same i.e. verification of documents and vehicle inspection.