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The Punjab government has introduced a reform to the vehicle registration policy, allowing motorists to re-register vehicles initially registered in other provinces or in the federal government's jurisdiction in Punjab and obtain a new local registration number. It is one of the biggest changes in the administration of drivers and vehicle owners in the province and will likely streamline the registration situation of a large number of people. 

The decision was approved by the Director General Excise and Taxation of Punjab, Omar Sher Chatha, who clarified that the new process will allow those people who have vehicles registered in other states, including Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan or the federal states, to transfer and formally re-register such vehicles in Punjab. This applies regardless of whether the vehicle is registered under a provincial system or a federal registration scheme. 

What the New Policy Means for Vehicle Owners

As part of the new structure:

• In Punjab, vehicle owners may apply for re-registration by submitting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the original authority of the province or the federal authority under which the vehicle was registered.

• After the acquisition of the NOC, the vehicle can be re-registered under a new Punjab number plate, indicating that it is officially registered in the provincial database.

• The re-registration will involve a nominal fee on city transfer, which will be more affordable in most instances than a new registration. 

The intention, according to the officials, is to introduce thousands of vehicles already running in Punjab into the provincial tax system and regulations, thereby guaranteeing compliance and adequate contributions to provincial road infrastructure funds. 

Why This Change Matters

Several years later, several vehicles have been operated in Punjab with other provincial registrations, creating confusion about whether such vehicles should pay taxes, which legal jurisdiction they fall under, and whether their ownership can be verified. Historically, there were only limited choices for owners who wanted to change their ownership or even just revise their registration under the Punjab system. Under the new regime:

1. The owners do not have to retain their original provincial registration to legally drive in Punjab.

2. Re-registration can improve resale value, as most locally registered vehicles are favored by purchasers and can be easily transferred later.

3. The process can bring vehicle records closer to local taxation and inspection systems, thereby reducing the enforcement and administrative burden on authorities. 

It is indicated that the transport and excise departments of Punjab are liaising with other provincial administrations to ensure that the data verification and transfer procedures are smooth, as they use common databases and web-based data verification software, a contemporary improvement over the former paper-based systems. 

Expectations and Next Steps

Re-registration will be made available province-wide this month, and vehicle owners are urged to start by procuring the required NOC from their respective original registration authority. The officials have emphasized that the aim is to minimize hurdles in the process and provide a consistent, uniform system for every vehicle owner in Punjab. 

According to transport experts, this policy would be especially useful to individuals who change their residence regularly, purchase second-hand cars outside Punjab, or use long-standing vehicles that were initially registered in other locations but now work in Punjab.

Overall: This policy is an important administrative change that aims at streamlining vehicle management, making the cross-provincial registrations, and introducing more vehicles into a single provincial system -the change that had long been awaited by many motorists in Punjab.