The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed extending Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate validity for Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) vehicles to ease the burden on owners. According to the draft notification, PUC certificates for BS-VI non-transport vehicles will remain valid for three years from the date of first registration for vehicles up to six years old. For vehicles aged between six and ten years, renewal will be required annually, while those above 10 years will need renewal every six years. The Centre has offered relief to owners of newer BS-VI-compliant private vehicles by proposing significant changes to the validity period of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), as per the latest reports.
For BS-VI transport vehicles, the certificate will be valid for two years from the date of first registration for vehicles up to six years old. The validity will be reduced to one year for vehicles between six and 10 years old and six months for vehicles older than 10 years. As reported by the ministry, these changes apply specifically to BS-VI vehicles while maintaining existing requirements for older vehicle categories. The proposed changes are aimed at reducing the compliance burden on owners of newer vehicles, which are built to meet stricter emission norms and generally emit lower levels of pollutants.
The existing validity periods for older vehicles have been left unchanged under the draft rules. PUC certificates for vehicles complying with BS-I, BS-II and BS-III emission norms will remain valid for three months, while BS-IV vehicles will continue to require renewal every six months. These standards are aligned with European emission norms and set limits on pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter. BS-IV was applicable from 2017 to 2020, while BS-VI has been in force since April 2020, with India skipping BS-V to accelerate pollution control measures. These vehicles emit far lower pollutants and require low-sulphur BS-VI fuel, making them considerably cleaner than vehicles built under older Bharat Stage norms.
PUC certificates issued before the new rules come into force will continue to remain valid under existing rules. The revised validity periods will apply only when these certificates are renewed for the first time after the amended rules take effect. If a PUC certificate is renewed within 10 days before its expiry, the renewed certificate will take effect from the expiry date of the existing certificate. In all other cases where renewal is sought after expiry, the renewed certificate will become effective from the date of renewal. The proposal is currently in the draft stage, and the revised PUC validity periods will come into effect only after the government issues a final notification.
The ministry has invited objections and suggestions on the draft rules within 30 days from the date the notification is made available to the public. According to the ministry, these submissions will be considered before the rules are finalised. The Centre has offered relief to owners of newer BS-VI-compliant private vehicles by proposing significant changes to the validity period of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), as per the changes suggested. These BS-VI-compliant vehicles are designed to produce significantly lower emissions and operate on low-sulphur fuel, making them considerably cleaner than vehicles built under older Bharat Stage norms.
