Cars registered / registered in our country can only travel on public roads only if their technical status complies with the provisions of the road legislation in force.
Thus, in order to ensure that the cars in circulation comply with minimum safety requirements, the authorities check them, at various intervals, in principle, according to the age of the vehicle, in the periodic technical inspection (PTI)
As established by the Government Ordinance no. 81/2000, only vehicles registered or registered in Romania, not those registered in other countries, are subject to the PTI. Through this inspection, the authorities want to make sure that cars driving on public roads in Romania are, form a technical point of view, safe.
Another aspect that drivers should take into account is that, in the event that the PTI of a car expires, its registration is automatically suspended. Thus, if a driver drives a car whose PTI has expired he risks both a fine for the lack of valid PTI and one for driving while the registration is suspended, the total fine amounting to 5,800 lei.
The obligation to carry out the technical inspection rests with the holder of the registration or registration certificate.
The holder of the registration or registration certificate is, according to the Government Ordinance no. 81/2000, “”the legal person on whose behalf the vehicle is registered”.
The legislation in force provides that, by 2020, personal-use cars, ie not those used for the transport of persons or goods, must perform the inspection every two years. However, there is one exception, namely cars older than 12 years old, their owners having to submit them at the annual PTI.
In contrast, vehicles intended for the transport of persons who have, beyond the driver’s seat, more than eight seats, those used as a taxi or for hire, as well as those used in driver’s school which have, outside the driver’s seat, more than eight seats must pass the PTI within six months.
At the same time, new cars must do the first PTI three years after registration. The term for conducting the first inspection is counted from the date of the first registration, and for the next inspection, from the date of the previous one.
Cars used for the transport of persons who have, besides the driver’s seat, more than eight seats, the vehicles used for the transport of persons in taxi and in rental regime, are subject to the first periodic technical inspection at one year, but only if at the time of first registration in Romania were new.
After the technical inspection, the vehicles pass the inspection only if they have at most minor defects.
However, if the cars are identified for checks with major / dangerous defects, the cars do not pass the inspection and the owners have to repair them within 30 days.
The definitions of the three categories of defects are as follows:
- minor deficiencies:
Deficiencies that have no significant effect on vehicle safety or environmental impact and other minor non-compliances;
- Major deficiencies:
Deficiencies that could compromise the safety of the vehicle, impact the environment or endanger other traffic participants;
- Dangerous deficiencies:
Deficiencies that constitute a direct and immediate risk to road safety or which have an environmental impact.
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