Renew vehicle registration on time to reduce hassles, says ROP

The ROP is urging vehicle owners to renew their vehicle registration (mulkiya) on time to avoid being fined or having the vehicles confiscated. It has said that people can avail its SMS service by registering at 90085 to receive alerts on vehicle registration, driving licence and visa expiry, and traffic violations.

“Many people drive their vehicles with expired registration and there is a penalty for it. We urge people to be punctual. If the registration has expired for over three months, the vehicle will be impounded,” an official from the ROP’s Directorate General of Traffic said.

The 30-day grace period to renew the registration without any fine still exists.

The ROP has said that people should take advantage of technology to avoid getting inconvenienced. “People and firms can subscribe to this SMS service which costs RO1 and is valid for six months from the date of subscription.” Upon completion of the subscription period, it will be renewed automatically unless unsubscribed manually.

Speaking to Muscat Daily , Saada al Naamani, a businesswoman, said that there is a price to be paid if one forgets to renew the registration. “I was stopped by an ROP patrol car one day. The officer asked me to show the licence and mulkiya. The mulkiya had expired three months ago. My car was confiscated and I had to pay RO50 to get it released. I came to know about this SMS service recently. It is better to pay RO1 instead of RO50.”