Old Cars Get New Exit Route, As Delhi Lifts One-Year NOC Cap

End-of-life vehicles in the national capital now have a fresh chance to be reused elsewhere, as the Delhi government has scrapped the one-year limit for issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for deregistered

vehicles.

Terming it a “major decision” aimed at providing relief to lakhs of vehicle owners and furthering the cause of reducing vehicular pollution and congestion in the capital, the Delhi government said that the end-of-life vehicles can now get NOCs for re-registration in other states even after a year.

Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh on Thursday said this decision reflects the government’s commitment to both public convenience and environmental responsibility.

“By removing the one-year NOC limit, we’re helping citizens move their old vehicles out of Delhi responsibly, easing congestion and improving air quality,” he said.

Policy Change

The Delhi government has decided to keep in abeyance the restrictive clause from the “Guidelines for Handling End-of-Life Vehicles in Public Places of Delhi, 2024” that has limited the application for NOC to only within one year of a vehicle’s registration expiry.

This move will primarily benefit owners of diesel vehicles aged over 10 years and petrol vehicles over 15 years old, called the end-of-life vehicles.

So, now, irrespective of when the vehicle’s registration expired, the owners can obtain an NOC to re-register their vehicles in other states outside Delhi-NCR.

Singh also explained that the one-year deadline for NOC was creating an unintended logjam, leaving lakhs of vehicles stranded in Delhi.

“These vehicles were neither being scrapped nor could they be moved out, leading to potential pollution and congestion. By relaxing this criterion, we are empowering our citizens to make a responsible choice,” he said.

This decision, Singh believes, will systematically phase out a significant number of older vehicles from Delhi’s roads.

NGT Order

The order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT)—that decided the removal of the end-of-life vehicles from the NCR—has also allowed that the vehicles deregistered due to age can be legally transferred to regions where they are permitted to ply, effectively removing them from the national capital’s ecosystem.

The government expects this notification to provide a structured and eco-friendly exit route for old vehicles, complementing the national vehicle scrapping policy and reinforcing Delhi’s commitment to cleaner air.