How do you check online whether a car's ITP is valid?

Checking the ITP online, step by step

1. Open the “Verificare ITP” (ITP check) page on RAR's website (prog.rarom.ro).
2. Type the CIV series, in the form C-123456, or the VIN; the VIN box asks for 17 characters. One of the two is enough.
3. If the car's VIN has fewer than 17 characters, search by the CIV series instead: that is what RAR asks.
4. Type the verification code from the picture next to the box.
5. Press “Caută” (Search).

RAR says this page lets you check whether the car's valid ITP has been recorded in its database. The form asks for no account and no payment.

• RAR — ITP check (by CIV series or VIN; in Romanian)

Where to find the CIV series, the VIN and the ITP date

• The CIV series is on the vehicle identity card (CIV, cartea de identitate a vehiculului), the document issued by RAR with the car's technical and identification data. On RAR's page, the example shows its form: C-123456.
• The VIN (vehicle identification number, also called the chassis or body number) is in the registration certificate (talon), in field E. It is also on the ITP certificate you get after the inspection, in field 1.
• The ITP date, that is the date by which the next ITP is due, is written in the annex to the registration certificate, in field X. The last entry in the annex is the valid one. The ITP certificate does not give the date of the next ITP: it refers you to the annex.

The letters E and X are those of the European-style registration certificate, issued since 2007. The older 1997-model certificate is still valid, but looks different.

What to do if the ITP has expired

From the day the ITP expires, the car's registration is suspended by law and the car may no longer be driven on public roads. The suspension ends on the day the car passes a new inspection.

Whether the registration is suspended, and why, you can find out free of charge, online, from DGPCI, the driving licence and vehicle registration directorate: that is what the law says (Emergency Ordinance 195/2002, art. 11). On the directorate's site the service is called “Verificare stare înmatriculare” (registration status check) and asks for the registration number, the chassis number and an e-mail address.

Where to get the inspection done, what changes if the police have kept the registration certificate, and the penalty: in the guide on an expired ITP.

• Expired ITP: what happens to your car?
• DGPCI — registration status check (in Romanian)

How often the ITP is due

• A new car (new when first registered in Romania): the first ITP 3 years after the first registration.
• A car under 12 years old: every 2 years.
• A car at least 12 years old: every year (not vehicles of historic interest).
• Taxis: every 6 months.
• Cars that companies rent out (“RENT CAR”), with or without a driver: every 6 months. For those without a driver, the rule has applied since 17 February 2024.
• Ride-hailing (“transport alternativ”: rides booked through a digital platform, for example Uber or Bolt): every 6 months.
• Passenger vehicles with more than 8 seats besides the driver's: every 6 months.

For vehicles used for passenger transport “în regim de taxi și în regim de închiriere” (taxis, and hire with a driver) and for those with more than 8 seats, the first ITP is due after 1 year, not 3 years, if they were new when first registered in Romania.

The age is counted in whole years: the year of the inspection minus the year of manufacture in the CIV. The next ITP is counted from the date of the previous one.

The intervals are set by Government Ordinance no. 81/2000 (art. 2), and the one for ride-hailing by Emergency Ordinance no. 49/2019 (art. 19) and RNTR 1 (art. 5). In Law no. 38/2003 (art. 1^1), “RENT CAR” covers both passenger transport in cars with a driver and the renting out of cars without a driver.

For motorcycles, trailers, vans and other vehicles: in the guide on how often the ITP is due.

• How often does a car need the ITP test in Romania?

Can you check the ITP by number plate?

Not on RAR's page: there you can only search by CIV series or by VIN. Some websites and apps charge money for checks “by number plate”. The check on RAR's website asks for no account and no payment.

The DGPCI registration check (above) does not work with the number plate alone either: it also asks for the chassis number.

The car is new and does not show up. Why?

Because it has not had an inspection yet. RAR says that new vehicles, registered for the first time in Romania, do not appear in the “Verificare ITP” check. A new car has its first ITP 3 years after the first registration (the exceptions are above).

The data on RAR's page don't match the registration certificate. What do you do?

RAR says the data on the page are updated periodically. If 24 hours have passed since the ITP and what you see there still does not match what is written in the annex to the registration certificate, report it to RAR through a petition: on RAR's “Petiții” page, the “Petiție R.A.R.” form. RAR asks for the text in the form to be written without Romanian diacritics.

• RAR — petitions, complaints and appeals (the “Petiție R.A.R.” form; in Romanian)

Can you get a reminder before the ITP expires?

Yes. The Nu-mă-uita app, which is free, reminds you in good time: by default 30, 14 and 3 days ahead. You enter the date yourself, from the annex to the registration certificate; the app does not check the ITP by itself. The app also opens RAR's page: Resources → Cars → “Check your ITP”.

See also