Most people buy a car to use it for several years and then resell it profitably, choosing a better model for themselves. However, legal problems can disrupt the ideal picture of this scenario. Therefore, when buying, you need to know how to check a car for theft, seizure, and pledge. We explain which methods can be used to obtain this information.
What ways are there to check whether a car is under seizure?
Seizure is a temporary restriction on the use of property, including its sale and other commercial transactions. Usually, it is applied in the following cases:
- during court proceedings at the claimant’s request;
- while resolving a dispute over contested property;
- when the vehicle is being examined as part of an investigation;
- when there is suspicion of theft, unauthorized replacement of registration numbers, or other violations;
- if there are debts for fines, loans, utility payments, and so on.
- There are two main ways to check a car for seizure and restrictions, which we will review in more detail.
Procedure for checking by state registration number
The necessary data is contained in the State Register of Encumbrances over Movable Property (DRORM). In theory, the main way to check a car for seizure should be submitting an application on the Public Services Portal. The instructions are as follows:
- Register on the website. Use an electronic digital signature, Bank ID, or Mobile ID to confirm your identity.
- Fill out a short form. Be sure to provide your current address, email, and mobile phone number; they will be used to provide the information.
- Select the type of database check for the car: vehicles registered to individuals or legal entities.
- Enter the state registration number and confirm the request. Usually, the response arrives within 10 minutes, although delays can occur. Checking a car for seizure may be a paid service, for example, when you request information about company transport or order a paper certificate with home delivery.
However, practice shows that this is far from the best way to check a car for seizure. The service is available in test mode, and the database is still being filled. The later a car was registered in Ukraine, the higher the chance of receiving detailed information about it. Judging by user reviews, the system provides data for the last 3-5 years without problems, while older records may cause issues. In addition, the portal often goes down due to technical failures. That is why most people look for alternative ways to check a car for seizure.
Using services to check a car for seizure
To quickly check a car for restrictions, use independent services. They also connect to the state database, but use their own software base with more stable mechanisms and a convenient interface. If you are interested in how to check a car for theft and pledge, pay attention to the following services:
- Opendatabot is a bot in the Telegram messenger. It allows you to check for seizures free of charge. If the car check shows that restrictions exist, you can find out their reason by paying UAH 23;
- Autobot is a car check app on Google Play. After downloading the app to your smartphone, you can obtain information by state registration number or VIN. Please note: checking legal cleanliness is available by subscription, which is purchased for at least 1 month;
- CheckCar VIN checks a car for pledge, seizure, wanted status, and other restrictions by VIN code. The service works quickly and has a convenient interface, but reports are expensive and each one is paid for separately.
How to check a car for pledge or loan?
Not all owners of financed cars let the situation reach payment delays and seizure. However, some of them still try to sell a car bought with borrowed money. If the transaction is completed without the bank’s participation and without re-registering the agreement to the new owner, it is considered illegal and results in huge losses. That is why it is very important to know how to check a car for pledge.
Checking a vehicle for debts and pledges
Checking a car pledge should be done through the same DRORM register. In reality, however, access to it is quite difficult: the state service works unstably and is often under maintenance. It is much better to obtain an extract from the car pledge register through alternative services:
Please note: you can check a car for pledge free of charge and receive only a positive or negative answer. To clarify the information, you will need to order a paid report or subscribe to the service.
How to check a car’s credit history?
Even if the car is legally clean today, it is never unnecessary to know how to check a car’s credit history. By looking into its past, you can find out how reliable the borrower was, whether they allowed payment delays, and whether administrative measures were applied to the vehicle. To check a car for pledge by VIN, use the website of the Ukrainian Bureau of Credit Histories. You can obtain all the necessary information by VIN, vehicle registration certificate, or state registration number.
Please note: a car’s credit history can be checked only if it was registered after 2013. Each extract costs UAH 36. StatusControl service subscribers can make 10 free requests per month.
Sometimes banks forget to remove the loan encumbrance from a car even after the debt has been fully repaid. In the future, this leads to serious legal problems. A car pledge at TRUST HOUSE car pawnshop does not have such drawbacks; you can be sure that all restrictions will be removed after the agreement term ends.
How to check a car for theft?
A criminal case is the most serious encumbrance for a vehicle. If, during registration, it turns out that the car’s identification number has been entered into the Ministry of Internal Affairs database, it will be seized and may be confiscated. You will become involved in the investigation, and even in the most optimistic scenario, you will have to spend a great deal of time and effort proving your innocence. Therefore, checking a car for theft and credit will be a mandatory stage of the sale and purchase process.
Checking whether a car is wanted
Checking a car in Ukraine is quite easy. You can find out whether a car has stolen status by submitting a request on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website. The process is as simple as checking a car for credit. You enter the VIN code or state registration number. Within a few seconds, you receive a positive or negative answer.
Important clarification: the register contains only data on cars registered in Ukraine and declared wanted. If the car is already involved in a criminal case but the investigator has not yet transferred the data to the patrol police, the car check will not show stolen status. In addition, the database does not include vehicles with foreign registration.
Features of checking a car for theft before purchase
Fortunately, you can obtain more complete information, including when checking a car’s VIN code for a bank pledge. Services such as Opendatabot and YouControl request data from closed databases, including those of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If the car already has stolen status but has not been declared wanted, you will learn this from the paid report.
When you need to check whether a car is pledged, wanted, or seized in other countries, use local services. Since cars are most often purchased in Eastern Europe, the following websites may be useful to you:
- Poland – Historia Pojazdu;
- Latvia – e-CSDD;
- Lithuania – Regitra;
- Czechia – Cebia;
- Romania – CarVIN RO.
What documents need to be prepared to check a car before purchase?
To check a car by VIN code for pledge, you only need the vehicle registration certificate. It contains both the current state registration number and the unique vehicle identification number (VIN). These details may be shown in the sale listing on a website or in a mobile app. If the check history indicates the presence of restrictions, the owner must provide documents confirming that they have been removed and that the transaction can be carried out. When buying a financed car, you need to contact the bank: the sale and purchase agreement is concluded with the financial institution, which acts as the owner of the pledged property.
If you are interested in how to check a used car for credit, you can contact a car pawnshop. TRUST AUTO will offer a wide selection of cars in its consignment dealership. Every vehicle that comes to us undergoes a thorough check that guarantees its legal cleanliness.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find information by car number?
You can obtain detailed information about a car by registration number or VIN by sending a request to state databases or specialized services. The first option is cheaper, while the second is faster and more reliable.
Can I check a car for seizure free of charge?
Yes, most specialized services such as Opendatabot provide data on seizure, pledge, or theft of a car before purchase. You can find out whether restrictions exist free of charge. To reveal the details, you will need to buy a paid report.
How can I find information about fines imposed on a car?
Fines can be checked through the state service Diia by downloading the relevant apps from Google Play or the Apple App Store. You can also use banking apps such as PrivatBank or Monobank. All these services guarantee complete confidentiality of requests.
What does checking a car’s legal cleanliness involve?
A comprehensive check consists of collecting information from all available sources: open and closed databases, state registers, service books, listing websites, and so on. If you are interested in how to check whether a car is financed or not, you can send requests manually, but this will take much more time.
