Checking STNK and BPKB before you buy a vehicle

STNK is the vehicle registration certificate, renewed annually, showing the registered keeper, the plate and the tax position. BPKB is the ownership book, held for the life of the vehicle and required to transfer ownership. A vehicle without a BPKB is not a vehicle you should be buying.

Take ten minutes with both documents and the vehicle in front of you.

• Engine number and chassis number on the documents against the stampings on the vehicle.
• Plate number on the STNK against the plate fitted.
• Colour and year on the documents against what you are looking at.
• Name on the BPKB against the identification of the person selling.
• Tax validity date on the STNK — check whether the annual tax is current.

This is common with scooters, and it is where most problems start. Ask for a written authority from the registered keeper plus a copy of their identification, or ask the registered keeper to attend. A chain of unsigned informal sales makes the eventual transfer difficult.

An expired STNK is a cost you inherit, and a long lapse can mean a more involved re-registration. The five-year renewal requires a physical inspection, so ask when the next one falls due.

Stamped numbers are hard to read in poor light and easy to misread on a phone screen. Meet during the day, somewhere public, and photograph both documents for your own records.