All not lost

Through an ongoing series of articles in Automotives, Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) is advising the public about the steps required for conducting a variety of transactions which are necessary for motor vehicle owners and operators. Today, the focus is on replacing lost or stolen motor vehicle documents.

It is not unusual for persons to lose their motor vehicle documents. However, TAJ has provisions in place to facilitate those who find themselves in that situation.

If you have lost your registration plates, the first course of action is to pay for a police letter at the tax office, following which you will proceed to the police station to make a report. You will then be provided with a letter by the police, which is to be submitted to the tax office. There, you will obtain an application form for a substitute or replacement plate, which you will submit along with all your other motor vehicle documents.

As with your registration plates, if your motor vehicle's registration certificate is lost you must first pay for a police letter at the tax office then report the matter to the police, who again will provide you with a letter to be taken back to the tax office.

proper identification

You will then be required to present proper identification, along with the police letter, to the tax office. There you will complete the required form for substitute documents and pay the required fee, if necessary, following which a substitute registration certificate will be issued.

Please note that an authorisation letter from the individual or company which owns the motor vehicle and proper identification is required if a bearer is completing the transaction.

Once again, if you lose your certificate of fitness you must first pay for a police letter at the tax office and then make a report to the police. You will be given a letter to take back to the tax office where the plates were issued. You must take along proper identification.

At the tax office, a record of the vehicle's particulars and the name and address of the owner is issued. You will then pay an examination fee, after which you will collect your receipt and take it along with the record to the examination depot.

At the depot, your vehicle will be examined and a substitute certificate of fitness issued.

In the unfortunate event that you have lost your driver's licence, you must report the loss to the driver's licence section of the tax office of original issue, or a tax office near you. You will be required to present your tax registration number, one recent passport-sized photograph, identification in the form of your passport, or national ID, and any other particulars, such as driver's licence number, first issue of licence, copy of receipt as well as your address.

The tax office will then conduct a search of its records of the driver's licence. You will be asked to complete the relevant form and pay the appropriate fees. You will be advised to return in five working days, as the application must be submitted to the Island Traffic Authority for approval.

Upon return, you will be issued with a substitute driver's licence.

For more information you may contact the TAJ Customer Care Centre at 1-888-Tax-Help (829-4357) or visit the www.jamaicatax.gov.jm