外国人暮らしのQ&A「原付バイクを友人に譲りたい」

Q:

I live in Nagoya City. I have a gentsuki (motor scooter), but I don't use it anymore, so I want to give it to a friend. I want to transfer the ownership, so where should I go to do it?

A:

Transferral of ownership of a gentsuki (gendōki-tsuki jitensha / 原動機付自転車, lit. "bicycle with motor") scooter is carried out in conjunction with the declaration of Light Motor Vehicle Tax (keijidōsha zei / 軽自動車税). You must undergo the procedure for disposal of a vehicle to cancel the current ownership, then complete the procedure for registering the new owner.

First, you will need to go to the counter of a municipal tax office (shizei jimusho / 市税事務所), branch office, ward office, or ward branch office, and follow the procedure for disposal of a gentsuki. Declare that you are disposing of the gentsuki by filling in the details required on the Light Motor Vehicle Tax (classification rate) Disposal Declaration and Number Plate Return Form (keijidōsha zei (shubetsu-wari) haisha shinkoku-sho ken hyōshiki hennō-sho / 軽自動車税(種別割)廃車申告書兼標識返納書), and submit the vehicle's number plates. By doing this, your obligation to pay light motor vehicle tax on the gentsuki is terminated. When the disposal procedure is completed, the office will issue a Certificate of Vehicle Disposal (haisha shōmeisho / 廃車証明書) or Receipt of Light Motor Vehicle Tax Disposal Declaration (keijidōsha zei haisha shinkoku uketsuke-sho / 軽自動車税廃車申告受付所).

You must then give the friend to whom you are giving the gentsuki the Certificate of Vehicle Disposal, along with a Certificate of Assignment (jōto shōmeisho / 譲渡証明書). If the Certificate of Vehicle Disposal includes the name and seal of the previous owner in the certification of assignment section, the procedure can be carried out without a separate Certificate of Assignment. Your friend will need to register ownership at the office of the municipality in which she/he is registered as a resident by attaching the Certificate of Vehicle Disposal to a Light Motor Vehicle Tax (classification rate) Declaration and Number Plate Issuance Application (keijidōsha zei (shubetsu-wari) shinkoku (hōkoku) sho ken hyōshiki kōfu shinsei-sho / 軽自動車(種別割)申告(報告)書兼標識交付申請書).

In the case of the City of Nagoya, if you have filled out the necessary sections and stamped your personal seal on the Disposal Declaration and Number Plate Return Form and Number Plate Issuance Application, you can hand them to your friend, and your friend will be able to take them to a municipal tax office, etc., and undertake the procedures for both disposal and new registration in one visit. In other municipalities, too, there are places where the same procedures can be performed, so please check with your local municipal office.

If you do leave the transfer procedure to a friend to do on your behalf, please be aware that if your friend forgets to complete the transfer of ownership, the tax bill for the gentsuki will be sent to you.

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