Last updated: September 2026 – checked against the NCRB Central Citizen Services and Digital Police portal descriptions of the Generate Vehicle NOC service.
Before buying a used vehicle, or when completing a transfer at the RTO, you may need an NCRB vehicle report, often called a Vehicle NOC. It’s issued online by the National Crime Records Bureau and confirms whether a vehicle appears in the national police database as stolen or involved in a crime. This guide explains what the report is, how to generate it online for free, what the result means, and what to do if a vehicle shows up in the database.
What Is an NCRB Vehicle Report?
The National Crime Records Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, maintains a national database of stolen and recovered vehicles, fed by police stations across India through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). Its Generate Vehicle NOC service lets anyone search this database by registration number, chassis number or engine number, and download a certificate showing the result. It used to require a visit to an NCRB office; it’s now available online.
It’s important to understand what the report does and doesn’t cover. It shows whether the vehicle matches a record of theft or a crime in the police database. It does not show accident history, insurance claims, loans, pending traffic fines or past owners; those come from other sources, covered below.
When You Need It
Requirements differ between RTOs, so check whether yours asks for the NCRB report for your service.
How To Generate an NCRB Vehicle Report Online
The name you enter at login is carried into the report and usually can’t be changed afterwards, so double-check it. The service is free to use on the official portals.
Understanding the Result
If the search finds no matching record, the report confirms the vehicle isn’t listed as stolen in the national database at the time of the search. If it finds a match, the report shows details of the record, such as the police station and date. A match on a vehicle you’re thinking of buying is a strong reason not to go ahead, and you should inform the local police.
Occasionally a record shows up that doesn’t belong to the vehicle, for example because of a mistyped number in a police entry, or a theft case that was resolved and the vehicle recovered but not updated. If this happens with your own vehicle, contact the police station named in the record with your RC and ID and ask for the record to be updated to show the vehicle as recovered or not involved. It can take time, so start early if you need the report for a transfer.
Other Checks To Do Alongside It
Because the NCRB report only covers theft and crime records, combine it with other checks before buying: search the registration number on Vahan to confirm the RC is active and see whether a bank is listed as financier (see our vehicle details guide), check for pending e-challans, and match the chassis and engine numbers on the vehicle itself with the RC. Our vehicle blacklist check guide brings all of these together.
NCRB Vehicle Report vs NCRB’s Annual Crime Reports
Don’t confuse the vehicle report with NCRB’s annual publications, such as Crime in India, which contain national crime statistics and are downloadable from the NCRB website’s publications section. Those reports are statistical and don’t contain information about individual vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the NCRB vehicle report free?
Yes, generating it on the official NCRB or Digital Police portal is free. Be wary of third-party sites that charge for it.
Does the NCRB report show accident history?
No. It only shows whether the vehicle matches a theft or crime record in the police database.
Can I check a vehicle that isn’t mine?
Yes. The service is designed to let buyers check a vehicle before purchase, using its registration, chassis or engine number.
My own vehicle shows a theft record. What should I do?
Contact the police station named in the record with your RC and ID, and ask them to update the record. Keep copies of everything you submit.
Related guides: Vehicle Blacklist Check, Used Motorcycle History Check, Transfer Vehicle Ownership.