That’s the warning according to Mr. Phillip Greaves, Interim President of the Association of Vehicle Inspection Stations in Trinidad & Tobago.
“first and foremost it is the law of Trinidad & Tobago to have your vehicle inspection valid regardless if Police are enforcing it or not”
Mr. Greaves went on to share the following information:
According to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act chapter 48:50, Part V, section 27 (11).
A registered owner of a private motor vehicle or
motorcycle, public service motor vehicle, rental car, goods vehicle,
omnibus or trailer who fails to produce the vehicle for inspection or
drives the vehicle without obtaining an inspection sticker and
certificate in accordance with these Regulations commits an offence
and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of five thousand dollars.
Therefore the fine is set at exactly TT$5,000. Not $1000 nor $7500 as suggested on social media.
The PDF can be downloaded from the Ministry of Legal Affairs website
DownloadP vehicles older than 5 years from the date of manufacture must be inspected and carry a valid inspection sticker and certificate. If your vehicle was manufactured 5 years ago but was only purchased and registered 3 years ago, you will still need to have it inspected and carry a valid inspection sticker and certificate. The 5 years are checked from the date of manufacture and not the date of license.
T vehicles are to be inspected one year after the date of licensing (where it would have been inspected anyway) and annually after that i.e. every year.
The cost to have your P vehicle inspected at any one of the registered Vehicle Inspection Stations around the country is TT$162.50 VAT inclusive. It was previously TT$165 when VAT was set at 15%.
All P registered vehicles must be inspected at one of these stations unless your P vehicle is over 2270 kilograms.
All P vehicles over 2270Kg must instead be inspected at licensing office San Fernando or at the new Motor Vehicle Authority building in Frederick Settlement, Caroni or Licensing Office Scarborough, Tobago.
All T vehicles must be inspected at licensing office San Fernando or at the new Motor Vehicle Authority building in Frederick Settlement, Caroni or Licensing Office Scarborough, Tobago.
The cost to have your T vehicle (or P vehicle over 2270Kg) inspected at Licensing Office is TT$300.
Mr. Greaves said you will require a valid insurance certificate and the Certified Copy of ownership to have your vehicle inspected at any one of the Inspection Stations or licensing offices. If you do not have the certified copy or there is a minor issue with the vehicle that needs to be corrected, a sticker nor certificate will be given, however a Checklist bearing the official stamp of the Inspection Station will be given to the customer and a period of 1 day up to 6 weeks will be granted to have the certified copy or issue resolved. Then the sticker and certificate will be issued. I asked Mr. Greaves if a Police or Licensing Officer were to stop a vehicle inside of this 1 day to 6 week period pending the certificate, he stated the driver could show the checklist to the officer which should be sufficient to show the vehicle was inspected. I assume it would be up to the discretion of the officer.
Mr. Greaves went on to say that if the inspection station had no stickers in stock they would issue a receipt and the inspection certificate. The inspection certificate would be sufficient for a Police or Licensing Officer to know the vehicle was inspected. He said you must have the inspection certificate in your car at all times should an officer ask you to produce it.
Brent Batson, Head of the Road Safety Division also confirmed through another contact that 40 new Licensing Officers have been added to the roster but did not confirm or deny that any official notice was sent out regarding officers checking for inspection stickers and certificates from Monday 20th February, however he reiterated that it is the law and everyone should have a valid sticker and certificate.
