When you buy a car from someone, the law requires that you apply for a Transfer of Vehicle ownership.
This process ensures that the ownership of the vehicle is transferred to you.
When the process is complete, the seller’s name will be replaced with yours on the vehicle’s registration certificate.
Who Pays Car Transfer Fees?
Generally, the buyer is responsible for the car transfer fees.
The seller provides the documents to facilitate the transfer, such as a scanned copy of the log book, ID, and KRA pin.
The reason why it’s the buyer who pays the vehicle transfer fees is because sellers don’t want to incur any cost when selling their cars.
But some vehicle owners who are accustomed to vehicle ownership transfer will include the transfer fees in the selling price of the vehicle and do the transfer for you to save you from going through the hassle.
Others will offer to pay for the transfer to entice you to buy the car. So, sometimes it depends on your agreement with the seller.
Buying a car from a dealer is different when it comes to payment of transfer fees.
Most dealers take care of the transfer fee and the vehicle ownership transfer because they want their customers to have a good buying experience and to create loyal customers and spread the word about them.
Car transfer fees are not high in Kenya, so it should not be a concern when looking to buy a used car from someone.
