How to Accept Transfer of Vehicle Ownership In Kenya

After you’ve purchased your motor vehicle and fully paid for it, the next step would be to transfer Vehicle ownership from the previous owner to yourself or another preferred owner. The Government has made things easier through the NTSA.

Gone are the days when you would line up at a KRA Office to facilitate the transfer of car ownership. Those were the days when brokers would prey on you to pounce on your ignorance and drain your pockets. Nowadays things have gone digital and there has been significant improvement in service delivery. 

Process of Transfer of Vehicle Ownership

For this process to happen you need to have a TIMS account.  This is the platform where the transaction occurs. You need to get familiar with the NEW NTSA TIMS Log-in Procedure – The New System. Follow the link to get familiar with the process.  

The transfer process has to be initiated by the previous owner. This owner has to transfer ownership to the new owner using the NEW NTSA TIMS. Kindly note that there are charges for this transaction which we have shared below. 

Once the transfer has been done, the new owner has to log on to the NEW NTSA TIMS to confirm and accept ownership in the Vehicle Registration Tab. This process initializes the processing of a new logbook under the new owner’s name.  

Procedure for Logbook Transfer In Summary(Transfer of Vehicle Ownership)

a) The Seller Should:  

Log in to NEW TIMS, then go to the Vehicle Registration Tab, then the Vehicle Transfer tab, then apply for transfer of ownership. Follow the prompt and ensure to provide all required information.

You will be required to upload a copy of the logbook. Once the seller submits the information, the buyer should receive a notification of the transaction.  

d) The Buyer Should:  

Log in to NEW TIMS, then go to the Vehicle Registration Tab, then the Vehicle transfer tab, then accept ownership. Follow the prompt and ensure to provide all required information.

Once the acceptance and confirmation are done, the information is sent to NTSA for processing and Approval.  

The NTSA Logbook Transfer Charges

Below are the charges for motor vehicle transfer. Kindly note that these charges are subject to changes.  

Vehicle Engine Capacity	Charges
Not Exceeding 1,000 CC	1,660
1,001 to 1,200 CC	1,890
1,201 to 1,500 CC	2,065
1,501 to 1,700 CC	2,410
1,701 to 2,000 CC	2,695
2,001 to 2,500 CC	3,845
2,501 to 3,000 CC	5,055
3,001 CC and Above	5,915
Trailer with less than 4 wheels	1,030
Trailer with more than 4 Wheels	1,890
Tractor	1,030

The transfer of ownership process can take up to 3 days to complete. Once the transfer is complete, you will be issued a new logbook.