Can I apply for ETC if the car is not under my name?
2 Answers
It is possible to apply for ETC even if you are not the car owner. According to the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Application Service of Electronic Non-stop Toll Collection on Expressways" issued by the Ministry of Transport, the original valid ID card of the car owner, the original and photocopy of the vehicle license, and the page of the vehicle license with the latest annual inspection stamp are required. If applying on behalf of someone else, the original valid ID card of the agent is also required. If applying for ETC through major bank branches, a debit card or credit card from the corresponding bank must be prepared. Some banks only support ETC binding with credit cards, while others may require freezing a certain amount as a deposit when binding ETC with a debit card. ETC Deduction Principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on the expressway. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane of the toll station, and using computer networking technology for backend settlement with the bank, the purpose of paying tolls without stopping at the toll station is achieved. All of this is based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Green and low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs, reduces the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, and lowers wear and fuel consumption. Improved efficiency: The theoretical efficiency of ETC lanes can be increased by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC updates faster and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased," and explicitly set the goal of "achieving a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020" in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development. More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the usage rate of ETC passenger vehicles, the future will also promote the use of ETC for trucks and explore the deep integration of the ETC system with smart transportation directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for car owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. ETC Usage Notes: The ETC transaction sensing area is 8 meters. When encountering a vehicle in front that stops, to prevent the ETC device failure of the front vehicle or the absence of an ETC device, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters from the front vehicle to avoid automatic sensing and paying for the front vehicle. The recognition speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle device information cannot be read, leading to deduction failure. Unauthorized disassembly or movement of the OBU device, or detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the expressway service office for testing. If the loosening or detachment is not due to human factors, reactivation is sufficient. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also cause deduction failure. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane and pass by cash or card. Poor sensing due to overly thick car windshields. Special attention is needed for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after accidents or for those who have modified their front windshields.
Yeah, I know about this. You can apply for an ETC even if the car isn't registered under your name, but it's a bit of a hassle. I've helped friends with it a few times, and the main thing is that the car owner needs to cooperate. You'll need to get a copy of the owner's ID card and the original vehicle registration certificate, preferably along with an authorization letter stating that they allow you to handle it. If the owner can't go to the ETC service point or bank in person, you'll need to go through video verification on an app or get written consent to be on the safe side. Why all these strict requirements? It's an anti-fraud measure to prevent unauthorized use of license plates for toll collection. I've done it myself before with a company car—the process was pretty smooth. Just prepare the documents, and it takes about ten minutes to get it done. The benefits of ETC are numerous: no queues at highway tolls, discounts on fuel, and it saves a lot of money over a year. In short, don't worry about it not working out—just make sure to communicate well with the car owner, and it'll be both safe and hassle-free.
