Is it illegal to change the color of a whole car with a film?
3 Answers
After completing the whole vehicle film color change, it is necessary to go to the local vehicle management office for registration and filing, and it will be legal after obtaining a new driving license. To apply for changing the color of a motor vehicle, according to Article 55 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law", the following materials need to be submitted: the original "Motor Vehicle Change Registration Application Form", the original and photocopy of the identity certificates of the motor vehicle owner and agent, the original motor vehicle registration certificate, and the original motor vehicle driving license. According to Article 6 of Chapter 2 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law", if the color change area of a motor vehicle does not exceed 30%, there is no need to go through the change registration. On the contrary, if it exceeds 30%, it is necessary to file for record, and the registration must be completed within 10 days after the vehicle color change. Precautions for vehicle color change: Before preparing to change the color of the motor vehicle, it is necessary to consult the vehicle management office where the vehicle is registered whether the region allows the use of film to change the vehicle color. If the region does not support this method, the filing procedure cannot be processed after the color change, and the film can only be completely removed to restore the original color of the vehicle. In addition, according to the "Motor Vehicle Registration Regulations", the owner is allowed to no longer apply to the vehicle management office in advance. The owner can first change the vehicle color, install a body kit, replace the engine, etc., and then apply to the vehicle management office for change registration. According to Article 10, if a registered motor vehicle has one of the following circumstances, the motor vehicle owner shall apply to the vehicle management office at the registration place for change registration: Change the body color. Replace the engine. Replace the body or frame. Replace the whole vehicle due to quality problems. Change the use nature, such as changing an operating motor vehicle to a non-operating motor vehicle or a non-operating motor vehicle to an operating motor vehicle. The motor vehicle owner's residence moves out of or into the jurisdiction area of the vehicle management office. In addition, according to Article 15 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China": Police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, and engineering rescue vehicles shall be painted with emblem patterns, and install alarms and emblem lights as required. Other motor vehicles shall not be painted, installed, or used with the emblem patterns, alarms, or emblem lights specially used by the above-mentioned vehicles or similar to them. According to Article 56 of the "Motor Vehicle Registration Regulations", if the body color is changed without going through the change registration as required, the public security traffic management department will issue a warning or impose a fine. The vehicle may also be detained and required to restore the original body color.
I recently had my car wrapped in an electro-optic metallic gray film and made a special trip to the DMV. As long as the color change doesn’t exceed 30% of the car’s body, it’s legal to either apply in advance or complete the modification registration within 10 days after the change. Just bring your ID card, vehicle license, and green book (vehicle registration certificate), fill out a modification registration form, and pay a 10-yuan fee for a new vehicle license photo. Note that you can’t use designs mimicking special vehicles like police cars or ambulances, and films with excessively high reflectivity won’t pass inspection. My matte film was fine—it’s been two years, and I’ve never been stopped by traffic police.
In our veteran driver group, people often ask about this. Wrapping your car with a color film is completely legal, but remember you must register the change! Apply at the vehicle management office before wrapping, or complete the procedure within ten days after the change. I once saw a young guy who used a fluorescent green wrap and got chased by traffic police for fines, all because he didn't update his license photo. The new color also can't clash with special liveries like police or fire trucks. Another reminder: some overly flashy mirror-reflective films might get you pulled over in big cities.
