The Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) has expanded services and set a final deadline of Feb. 28, 2026, for vehicle owners who have delayed transferring ownership, known as “mutation.”
The deadline applies to owners who missed the required eight-day period after buying or otherwise receiving a vehicle to complete the transfer. RRA said it has introduced a special program to help those affected complete the process before the deadline.
Under the program, RRA staff will work extended hours from Monday to Saturday. Three new service sites have also been opened in Kigali — Rebero, Gikondo and Nyamirambo Stadium, in addition to existing centers. RRA said the move is necessary because about 70% of vehicle transfers take place in Kigali.
Deputy Commissioner for Taxation and Communications, Jean Paulin Uwitonze, told reporters Tuesday that the main reasons for delays include unpaid taxes by sellers, sellers leaving the country, or the death of the seller before the transfer is completed.
“Normally, a person who sold a vehicle should remove their name within eight days,” Uwitonze said. “Some delay because the seller has unpaid taxes and the transfer cannot be completed until those are cleared. Some sell and leave the country, telling the buyer to handle it later. Sometimes the seller dies before completing the transfer.”
He said RRA has issued new guidance and urged vehicle owners to seek help during the special period. If buyers cannot locate sellers, RRA will attempt to find them, and if the sellers cannot be found, RRA will allow the transfer to be processed without their presence.
Uwitonze warned that anyone who fails to complete the transfer within the special period will be considered deliberately refusing to comply and could face penalties after Feb. 28.
He said 160,000 people have raised issues with delayed transfers, and 60,000 of those cases have been successfully resolved so far.
Rwanda National Police spokesperson ACP Boniface Rutikanga said delayed transfers make it difficult to identify responsible parties when crimes are committed.
“There are vehicles involved in traffic offenses, but the notices are sent to the wrong person because the transfer was not done,” he said. “A vehicle may be used in drug trafficking and the owner at the time of the offense is not the real owner. This also complicates tracking stolen vehicles.”
He urged vehicle owners to take advantage of the special program, noting that new rules and penalties for unregistered vehicles will soon be introduced.
RRA and the police said motorcycles are the most common vehicles with transfer issues, noting that one motorcycle may be registered to multiple people without any transfer being completed, often only discovered when the vehicle is seized for an offense.
