TOKYO — If you’re hoping to turn in a clunker for cash while stationed overseas, you’d better check your title, registration and insurance policy.

To qualify for the “cash for clunkers” program, the trade-in vehicle must have been insured continuously and registered to the same owner for a year, according to the law.

That means servicemembers who let their insurance or registration lapse while serving overseas will not qualify for the program, which offers vouchers of $3,500 or $4,500 to trade in older models for new ones with better fuel efficiency.

“At this specific date, there are no exceptions,” Patricia Swift-Oladeinde, a spokeswoman from the U.S. Department of Transportation, said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes this week.

President Barack Obama signed legislation last week extending the popular program with another $2 billion. The first $1 billion behind the program was expected to last until the fall, but new car buyers tapped it out within a few days.

Migrated