All About Vehicle Number Plate - India

Vehicle Number Plates in India

The MV Act 1989 (Rules 50 and 51) includes provisions for the following:

1. The number plate registration letter and number on 2 wheelers and LMV Cars should be in black on a white background, while the registration letter and number on commercial vehicles should be in black on yellow background.

2. The sizes of the number and letters for all vehicles shall be as given in the pamphlet for each category.

3. Display of your licence plate in the front and rear side of your vehicle is as shown in the pamphlet.

4. No fancy lettering is allowed.

5. Other names, pictures, and arts are not be displayed.

Permanent Registration Format

The current format of the registration index consists of four parts:

1. In the licence plate number allotted by the RTO, the first two letters indicate which State or Union Territory the vehicle is registered in.

2. The next two-digit number is the sequential number of a district.

3. The third part of a vehicle registration plate comprises one to three letters or no letters at all. This shows the registration number as part of a continuing series and classifies the type of vehicle.

4. The fourth part of the licence plate is a number from 1 to 9999, unique to each plate.

As per the India number plate rules, 

Plate size for two and three-wheelers: 200 x 100 mm

Car number plate size in India - 340x 200 mm or 500 x 120 mm

Plate size for medium / heavy commercial vehicles: 340 x 200 mm

New Number Plate Rules In India

The road transport department of the union government has issued new guidelines for displaying registration numbers on vehicles. Here's what you need to know about the new number plates rules:

1. The temporary number plates of newly registered vehicles will be yellow.

2. The numbers and letters will appear in red.

3. Vehicles will have red-coloured number plates with a dealer.

4. The vehicles with dealers will have letters and numbers written in white.

5. If you have a number written on a piece of paper and pasted on your vehicle, you will be issued a challan.

6. Use of regional languages on number plates will not be permitted.

Also, there will be new rules for vehicle number  plates in India for the BS6 vehicles:

A green-coloured layer of 1cm will be painted on the four-wheeler vehicles' number plates to make enforcement of traffic rules easier for traffic police. A sticker will also be applied to the green layer. The four-wheelers running in either petrol or CNG will have blue stickers, while those using diesel may have orange stickers. This will help the traffic cops to identify the violators more easily.

High Security Number Plate Rules

Until April 2019, all vehicles sold must come with high security registration plates that antitheft alarms can scan according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The Delhi Transport Department has started charging a fine on vehicles without HSRP or colour coded fuel stickers. An amount of Rs 10,000 is to be imposed for this offence, but the penalty has been compounded to Rs 5,500 considering the time required for people to get accustomed to the new vehicle number plate rules.

What does HSRP mean?

It is made of aluminium and is attached to the vehicle using chromium-based non-removable locks. The registration plate in the left corner features a hologram of Ashoka Chakra hot-stamped in blue on the surface. It measures 20mm x 20mm. A laser-engraved 10-digit PIN (permanent identification number) is laser-engraved at the bottom left corner of the plate.

Advantages of HSRP

To combat the problem of stolen vehicles, the police have started using newly designed registration plates, or HSRPs. These HSRPs are harder to tamper with and easier to identify, leading to a decline in cases of stolen vehicles. In addition, the high-security registration programme (HSRP) also makes car theft more difficult by recording the details of each vehicle's engine number and chassis number in a single, central database. This data, combined with the 10-digit PIN, ensures easy identification if a car is stolen; it can be tracked down easily.

How to get HSRPs?

To purchase an HSRP number plate online or colour-coded sticker, go to the relevant online portal and complete the required documentation process. You will need your vehicle registration number, Chassis number, and Engine number to book an appointment and get the HSRP car number plate online

As per Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the size of number plates for two and three wheelers is 200 x 100 mm. While the size is 340x 200 mm for light vehicles, passenger car should bear 500 x 120 mm number plate.

Medium and heavy commercial vehicles should have the number plate in 340 x 200 mm size. The registration numbers should also be displayed in the places and manner specified by the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (see box). For own use vehicles it should be white plate with numbers and alphabets in black and for hire vehicles it should be an yellow board with letters and numbers in black.

 VARIOUS COLOURS USED IN NUMBER PLATES

White number plate

Cars bearing black lettering on a white background are private vehicles. These are used solely for private purposes and can't be used for any commercial purpose. 

Yellow number plate

Commercial vehicles such as trucks and taxis have a yellow number plate with black text. These vehicles can be used for any commercial purposes. However, the driver of the vehicle must have a commercial driving permit.

Black number plate with yellow lettering

These are commercial vehicles available on rent for self-drive. These cars can be put to any commercial purpose without the limitation of the driver having to own a commercial driving permit. 

Light blue number plate

Vehicles belonging to foreign consulates bear white lettering on a light blue background. These number plates bear UN, CD or CC, which stand for United Nations, Diplomatic Corps and Consular Corps respectively. 

Red coloured plate

The President of India and governors of states travel in official cars without license plates. They have the Emblem of India in gold, embossed on a red coloured plate. 

Number plate with upward pointing arrow

Military vehicles follow a unique numbering system unlike any other license plate numbers. The numbers are registered under the Ministry of Defence, New Delhi. The first/third character is an upward-pointing arrow, known as a Broad Arrow, used in many parts of the British Commonwealth. The two digits succeeding the arrow show the year in which the Military procured the vehicle.