Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 mandates all motorised vehicles must be registered with the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and bear a license number plate. It is a combination of alphabets and digits that form a registration number, to be placed in front and rear of the vehicle with provision for illumination. India’s international registration code: IND.
AP 16 FJ 2902
- The first two letters on a number plate (AP, DL, TS, MH etc) denote the state the vehicle is registered with. For a vehicle registered with Tamil Nadu will bear TN.
- The following digits indicate the district in which the vehicle is registered.
- The third part of the license plate is a set of numbers (typically four), unique to the vehicle.
- The license plate also displays the international registration code for India IND.
As per the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 all vehicles registered after April 1, 2019, should bear HSRP or High Security Registration Plate. This is also applicable to old vehicles registered with old number plates. HSRP help prevent vehicle theft and also help in creating a digitised national database of registered vehicles.
HSRPs are standard across India. Made of aluminium featuring a unique laser-etched code below IND and the Ashoka Chakra hologram. The registration number is hot stamped with IND engraved at a 45-degree angle. They are secured with snap locks which becomes non-reusable when tampered with.
Types of HSRPs:
White number plate with black letters – Most common type used by private vehicles. Vehicles bearing this number plate cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Yellow number plate with black letters – Used for commercial vehicles like taxi, cabs & trucks. Commercial vehicle drivers must have a commercial driving permit.
Green number plate with white letters – Unique to electric vehicles – applicable to electric busses and other electric commercial vehicles (Mahindra e20, Tata Tigor Electric).
Red number plate with white letters – This is a temporary registration for a new vehicle until permanent registration. It is valid for 1 month.
Blue number plate with white letters – A blue number plate with white lettering is issued to vehicles belonging to foreign diplomats.
Upward-pointing arrow number plate – Used for military vehicles. The upward arrow at the first or after the second character, known as Broad Arrow. The digits succeeding the arrow denote the year of vehicle procurement. The next is the base code, followed by serial number. The letter after the serial number indicates the class of vehicle.
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