The number plate number is the identification of the vehicle. There are different types of number plates in India on the basis of color of the number plate. The traffic department verifies your vehicle information through your number plate only. It is fixed on the front and rear of each vehicle. The blog covers all types of number plates and what they mean.
Types of number plates in India
Following are the types of number plates in India:
- White number plate– These are the normal number plates that is used for personal use.
- Yellow number plate– These are used for commercial vehicles. It cannot be used for personal uses. The driver should also have a commercial driving permit to drive the vehicle.
- Green number plate– It is used for electric cars and buses.
- Red number plate– It is a tempo rary number plate for brand-new car. It is valid for 1 month only. Then after owner will need to have a permanent number plate.
- Blue number plate– It is issued to vehicles of foreign diplomats only. It shall contain letters like CC (Consular Corps) & UN (United Nations). The number plate shall contain the country code of the diplomat and not the state code.
- Black number plate– It is issued for ‘A’ level luxury hotel transport vehicles.
- Number plate with an upward pointing arrow- It is for military vehicles.
- Red number plate with the emblem of India – The President of India and the State Governors previously used the red number plate with the emblem of India.
What about unique numbers
The last 4 digits in all types of number plates in India is unique to each vehicle. People can request fancy numbers such as 3333 or 6666 . These will be costly, at around ₹1,00,000 or more.
- In Karnataka, the charges are at around Rs 75,000 for unique last 4-digit number
- In Maharashtra, the price range from Rs 1,25,000 to Rs 2,00,000
- IN Uttarakhand for the numbers 0001 and 0786 has the highest charge of ₹50,000.
The charges for unique number depend on the auction amount.
Number Plates for Special Vehicles in India
In India, some vehicles have special privileges. It includes Military Vehicles, and President Vehicles.
- Military vehicles:
They have a unique number system unlike any other numbers system. The first character is an upward-pointing broad arrow.
- President:
The President of India and the State Governors travel in official cars without number plates. The cars have the Emblem of India that is in gold embossed on a red plate.
What is the State/UT codes in India
Following are the state codes for types of number plates in India:
| State or Union Territory | Code |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | AN |
| Andhra Pradesh | AP |
| Arunachal Pradesh | AR |
| Assam | AS |
| Bharat (India) | BH |
| Bihar | BR |
| Chandigarh | CH |
| Chhattisgarh | CG |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | DD |
| Delhi | DL |
| Goa | GA |
| Gujarat | GJ |
| Haryana | HR |
| Himachal Pradesh | HP |
| Jammu and Kashmir | JK |
| Jharkhand | JH |
| Karnataka | KA |
| Kerala | KL |
| Ladakh | LA |
| Lakshadweep | LD |
| Madhya Pradesh | MP |
| Maharashtra | MH |
| Manipur | MN |
| Meghalaya | ML |
| Mizoram | MZ |
| Nagaland | NL |
| Odisha | OD |
| Puducherry | PY |
| Punjab | PB |
| Rajasthan | RJ |
| Sikkim | SK |
| Tamil Nadu | TN |
| Telangana | TS |
| Tripura | TR |
| Uttar Pradesh | UP |
| Uttarakhand | UK |
| West Bengal | WB |
Note: The international vehicle registration code for India is IND
High security registration plates (HSRP)
All registered vehicles on or after 1.4.2019 must have a HSRP. It contains a unique laser etched code below the International Registration Code of India (IND) and a Ashok Chakra hologram.
- Snap-locks– HSRP has snap-locks which does not become reusable, after an attempt to tamper it. It is applicable all over India with a view to go digital totally.
- Fancy number plate-Fancy number plates enable your vehicle to bear a customized number plate in terms of font and size.
HSRP number plate or High Security number plate
FAQs
What is BH Number plate?
The BH series number plate has a format of XX BH YYYY ZZ, where: XX is a two-digit year of registration (e.g., 23 for 2023). BH is the code for Bharat Series. YYYY is a four-digit random alphanumeric code (e.g., 1234 or AB12). ZZ is a two-digit alphabetic code (e.g., AA or AB).
What does a white number plate indicate?
A white number plate with black letters is used for private vehicles and cannot be used for commercial purposes.
What is a fancy or VIP number plate?
A fancy number includes numbers like 0001, 0786, 9999, 1111 . It is allotted via online auction through Parivahan.
Can I choose any number plate colour I want?
No. Number plate colours are strictly regulated under the Motor Vehicles Act.
Is it legal to use fancy fonts or symbols on number plates?
No. Only standard fonts and size approved by MoRTH are allowed.
satyam jain
can i write 0999 number as an 999.
Niranjana
No, you should write it as 0999 only.