Vehicle Number Checker
Decode an Indian vehicle number: state, RTO number, series and BH-series format
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| Code | State / UT |
|---|---|
| AN | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| AP | Andhra Pradesh |
| AR | Arunachal Pradesh |
| AS | Assam |
| BR | Bihar |
| CG | Chhattisgarh |
| CH | Chandigarh |
| DD | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Was Daman and Diu only until the 2020 merger |
| DL | Delhi |
| GA | Goa |
| GJ | Gujarat |
| HP | Himachal Pradesh |
| HR | Haryana |
| JH | Jharkhand |
| JK | Jammu and Kashmir |
| KA | Karnataka |
| KL | Kerala |
| LA | Ladakh Since November 2019 |
| LD | Lakshadweep |
| MH | Maharashtra |
| ML | Meghalaya |
| MN | Manipur |
| MP | Madhya Pradesh |
| MZ | Mizoram |
| NL | Nagaland |
| OD | Odisha Was OR before 2012 |
| PB | Punjab |
| PY | Puducherry |
| RJ | Rajasthan |
| SK | Sikkim |
| TG | Telangana Used for new registrations since March 2024 (was TS) |
| TN | Tamil Nadu |
| TR | Tripura |
| UK | Uttarakhand Was UA earlier |
| UP | Uttar Pradesh |
| WB | West Bengal |
| TS | Telangana Used from 2014 until March 2024; existing TS plates stay valid |
| OR | Odisha Old code; replaced by OD |
| UA | Uttarakhand Old code; replaced by UK |
| DN | Dadra and Nagar Haveli Before the 2020 merger; new registrations use DD |
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.
Results are for general guidance. Please check anything important before relying on it. Terms of use
How to Use
- Type the registration number as it appears on the number plate, with or without spaces and hyphens, or tap one of the examples.
- The result updates as you type, showing the number in the standard spaced format and whether the pattern is valid.
- Check the breakdown: state or UT, RTO number, series letters and the running number. For a BH-series plate it shows the year, BH, the number and the letters.
- Look up any code in the state and UT code table below the tool, including older codes like TS, OR and UA.
- For owner, insurance or registration details, use the official Parivahan services. This tool only decodes the pattern.
How Indian vehicle registration numbers work
Every motor vehicle registered in India carries a registration mark issued by a Regional Transport Office (RTO), in the format laid down by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). This vehicle number validator checks that a number follows that format and decodes it down to the state or union territory and the RTO number. It runs in your browser and doesn't look up owners, vehicles or RTO office names.
Normal format
state/UT code · RTO number · series · number
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| State / UT code | MH | Two letters for the state or UT (MH = Maharashtra) |
| RTO number | 12 | The registering office within the state (1–2 digits) |
| Series | AB | Up to three letters, issued in order as each block of numbers fills up |
| Number | 1234 | Running number 0001–9999 |
Delhi is slightly different: the letter right after the RTO number shows the vehicle class, as in DL 3C AB 1234, where C stands for a car and S for a two-wheeler. Old registrations sometimes have no series letters at all.
Bharat (BH) series
year of first registration · BH · number (0000–9999) · two letters (AA–ZZ)
MoRTH introduced the BH series through the Central Motor Vehicles (Twentieth Amendment) Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 594(E), August 2021) so that people who move between states for work don't have to re-register their vehicle. It's voluntary and open to defence personnel, central and state government and PSU employees, and private-sector employees whose employer has offices in four or more states or UTs. Under the central rules, motor vehicle tax for BH vehicles is paid for two years at a time: 8% of the invoice price (excluding GST) for vehicles up to ₹10 lakh, 10% for ₹10–20 lakh and 12% above ₹20 lakh, plus 2% for diesel and minus 2% for electric vehicles. In January 2025 the Kerala High Court held that the Centre can't fix these rates and that BH vehicles are taxed under each state's own law, so check the current position with your RTO.
Recent changes to state codes
| Code | Change |
|---|---|
| TG | Telangana switched from TS to TG for new registrations in March 2024. TS plates remain valid. |
| LA | Ladakh got its own code in November 2019 (S.O. 4262(E)). LA 01 and LA 02 are its two registering offices. |
| DD | Since 26 January 2020 (S.O. 295(E)), DD covers the merged UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. DN plates were Dadra and Nagar Haveli's. |
| OD | Odisha replaced OR in 2012. |
| UK | Uttarakhand replaced UA. |
The full list of 28 states and 8 UTs is in the table under the tool. Sources: MoRTH gazette notifications S.O. 4262(E) (2019) and S.O. 295(E) (2020), the March 2024 Telangana notification and G.S.R. 594(E) (2021), checked October 2026.
Why the tool stops at the state level
RTO numbers are assigned by each state and change as new offices open or districts split, and there is no single official, current list we could verify for every state. So the tool tells you the RTO number (for example "RTO no. 12 in Maharashtra") without naming the office. To find which office a code belongs to, check your state transport department's website or parivahan.gov.in. Vehicle details such as the registration date, insurance and fitness validity are available through Parivahan's VAHAN services and the mParivahan app.
Tips
- Letters I and O are normally avoided in series because they look like 1 and 0. If a number seems to have them, read the plate again.
- Since April 2019, new vehicles get high-security registration plates (HSRP) with a chromium hologram and a laser-etched code. A plate without these on a newer vehicle is worth a second look.
- A plate pattern can be copied. Never rely on the number alone when buying a used vehicle. Check the RC and the VAHAN record too.