EVERYTHING ABOUT VEHICLE NUMBER PLATE
Vehicle Number plates are basically a combination of digits and alphabets which are written on a metal plate. This metal plate is then attached to the front and back of our vehicle. Your vehicle number plate must be registered with the Regional Transport Office or RTO as this was made compulsory under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988. In case if any unregistered plate is found then it may get a very heavy fine attached to it. Each and every number plate has 4 different parts. Now let’s look into each of them in detail.
FORMAT OF NUMBER PLATE
Part1:
The first part has 2 letters and it indicates the State or Union territory. Here, always state’s name is used. For example, if the vehicle is from Maharashtra then we will use MH, and similarly, if the vehicle is from Delhi then we will use DL.
Part 2:
This part has 2 digits which shows the district’s sequential number. As we all know that each and every state has at least 1 district and every district has its own Regional Transport Office or RTO where vehicle owners can easily register their vehicle number.
Part 3:
A third part is a unique number and it helps in identifying a vehicle. If a number is unavailable then letters are used to replace the last digits. In case if anyone wants to buy a customized number plate then he/ she can easily buy it by paying a premium amount of money.
Part 4:
The last part displays ‘IND’ and is in oval symbol. It signifies that the vehicle has been registered in India. Though it is mandatory for all vehicles to have this, certain states are yet to adopt the practice.
NOTE: There are some specific person’s vehicles that have these exclusions:
These are the President, Military officers, Diplomats, State government employees, and the State Governor.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR REGISTRATION OF NEW VEHICLES
The important documents required for vehicle registration are as follows:
- Vehicle registration Application Form Number 20
- Residence Proof
- Vehicle Registration fee
- Payment of Road tax
- Certificate Of fitness for Transport Vehicles
- Form numbers 21, 22, and 34.
- Custom clearance certificate for imported vehicles
REGISTRATION OF NEW VEHICLES
Whenever a person purchases a new vehicle, the dealer issues a TR sticker. TR refers to ‘TO REGISTER. This is actually valid only for one month and during that period only the owner must visit the district’s RTO to register his vehicle and get a standard number plate.
During the period when your vehicle is not registered, you cannot drive your vehicle on the road and if in case anyone does that and is caught then he/she is subjected to heavy fines. The license number is valid for 20 years.
SALE OF CUSTOM VEHICLE NUMBER PLATES
If anyone wants to purchase a custom vehicle number plate then they can simply get numbers like 4444 or 5555 but it is often difficult for them to purchase numbers such as 7 or the numbers which are below 100. Singular numbers are the special numbers that cost a huge amount of money to be purchased. They can cost majorly up to Rs. 3 Lakhs when sold.
UNIQUE COLOURS OF NUMBER PLATES
Each color on the number plate signifies a different meaning.
- White: This color number plate refers to private vehicles and the text is written with black color.
- Yellow: This color number plate refers to commercial vehicles and the text is written with black color.
- Blue: This color number plate is given to foreign delegates and the text is written with white color.
- Black: This color number plate with yellow text are commercial vehicles that have a private owner but have been rented out for commercial purposes.
- Red: It is used for vehicles that seat the President of India and various State Governors.
VARIATION OF FORMAT
Certain states opt for a unique format, where the district court omits the first 0 and replaces it with a category letter.
- C for cars and SUVs.
- S for two-wheelers.
- E for electric wires.
- P for passenger vehicles, i.e, buses.
- R for three-wheeler rickshaws.
- T for tourist licensed vehicles.
- V for vans and pick-up trucks.
- Y for vehicles for hire.
