Type an Indian number plate to see its state, its RTO office and what each part means
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Checked against sources on 29 Sept 2026.Type an Indian registration number such as MH 12 AB 1234 and the decoder names the state, Maharashtra, and the RTO office, Pune, then explains each part. MH is the state code, 12 the office, AB the series and 1234 the number. Bharat series numbers such as 22 BH 1234 AA carry a year instead of a state.
Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 29 Sept 2026); they may have changed since.
Type the registration into "Number on the plate"; spaces, hyphens and lower case are fine.
Or press one of the example number chips under the box.
Read "Registered in" and the table that splits the number into its parts and what each one means.
Open "RTO codes by state" to see every office in that state, then press "Share result" to copy a link.
An Indian registration number is built to a fixed pattern. The first two letters are the state or union territory, allotted by the central government under the Motor Vehicles Act. The next one or two digits are the registering office, usually a Regional or District Transport Office. Then come up to three series letters and a number from 0001 to 9999. When a series reaches 9999, the next one starts; the letters I and O are skipped so they are not confused with 1 and 0.
Delhi reads a little differently. The letter after the zonal office code is the vehicle class. The Delhi Transport Department gives DL 04 C 1969 as its own example: zonal office 04, C for a car. S is a two-wheeler, P a bus, R an autorickshaw, and Y or Z a tourist taxi.
Bharat series numbers carry no state. Since 15 September 2021, employees of the defence forces, governments, public sector undertakings, and companies with offices in four or more states can choose a number like 22 BH 1234 AA. It shows the year of registration, BH, a random number and one or two letters, and it stays the same when the owner moves.
Where the office names come from. The list is the office list of the transport ministry's VAHAN dashboard, read on 29 September 2026. A few codes missing from it, such as the paired West Bengal codes and older Tamil Nadu ones, come from Wikipedia's list of RTO districts; the page labels those as secondary. Former codes such as TS, OR, UA and DN are recognised.
What this tool does not do. It only reads the format of the number you type. It never contacts VAHAN or any other database, and it cannot show an owner's name, address, insurance, challans or any other detail of a vehicle. For official vehicle details, use the Parivahan website.
Read the first two letters. Each state and union territory has its own code under the Motor Vehicles Act: MH is Maharashtra, DL is Delhi, KA is Karnataka and TN is Tamil Nadu. India uses 36 codes today. Type the whole number into the decoder to see the state and the registering office together.
No. The decoder only reads the format of the number you type, using a fixed table of codes. No database is contacted, so no owner name, address, insurance or challan details can appear. Official registration details are available only through the government Parivahan and VAHAN services, under their own rules.
BH stands for Bharat series, a national registration introduced by G.S.R. 594(E) in 2021. A number such as 22 BH 1234 AA shows the year of registration, BH, a random four-digit number and one or two letters. The owner keeps the same number after moving to another state.
Defence personnel, employees of the Central Government, State Governments and public sector undertakings, and private-sector employees whose employer has offices in four or more states or union territories. Private employees submit a working certificate in Form 60. Motor vehicle tax is paid for two years, or multiples of two, at a time.
Delhi puts the vehicle class right after the zonal office code. In DL 3C AB 1234, 3 is the South zone office at Lado Sarai and C means a private car. S marks a two-wheeler, P a bus, R an autorickshaw, T a taxi and Y or Z a tourist taxi.
Some codes are new, reserved for police or government vehicles, or used only for a special series, and a few are missing from both the VAHAN office list and the secondary Wikipedia list. The decoder still names the state. A mistyped digit is another common cause, so check the plate again.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about Vehicle Number RTO Decoder and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
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