CH registration, DD car registration and every Indian plate code explained

What is CH registration?

CH registration means a vehicle registered in the union territory of Chandigarh. The two letters CH lead the mark, followed by an office number from 01 to 04, series letters and a four-digit number. A typical example reads CH 01 CV 0001, the style used in the city’s choice-number auctions.

Why Chandigarh has its own code

Chandigarh is the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana, yet it is governed as a separate union territory. That is why its vehicles carry CH rather than PB or HR.

What CH registration is not

CH has nothing to do with Chhattisgarh, which uses CG, or with Chennai, which sits under Tamil Nadu’s TN series. People sometimes confuse these because of the shared first letter.

Which office issues CH registration numbers?

All four codes, CH 01, CH 02, CH 03 and CH 04, are listed against one office that covers the single district of Chandigarh. The extra numbers do not point to different neighbourhoods. They are simply additional series opened as the city’s vehicle count grew.

Series letters inside Chandigarh

Within the CH series, some letters carry a fixed meaning. The letter T is used for trucks and G for government vehicles, so a mark with G after the office number usually belongs to an administration fleet.

Office address and timings

We do not publish an address, phone number or timings for the Chandigarh office, because we could not confirm them from an official source. Use the RTO directory on Parivahan or our Chandigarh RTO code page, and check the timings before you travel.

Can a CH registration move to another state?

Yes, but not automatically. Under Section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act, a vehicle kept in another state for more than 12 months must get a new registration mark there. You take an NOC from Chandigarh, pay road tax in the new state and get a fresh number.

Re-registration in practice

The owner first applies for a No Objection Certificate from the CH office, then files for a new mark at the RTO of the new address. The old CH number is cancelled once the new one is assigned.

When the Bharat series is easier

Owners with transferable jobs can avoid this cycle by choosing a national BH mark at purchase. The plate then starts with the year and BH instead of CH. Our guide to BH registration explains who qualifies and how the two-year tax works.

What does DD car registration mean?

DD car registration means the car was registered in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The territory formed on 26 January 2020 when two smaller union territories merged, and DD became the single code for vehicles from Silvassa, Daman and Diu.

Where the territory lies

The union territory sits on India’s west coast. Dadra and Nagar Haveli is an inland pocket between Gujarat and Maharashtra, Daman is a coastal enclave near Vapi in Gujarat, and Diu is an island off the Saurashtra coast.

Why buyers notice DD plates

Silvassa and Daman sit beside a major industrial belt, so DD plates are common on lorries and staff vehicles in south Gujarat. Seeing a DD car in Surat or Mumbai does not mean anything unusual: the owner may live or work in the territory and drive across the border every day.

Which DD car registration code fits Silvassa, Daman or Diu?

Each district has one code. DD 01 is Silvassa, the office for the Dadra and Nagar Haveli district. DD 02 is Diu and DD 03 is Daman.

DD 01 and the old DN 09

DD 01 took over from DN 09, the code Silvassa used before the merger. A DN 09 car seen today was registered before 2020 and simply kept its original number.

Detailed DD guide

For a fuller look at the DD and DN history, the pre-merger Daman and Diu plates and other small-state codes, see our NL registration and DD code guide. This page focuses on reading the codes and the national plate rules behind them.

Why does a DD car registration show DD, not DN?

The DN code was valid from 1 July 1989 until 25 January 2020. When Dadra and Nagar Haveli joined Daman and Diu, the merged territory kept DD, the code Daman and Diu already used. New Silvassa registrations therefore moved from DN to DD 01.

Do owners need a new number?

No. Existing DN plates remain valid and owners do not have to re-register. The vehicle record on Vahan keeps the original mark.

Older codes before 1989

Before the two-letter system, Daman and Diu used the three-letter code DM. Very old vintage vehicles from the area may still carry such marks, but anything registered since 1989 will show DN, DD or a later national series.

How is an Indian vehicle number plate structured?

Every standard Indian vehicle number plate has four parts. It starts with a two-letter state or UT code, then a two-digit RTO number, then one to three series letters (or none), and finally a unique number from 1 to 9999 written with leading zeros, such as 0123.

Why the letters I and O are skipped

Series letters never use I or O, because they look too much like the digits 1 and 0. This keeps a plate readable for traffic cameras and toll readers.

When the system began

The two-letter state code format came into force on 1 July 1989 under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Before that, districts used three-letter codes.

Indian vehicle number plate colours and what they signal

The background colour of an Indian plate tells you how the vehicle is used. White is private, yellow is commercial, green is electric, black with yellow letters is self-drive rental and red letters on yellow mark a temporary number. Police and toll staff rely on these colours at a glance.

Special cases

Armed forces vehicles use white on black with an upward arrow and a separate numbering system. Electric vehicles got their green plates after a MoRTH notification of 7 August 2018.

Why colour matters to owners

Driving a private white-plate car as a paid taxi is an offence, and insurers may refuse a claim if the plate does not match the use on the RC. When you convert a vehicle from private to commercial use, the RTO changes the registration class and the plate colour together.

TO registration vehicle: which state is it?

No state or union territory uses TO. A search for a “to registration vehicle which state” usually comes from a misread plate. The most likely real codes are TN for Tamil Nadu, TR for Tripura or a temporary mark, which begins with the letter T.

Check the font and spacing

On a dirty or worn plate, an N or R can look like an O from a distance. Look closely at the second letter.

A temporary number

Temporary marks are printed in red on a yellow background and start with T, followed by the month and year of purchase. Under Section 43, temporary registration is for one month, extendable in limited cases. Our temporary number plate guide shows the format.

OR registration: which state used it?

OR was the code of Orissa. It was valid from 1 July 1989 until 30 August 2012, when the state was renamed Odisha. New registrations after that date use OD, while older OR plates stay legal and appear in Vahan under their original numbers.

OR and OD on the same road

Because vehicles last many years, you will still see OR plates beside OD ones in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The office digits did not change, so OR 02 and OD 02 both point to the same Khurda office.

Searching an OR number

When checking an old Odisha vehicle, type the number exactly as on the RC, starting with OR. Swapping it for OD will return no record, because the mark itself was never re-issued.

What should new car number plates look like?

New car number plates in India must be high security registration plates (HSRP). Since 1 April 2019, manufacturers supply HSRP with every new vehicle and the dealer fits them before delivery, along with a third registration sticker on the windscreen.

Features of an HSRP

An HSRP is an aluminium plate with a chromium hologram of the Ashoka Chakra, a laser-etched identification number, a retro-reflective film and an IND inscription. The plate is fixed with non-removable snap locks, so it cannot be swapped onto another car without damage.

The windscreen sticker

The third registration mark is a sticker on the inside of the windscreen. It is light blue for petrol and CNG vehicles and orange for diesel vehicles.

New car number plates while the permanent number is pending

Most cars now get a permanent number before leaving the showroom, because the dealer registers them on Vahan. Where a temporary number is issued instead, for example when a vehicle is bought in another state, the plate is printed in red on yellow and must be replaced once the permanent mark is assigned.

Driving without any plate

A new car must not be driven on public roads with a blank space or a paper saying “applied for”. Registration-related offences fall under Section 192, where a first offence can draw a fine of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.

Who fits the final plate

For new vehicles, the dealer fits the HSRP, and the cost is usually built into the on-road price. For older vehicles that need a replacement HSRP, states use authorised plate makers and an online booking route.

How does a DL number plate differ from other states?

A DL number plate drops the leading zero in the office code. Delhi writes DL 1, DL 3 or DL 9, not DL 01. It also reserves the first series letter for the vehicle category, which few other states do so strictly.

Some Delhi office codes

DL 1 is Mall Road in North Delhi, DL 2 New Delhi, DL 3 Sheikh Sarai in South Delhi, DL 4 Janakpuri, DL 7 Mayur Vihar and DL 9 Dwarka. These codes tell you where the vehicle was first registered, not where the owner lives today.

Sub-series in Delhi

Busy offices have long since used up their simple series, so you will see marks such as DL 4C or DL 8C followed by more letters. The extra letters are just a longer series, not a new office.

What do the letters on a DL number plate mean?

In Delhi the first series letter shows the category. C is for cars, S for two-wheelers, P for buses, T for city taxis, Y for private taxis and R for autorickshaws and radio taxis. Reading this letter tells you the vehicle type even before you see the vehicle.

Other Delhi category letters

A marks ambulances, B mini buses, K school vehicles, N self-drive vehicles, G and L trucks and Q commercial three-wheelers. F is used for private numbers issued on demand.

A quick example

Take DL 3C AB 1234. DL is Delhi, 3 is the Sheikh Sarai office, C says it is a car, AB is the running series and 1234 is the unique number.

Which vehicles get a yellow number plate India wide?

A yellow number plate in India is used for commercial transport vehicles: taxis, buses, lorries, goods carriers and autorickshaws. The letters are black on a yellow background. Any vehicle carrying passengers or goods for hire must be registered in a transport class and show this plate.

Yellow versus black

Self-drive rental cars are commercial too, but they use yellow letters on a black background. That lets police tell a rented car driven by the hirer from a taxi with a paid driver.

Green for electric

A battery-electric taxi or goods carrier does not use plain yellow. It shows yellow letters on a green plate.

How are reg numbers allotted?

New reg numbers come from the Vahan system. When the dealer files the registration, the software gives the next free number in the office’s running series. If you want a particular number, you can book a choice number first, often through an auction or a fixed fee on the fancy number portal.

1. Dealer files on Vahan. The dealer uploads Form 20, the invoice, the insurance policy and your address proof.
2. Tax and fee are paid. Road tax and the registration fee are paid online, usually through the dealer’s account.
3. Number is generated. The system assigns the next number in the series or the choice number you booked.
4. HSRP is fitted. The dealer fits the high security plates and the windscreen sticker.
5. RC is issued. The RC card is posted and a digital copy is available in DigiLocker or mParivahan.

Choice numbers and auctions

Numbers such as 0001, 0007 or 9999 are sold separately. In Chandigarh, the CH 01 CV 0001 number fetched Rs 24.30 lakh in a July 2024 e-auction, and CH 01 AP 0001 went for Rs 26.05 lakh in 2012.

Can you choose any number?

You can only pick from numbers still free in the current series at your office. Once a series is used up, the office opens the next letters and new numbers become available.

Registration plate India sizes by vehicle type

A registration plate in India must match a fixed size for the vehicle class. Cars and light motor vehicles use 50 cm x 12 cm, two-wheeler rear plates use 20 cm x 10 cm and medium and heavy commercial vehicles use 34 cm x 20 cm. HSRP makers cut plates to these dimensions.

Front plates on small vehicles

Two-wheelers and tractors have a slim front plate of 28.5 cm x 4.5 cm. Three-wheelers and tractor rear plates use 20 cm x 10 cm.

Why size is fixed

Fixed sizes make sure the characters are large enough for traffic cameras and automatic toll readers. A shrunk “designer” plate may look neat but can fail to register on a camera.

What must the plate of car show?

The plate of a car must show only the registration mark, in English capital letters and Arabic numerals, on the correct background colour. HSRP plates also carry the hologram, the IND mark and the laser code. Nothing else belongs on the plate.

Front and rear

Every car needs a plate at the front and the rear. Both must carry the same number, in the same format and colour.

Keep it readable

Mud, a tow bar, a bike rack or a tinted cover can hide part of the number. The rule is about readability, not just presence.

Registration number list of states and union territories

The registration number list below gives every current two-letter code. Use it to read the first two letters of any plate. Codes for retired names such as OR, UA, DN and TS are shown in the code-change section further down.

Codes outside this list

BH is not a state but the national Bharat series for eligible employees. Diplomatic plates use CD, CC or UN. Defence vehicles follow their own arrow-based system.

Decode a plate quickly

Type the first letters below to see the state or UT, then use the office number to find the district.

Indian license plate or driving licence: what is the difference?

An Indian license plate is the number plate on the vehicle; a driving licence is the permit that lets a person drive. The plate is tied to the vehicle’s registration certificate (RC), while the licence is tied to the driver. Mixing the two up is common in searches.

What each document proves

The plate and RC prove that the vehicle is registered and who owns it. The licence proves that the driver is qualified for that vehicle class.

Looking up a plate

You can look up basic vehicle info on Vahan by entering the plate number. The result shows the model, registration date, fuel and a masked owner name. Our vehicle info guide walks through the search.

What rules apply to motorcycle number plates?

Motorcycle number plates follow the same HSRP rule as cars for vehicles made from 1 April 2019. Each two-wheeler needs a front and a rear plate showing the same number, with standard letters and the correct background colour for private, rental or electric use.

Two-wheelers and the sticker

Bikes and scooters do not have a windscreen for the third registration sticker on most models, so the rules focus on the two plates. Keep the rear plate lit at night; a dead plate lamp makes the number unreadable to cameras.

Electric scooters

Electric two-wheelers that need registration show white letters on green. Low-speed models that are exempt from registration do not get a number at all.

What is a registration code on a vehicle?

A registration code is the letter-and-number prefix that shows where a vehicle was registered. On most plates it is the first four characters, such as CH 01 or DD 03: the state code plus the office number. Together they point to one RTO or district office.

State code and office code

The first two letters are the state or UT code, set nationally. The two digits that follow are the office code, assigned by the state.

How the code helps you

Knowing the code tells you which office holds the vehicle’s file. For RC services, ownership transfer or hypothecation removal, you deal with that office or its online counter on Vahan. For a full list across states, see our RTO codes hub.

Which states changed their registration code?

Several codes have changed since 1989, almost always after a state was renamed or reorganised. The main changes are UA to UK in 2007, OR to OD in 2012, DN to DD in 2020 and TS to TG in 2024. In each case, existing vehicles kept their old marks.

Telangana’s TS and TG

Telangana issued TS from 2014 and switched to TG from March 2024 through a MoRTH gazette notification. Vehicles registered as TS keep their numbers.

New union territories

When Ladakh became a separate union territory, its offices moved to LA 01 Kargil and LA 02 Leh, which had earlier been JK codes. This shows that codes can also change when territories are split, not only when they are renamed.

How do you read a BR registration number?

A BR registration number is a vehicle from Bihar. The digits after BR show the office: BR 01 Patna, BR 02 Gaya, BR 03 Arrah, BR 06 Muzaffarpur and BR 10 Bhagalpur, among others. Then come the series letters and the four-digit number.

Common Bihar codes

Other frequent ones are BR 04 Chhapra, BR 05 Motihari, BR 07 Darbhanga, BR 08 Munger, BR 09 Begusarai, BR 11 Purnia, BR 21 Bihar Sharif and BR 31 Hajipur. For the full district list, see our BR 01 district name guide.

Example

Take BR 01 AB 1234. BR is Bihar, 01 is Patna, AB is the series and 1234 is the vehicle’s number in that series.

What is a commercial number plate?

A commercial number plate is the plate on a vehicle registered in a transport class, used to carry passengers or goods for hire. It shows black letters on yellow. Taxis, buses, autorickshaws, tempos, lorries and goods carriers all fall into this group.

Paperwork behind the plate

The plate colour follows the registration class on the RC. A commercial vehicle also needs a permit, a fitness certificate, commercial insurance and, for many classes, tax paid at commercial rates.

Changing to or from commercial

To start running a private vehicle for hire, the owner applies to the RTO to convert the registration class. When a taxi is retired from service, it can be converted back to private use.

Do commercial vehicle number plate rules differ for EVs?

Yes. A commercial vehicle number plate on an electric vehicle uses yellow letters on a green background, not black on yellow. Self-drive rental vehicles use yellow on black.

Electric taxis and e-rickshaws

Electric taxis, cargo three-wheelers and registered e-rickshaws all fall under this rule. The green background was introduced in 2018.

Rental two-wheelers

Self-drive scooter and bike rentals in tourist areas must carry the black rental plate. A white-plate private bike rented out for cash is not legal.

Vehicle registration number means what, part by part?

The vehicle registration number means a unique identity for one vehicle in India. Each part has a job: the state code names the state, the office code names the RTO, the series groups numbers and the last four digits make the mark unique within that series.

What the number links to

The mark links to the vehicle’s entry on Vahan, which holds the owner, model, engine and chassis numbers, insurance, tax and fitness dates. Police, insurers, toll systems and e-challan cameras all use this record.

The RC as proof

The registration certificate is the legal proof of the number. If the plate and the RC disagree, the RC is right. Our certificate of registration guide explains what the RC shows and how to get a copy.

Is AG number plate a state code?

No. AG is not a state code and does not appear in the list of state and UT codes. A plate with AG usually has those letters as the series after the office number.

The Tamil Nadu G series

In Tamil Nadu the series letter G is reserved for government vehicles. So a mark such as TN 60 AG 3333 is read as Tamil Nadu, office 60 (Theni), government series AG, number 3333.

Other reasons for AG

Some people search “AG” because of a fancy or misread plate, or because a vehicle belongs to an office that uses those letters on its body. Unless AG comes at the start of the plate, read the first two letters as the state and the rest as the series.

AS no plate: which Assam district is it?

An AS no plate is a vehicle from Assam. The office numbers run from AS 01 Guwahati up to AS 34 Hatsingimari, with codes such as AS 03 Jorhat, AS 06 Dibrugarh, AS 11 Silchar and AS 12 Tezpur. Some numbers are kept for state fleets rather than districts.

Fleet codes in Assam

AS 20 is used for Assam State Transport Corporation vehicles across the state, and AS 30 for the Assam Police. AS 28 is not listed on the RTO lists we checked.

More Assam codes

AS 02 is Nagaon, AS 04 Sivasagar, AS 05 Golaghat, AS 07 North Lakhimpur, AS 14 Nalbari, AS 15 Barpeta, AS 16 Kokrajhar, AS 17 Dhubri, AS 19 Bongaigaon, AS 23 Tinsukia, AS 29 Majuli and AS 32 Biswanath Chariali.

Can you put a name number plate in India?

No. A name number plate in India is not allowed on a registration plate. Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules allows only the registration mark in English capitals and Arabic numerals.

What you can do instead

Many owners like a personal touch. You can put a name on a nameplate at home, or book a choice number that is meaningful to you, such as a birth year. Our custom number plates guide covers what is and is not allowed.

Script and language

Plates must use Latin letters and Hindu-Arabic numerals. Numbers written in Devanagari or other scripts, or the full state name instead of the code, have been treated as violations in several states, even when the owner meant it as pride in the language.

KL no plate: how do Kerala codes run?

A KL no plate is from Kerala. The district headquarters codes run from KL 01 Thiruvananthapuram to KL 14 Kasaragod, and later sub-regional offices go up to KL 86 Payyannur. The state also keeps codes for special fleets such as KSRTC buses.

Special Kerala codes

KL 15 is reserved for KSRTC and KURTC buses. Most Kerala government vehicles, including the police, are registered at KL 01.

Office examples

KL 07 is Ernakulam (Kochi), KL 08 Thrissur, KL 11 Kozhikode and KL 13 Kannur. Sub-regional offices include KL 41 Aluva and KL 42 North Paravur; see our KL 42 registration page for one office in detail.

Why do some cars carry a red number plate in Kerala?

We found no Kerala-only red plate rule in the sources we checked. A red number plate in Kerala is most likely one of the national types: a trade certificate plate (white on red) used by dealers, or a temporary plate with red letters on yellow. Confirm with the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department.

Trade plates on dealer cars

Dealers and manufacturers move unregistered vehicles under a trade certificate. The plate is white on red and carries the state code, the office, a category letter, the holder number and TC.

Temporary plates and VIP cars

A temporary number uses red letters on a yellow plate. Red beacons on VIP cars were banned from 1 May 2017, so a red light is not a status mark any more. For all red-plate types across India, see our red colour number plate guide.

Vehicle registration number example, decoded

Here are worked examples from the codes on this page. Each vehicle registration number example is split into state, office, series and number so you can read real plates the same way. The series letters and final digits are illustrative.

Checking a real number

To confirm a real vehicle, enter its number on Vahan or mParivahan. You will see the registering office, which should match the code on the plate.

PY passing RTO: which offices handle it?

PY passing means a vehicle registered in Puducherry. The RTO codes are PY 01 Puducherry, PY 02 Karaikal, PY 03 Mahe, PY 04 Yanam and PY 05 Oulgaret. Each office covers one district, except PY 05, which serves the Oulgaret area next to the capital.

Why PY plates travel far

Puducherry has spread-out districts. Karaikal and the capital sit inside Tamil Nadu, Mahe lies within Kerala and Yanam within Andhra Pradesh.

Registration outside your state

Many luxury cars have been registered in Puducherry by people from other states, sometimes fraudulently, because of tax differences. If you live elsewhere, Section 47 still applies after 12 months.

Is PR number plate an Indian code?

No. PR is not an Indian state code. It does not appear among the current or retired codes.

Look at the position

If PR comes after the office digits, as in a mark like MH 12 PR 1234, it is just the series. If it seems to come first, look again at the second letter.

PB 01 and taxis

Punjab’s PB 01 is reserved for taxis and is not an office town. So a PB plate followed by 01 is likely a cab.

Karnataka state RTO registration code number list

The Karnataka state RTO registration code number is KA, followed by an office code. Bengaluru alone has 11 codes in Bengaluru Urban district, and the series runs into the 70s across the state. The table lists frequently searched codes.

Unused Karnataka codes

Codes KA 58, KA 60, KA 61 and KA 62 are not listed on the RTO lists we checked. If you see one on a plate, check it on Vahan before relying on it, as it may be a misprint or a fake plate.

AR which registration: Arunachal codes

AR is the code of Arunachal Pradesh. AR 01 and AR 02 both belong to Itanagar, and the others run district by district, from AR 03 Tawang to AR 22 Siji. Codes AR 18 and AR 21 are not listed on the RTO lists we checked.

Common Arunachal codes

AR 04 is Bomdila, AR 05 Seppa, AR 06 Ziro, AR 07 Daporijo, AR 08 Along, AR 09 Pasighat, AR 10 Anini, AR 11 Tezu, AR 12 Changlang and AR 13 Khonsa. Later codes include AR 14 Yingkiong, AR 16 Roing, AR 17 Hawai, AR 19 Palin and AR 20 Namsai.

AR versus AS

AR and AS are easy to mix up because the states are neighbours. Arunachal is AR, Assam is AS.