KA 19 which registration: the Mangaluru transport office explained

KA 19 which registration is it and where is it from?

KA 19 is a Karnataka registration mark issued by the Mangaluru Regional Transport Office. The letters KA stand for the state and 19 for the office. Any plate starting with KA 19 was first registered at Mangaluru, the port city on the coast, though the vehicle may now be running anywhere in India.

Mangalore or Mangaluru?

The city’s official name is Mangaluru, but older RCs, insurance papers and many people still say Mangalore. Both refer to the same office and the same code.

A first-registration marker

The code records where the vehicle was first registered, not where its owner lives today. A KA 19 bike in Mysuru is perfectly normal.

KA 19 which district does the code belong to?

The short answer to KA 19 which district is Dakshina Kannada. Mangaluru is the district headquarters, and the KA 19 office handles vehicles whose owners live in Mangaluru city and taluk. Other parts of the district, such as Puttur and Bantwal, are registered under separate codes of their own.

Three offices in one district

The national list shows three Dakshina Kannada offices: KA 19 Mangaluru, KA 21 Puttur and KA 70 Bantwal. A plate from any of them is a Dakshina Kannada plate.

The Udupi split

Until August 1997 the district also took in the seven northern taluks that now form Udupi district. Udupi today has its own code, KA 20.

What is the RTO Mangalore office?

RTO Mangalore is the state transport office that registers vehicles, issues driving licences and keeps vehicle records for the Mangaluru area. It works under the Karnataka Transport Department and uses the national Vahan and Sarathi systems, so most of its work now starts online rather than at the counter.

What it decides

The office approves registrations, transfers and RC changes for its area, and runs driving tests for licence applicants living there.

What it does not do

It does not set traffic fines or road tax rates. Those come from central and state rules, applied the same way across Karnataka.

Where is RTO Mangalore located?

The national list of transport offices places RTO Mangalore at Maidan Road, Attavara, Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada 575001. This is the only address we could confirm from a reliable source. Landmarks and directions shown on map apps are not checked by the Transport Department, so use them as a guide only.

Writing it on a form or envelope

Use: Regional Transport Office, Mangaluru, Maidan Road, Attavara, Mangaluru 575001. Quote your application number in any letter.

Searching on a map

Type “RTO Mangaluru Attavara” with the PIN 575001. A plain search for “RTO” in the city can bring up agents’ offices nearby.

Which areas does the KA 19 office cover?

The national office list describes KA 19’s area in four words: “Mangaluru City and Taluk”. No official street or ward list was found, so we do not publish one. When your address is entered on Vahan, the system matches it to an office, and that match is what counts.

The newer taluks

Dakshina Kannada now has nine taluks, including the recently formed Ullala, Moodabidri and Kadaba, plus Mulki. No source we checked says which office serves each of these, so confirm on Vahan with your exact address.

Ullal in particular

Ullal forms one urban area with Mangaluru. Our Ullal RTO office page explains why that name also points to a Bengaluru office.

Is KA 19 the only Mangalore RTO code?

No. The Mangalore RTO code for the city is KA 19, but a vehicle from rural Dakshina Kannada may carry KA 21 or KA 70. Puttur’s office covers Puttur and Sullia taluks, while Bantwal’s covers Bantwal and Belthangady. All three are genuine Dakshina Kannada registrations.

Which one people usually mean

When someone asks for “the Mangalore code”, they nearly always mean KA 19, the city office and the busiest in the district.

Checking any code yourself

Pick Karnataka in Vahan’s office drop-down and the office name appears next to each code.

Which RTO codes surround Mangaluru?

Around Mangaluru you will mostly meet four coastal codes: KA 19 itself, KA 21 Puttur and KA 70 Bantwal from the same district, and KA 20 Udupi to the north. The table lists what the national office list says about each.

On the coastal highway

Between Mangaluru and Udupi, KA 19 and KA 20 plates mix freely. Each plate shows only its origin office.

Inland towards the ghats

Heading towards Sullia or Dharmasthala, more plates read KA 21 or KA 70, since those taluks fall outside the city office.

How do you read a KA 19 number plate?

A KA 19 plate has four parts: the state code KA, the office number 19, one or two series letters, and a running number of up to four digits with leading zeros. In KA 19 MN 0789, MN is the series and 0789 the vehicle’s own number within it.

Series letters

Karnataka groups vehicle types by letter. Private cars draw from M, N, P and Z, two-wheelers from letters such as E, H, J and K, and commercial vehicles from A to D.

Plate colours

Private vehicles show black on white, taxis and goods vehicles black on yellow, and private electric vehicles white on green.

How is a new vehicle registered under KA 19?

For a new private car or scooter in Mangaluru, the dealer files the registration on Vahan. Your address proof places the file with the KA 19 office, tax and fees are paid online, and the system issues the next free mark in the series.

1. Address check. Make sure the address on your proof lies in the area the Mangaluru office serves.
2. Sale entered on Vahan. The dealer uploads the invoice, insurance and your KYC papers.
3. Payments made. Road tax and registration fees are paid online, normally by the dealer.
4. Mark issued. Vahan gives the next free number in the running KA 19 series, unless you booked a choice number.
5. Plates and RC. High security plates are fitted and the registration certificate follows.

When an inspection is needed

Commercial vehicles, imported vehicles and modified ones may have to be shown at the office before a number is issued.

The national rules

Our vehicle registration guide covers the forms and documents that apply in every state.

What services does the Mangaluru transport office handle?

Like other Karnataka offices, KA 19 handles registration and licence work for its own area: new and transferred registrations, address changes on the RC, duplicate RCs, loan entries, permits for taxis and goods vehicles, and learner and permanent driving licences. Whether you must visit depends on the service.

Why the answer varies

The state changes which services are contactless from time to time. The portal says at the end whether you need to attend.

What should you carry to the Mangaluru office?

For any counter visit at Attavara, carry the printed application, the online fee receipt, the original RC or licence involved, a current address proof, valid insurance and PUC for vehicle work, and the booked slot slip. Take one set of self-attested photocopies too.

Task-specific papers

A transfer needs Forms 29 and 30; a duplicate RC needs a police report or affidavit; a vehicle from another state needs its NOC.

For the driving test

Bring a vehicle of the right class with valid RC, insurance and PUC.

How do you contact the Mangaluru RTO?

We could not verify a phone number, email or opening hours for the KA 19 office from any reliable source. Rather than print details that may be wrong, we suggest using the office list on the Karnataka Transport Department website, transport.karnataka.gov.in, which is the official place for current contacts.

Beware of agent numbers

Numbers on review and map listings often belong to middlemen. They may charge fees the office never asks for.

Holidays

The office follows Karnataka public holidays, so check the calendar before planning a trip.

How do you check a KA 19 vehicle online?

Enter the full number in the Vahan vehicle search or the mParivahan app. The result shows the registering office, vehicle class, fuel and validity dates, with owner details partly masked. Before buying a used KA 19 vehicle, compare these details with what the seller tells you.

Reading the office field

If it shows Mangaluru, the vehicle is on the KA 19 register even if it now runs in another district.

Do KA 19 vehicles need HSRP?

Yes. On 12 June 2026 the Karnataka Transport Department said high security plates remain mandatory for vehicles registered before 1 April 2019, which covers many older KA 19 vehicles. Fines are paused only because a High Court case is pending.

Booking the plates

Start on the SIAM portal, which sends you to your maker’s site to pick a dealer and slot.

What happens to a KA 19 number when you move or sell?

The number stays with the vehicle. If you move within Karnataka, you change the address on the RC and the file moves to the new office. When you sell, buyer and seller sign Forms 29 and 30 and apply for transfer on Vahan; the plate does not change.

Leaving Karnataka

Moving to another state for good means getting a NOC and re-registering there after the allowed period.

For every other office in the country, return to our RTO codes hub.