RTO vehicle information MH: read and check any Maharashtra number

RTO vehicle information MH: codes, lookup and plate format

RTO vehicle information MH is the set of details Maharashtra’s transport offices hold for each registered vehicle, read through the plate number. The plate itself tells you the state and office. The rest, such as dates and fuel, sits in the national Vahan database and is free to look up.

What the lookup returns

A public search gives the registering authority, the registration date, maker and model, fuel type, vehicle class and the validity of fitness, insurance and the pollution certificate. It is enough to confirm that a plate and a vehicle match.

Who keeps the records

Every MH office feeds the same national database, built by NIC for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Maharashtra does not run a separate public number search, so a Pune bike and a Nagpur truck are checked in the same place.

What is MH registration?

MH registration is the act of entering a vehicle in Maharashtra’s records and giving it a number that starts with MH. It happens once, at purchase, and the number stays with the vehicle for life unless it moves to another state or is cancelled.

Registration usually starts at the dealer

For most new cars and bikes, the dealer uploads the papers and the office approves them online. Maharashtra offers faceless services through Parivahan, so many buyers never visit the office for a first registration.

Proof of registration

The result is the registration certificate (RC), which you can carry as a smart card or show from DigiLocker or mParivahan. The RC repeats the same office named by the plate code.

Which MH registration state is it?

The MH registration state is Maharashtra. India gives each state and union territory a two-letter code, and MH has belonged to Maharashtra throughout the current numbering system. A plate starting with MH was registered at an office somewhere in Maharashtra, from Mumbai to Gadchiroli.

Neighbouring codes you will see

Highways into the state bring plenty of outside plates: GJ Gujarat, MP Madhya Pradesh, KA Karnataka, GA Goa and TS or TG Telangana. None of them is a Maharashtra number, whatever town the vehicle is parked in.

How is a Maharashtra registration number built?

A Maharashtra registration number has four parts: MH, a two-digit office number, up to three series letters, and a number from 1 to 9999. In MH 03 DK 4521, “MH 03” is Mumbai East at Wadala, “DK” is the series, and 4521 is the vehicle’s place in it.

The office number

The digits run from MH 01 upwards. Old district headquarters hold the low numbers, while later offices such as Baramati (MH 42) or Mira-Bhayandar (MH 58) got higher ones as traffic grew.

Series letters skip I and O

The letters advance like a counter: A, B, then AA, AB and so on. I and O are left out so they are not confused with 1 and 0.

What does a Maharashtra vehicle number tell you?

A Maharashtra vehicle number tells you two things for certain: the vehicle was registered in Maharashtra, and which office did it. It does not show the current owner, today’s address, or whether the papers are valid. For those, you need the online record, not the plate.

It does not move with the owner

Sell the car or shift from Thane to Nashik and the number stays the same. A twenty-year-old MH 04 car may now belong to someone in Kolhapur.

When the number does change

The number changes only if the vehicle is re-registered in another state, or if a new code is opened and only fresh vehicles get it, as happened in Pune.

Which codes does Mumbai vehicle registration use?

Mumbai vehicle registration is split among four offices inside the city. Each covers a slice of the island city and suburbs, so two neighbours can carry different codes depending on when and where they registered.

Why the city has four codes

Mumbai’s vehicle numbers outgrew one office long ago. Splitting the work keeps queues and inspections spread out, and each office handles the addresses in its own zone.

Which MH codes cover the Mumbai region beyond the city?

The wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region has its own offices. MH 04 Thane, MH 05 Kalyan, MH 43 Navi Mumbai, MH 46 Panvel, MH 48 Vasai and MH 58 Mira-Bhayandar all sit within commuting distance, so plates from all of them crowd Mumbai’s roads.

The Thane side

Thane, Kalyan, Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai serve the northern belt. A flat in Mira Road usually means an MH 58 plate, not Thane’s MH 04.

Navi Mumbai and Panvel

Navi Mumbai has its own office under MH 43, while Kharghar to Panvel and the Uran and Karjat talukas are listed under MH 46 at Kalamboli.

How do you read an MH vehicle registration number?

Read an MH vehicle registration number left to right: state, office, series, number. The colour of the plate then tells you how the vehicle may be used. A white plate is private, yellow is commercial, and green is electric.

Plate colours on Maharashtra roads

Private cars and bikes carry black letters on white. Taxis, autos and goods vehicles carry black on yellow, and rental cars yellow on black. Electric vehicles use a green base.

Script rules

Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules needs English capital letters and Arabic numerals. Plates written in Devanagari, or showing “Maharashtra” instead of MH, have been treated as violations in RTO drives.

RTO number check Maharashtra: how does it work?

An RTO number check Maharashtra owners and buyers rely on is the free Vahan search. You sign in with a mobile number, type the plate, and the system returns the record held by the MH office that registered it.

1. Open the Vahan search. Go to Know Your Vehicle Details on the Vahan portal, or open the mParivahan app.
2. Sign in with your mobile. Enter your mobile number and the one-time password sent to it.
3. Type the MH number. Enter the full number with no spaces, for example MH03DK4521, and fill the captcha.
4. Read the record. Check the registering office, registration date, fuel, and fitness and insurance validity.

What you need

Only the plate number and a phone that can receive an OTP. You do not need the RC, chassis number or the owner’s consent for this basic search.

It costs nothing

The Vahan search is free. Be wary of sites that charge for the same basic details.

Can you do a Maharashtra vehicle search by SMS or app?

Yes, a Maharashtra vehicle search also works through the mParivahan app, and older guides describe an SMS route. The app gives the same fields as the website; the SMS reply is shorter and less reliable.

The SMS route

Guides list sending VAHAN followed by the number to 7738299899. We could not confirm it still answers every time, and your operator may charge for the message.

Inside the mParivahan app

The app’s RC search shows the record after an OTP sign-in. Owners can also add their own vehicle and keep a virtual RC there.

What does an MH vehicle record show?

An MH vehicle record shows the registering office, the date of registration, the make and model, fuel, colour in some cases, vehicle class and the expiry dates for fitness, insurance and PUC. It is the quickest way to spot a lapsed policy before buying used.

What stays hidden

The owner’s name is partly masked, and chassis and engine numbers show only a few characters. That protects owners from misuse of the public search.

When the record looks out of date

A transfer or address change can take time to reflect. If wrong details persist, the owner should raise it with the office named in the record.

Why did Pune get a new code in 2026?

Pune’s MH 12 office used up every number in its last ZZ series in 2026. A three-letter series was dropped over number-plate camera concerns, so new Pune vehicles began getting MH 61 from around early September 2026 as a temporary code.

What it means for buyers

An MH 61 plate is a normal Pune registration. Our MH 12 which city guide covers the Pune office and the planned MH 12 1A series.

Is the MH code the same as the district?

Not always. Maharashtra has more office codes than districts, because big districts got extra sub-regional offices. Pune district alone has MH 12, MH 14 Pimpri-Chinchwad and MH 42 Baramati, and Solapur has MH 13 and MH 45 Akluj.

Where to see every code

This page covers how numbers work and how to check them. For the complete Maharashtra vehicle registration number list, use our code-by-code guide.

Which mistakes spoil an RTO number check Maharashtra?

Most failed searches come from how the number is typed, not from the database. A few slips account for almost every “record not found” message.

Typing slips

Leave out spaces and hyphens, and do not type the letter O for zero. Fancy fonts on plates make 8 and B easy to confuse.

Reading too much into letters

“DK” or “AB” is a running series, not an area of the city. Only “MH” and the two digits point to a place.

Where do you confirm MH registration details officially?

For a single vehicle, the Vahan record is the official answer. For office lists and new codes, use the Maharashtra Transport Department site or ask the office directly. Our RTO hub links state guides for plates from elsewhere.

Moving into Maharashtra

Under section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act, a vehicle kept in another state for more than 12 months needs a new registration mark there. You apply with an NOC from the old state and pay Maharashtra road tax.