Maharashtra code explained: city STD codes, PIN prefixes and MH plate codes

Maharashtra code: which one are you looking for?

A search for maharashtra code can mean three different things. Callers want the STD code of a city, people filling address forms want the PIN code, and vehicle owners want the MH registration code. None of these is one number for the whole state, so start by deciding which system your form or call uses.

Phone, post or plate?

If the box sits beside a landline number, it wants an area code. Beside your address, it wants a six-digit PIN. Beside a vehicle number, it means the RTO code that begins with MH.

Why the numbers never match

The three systems were built by different departments for different jobs. Pune’s area code is 20, its PIN begins with 411 and its plate code is 12. Knowing one tells you nothing about the others.

What is the Maharashtra STD code?

The Maharashtra STD code is not a single number. India gives an area code to each telephone calling area, and Maharashtra has many of them. The largest metros have the shortest codes: Mumbai uses 22 and Pune 20, while smaller cities use three-digit codes such as Nagpur’s 712.

What STD stands for

STD means Subscriber Trunk Dialling, the system that lets you dial a landline in another area directly. Within India you put the trunk prefix 0 in front, so Mumbai’s code is written 022.

The ten-digit rule

An area code and the local number always add up to ten digits. A two-digit code like 22 is followed by an eight-digit local number; a three-digit code like 712 leaves seven digits for the subscriber.

Which STD code does each big Maharashtra city use?

The table pairs each city’s STD code with its main post office PIN and its vehicle registration code, so you can check all three at once. Smaller towns in each district may have their own area codes, so treat this as a starting point, not a full directory.

How we checked these codes

Area codes come from published telephone-numbering lists and city records, and each PIN was looked up in a public search built on India Post’s directory. The Department of Telecommunications and India Post sites did not load from our build machine, so confirm any code you plan to print.

Cities missing from the list

We left out towns such as Solapur and Satara because we could not confirm their area codes from a reliable source while writing. Your phone bill or the number printed on a local office’s letterhead is the quickest place to check.

What is the Pune STD code number?

The Pune STD code number is 020. Within India you dial 020 and then the eight-digit landline number. From another country you drop the zero and dial +91 20. The same code covers Pune city and its main landline exchanges.

Pune’s other codes

Pune’s PINs run from 411001 to 411090. Vehicles from the city are registered under MH 12, and Pimpri-Chinchwad has its own office, MH 14. Our page on MH 12 which city explains the Pune RTO code and its newer series.

When 020 is not needed

A call from one Pune landline to another inside the same area needs only the local eight digits.

How do you dial a Maharashtra landline from a mobile?

Mobile phones do not belong to a calling area in the same way, so you always add the area code when calling a landline. Dial 0, then the city’s code, then the local number. From outside India, use +91 in place of the 0.

1. Check where you are calling from. Inside the same calling area, a landline-to-landline call needs only the local number.
2. Add the STD code. From a mobile or another city, dial 0 plus the area code, such as 020 for Pune or 0712 for Nagpur.
3. Dial the local number. Type the subscriber number so the digits after the 0 add up to ten.
4. Use +91 from abroad. Replace the leading 0 with +91, so a Mumbai number starts +91 22.

A common mistake

People often add the zero after +91, writing +91 022. International calls must skip the trunk zero, so the correct form is +91 22.

Do Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai share Mumbai’s 022?

Thane uses 022, the same area code as Mumbai, even though it is a separate district and city. Kalyan-Dombivli and Vasai-Virar, further out, have their own codes: 0251 and 0250. Always check before assuming a suburb shares 022.

Separate codes, separate RTOs

The vehicle codes split differently again. Thane registers under MH 04, Kalyan under MH 05, Navi Mumbai under MH 43 and Vasai under MH 48, regardless of which phone code the area uses.

What is the Maharashtra state pin code?

There is no single Maharashtra state pin code. Each post office has its own six-digit PIN, and every one in the state starts with 40, 41, 42, 43 or 44. Mumbai’s head office uses 400001, Pune’s 411001 and the Nagpur GPO 440001.

Reading a Maharashtra PIN

The first digit, 4, is postal zone 4. The first three digits name the sorting district: 400 is Mumbai, 411 Pune and 440 Nagpur. The last three point to the delivery post office.

Postal regions inside the state

India Post’s records split the Maharashtra circle into regions that include Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Goa-Panaji. Kolhapur and Sangli PINs, for example, sit in the Goa-Panaji region.

Why do some 40 series PINs belong to Goa?

Zone 4 is shared by Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Maharashtra takes 40 to 44, but the 403 hub belongs to Goa. Panaji’s head office is 403001, and its post offices are run by the Maharashtra postal circle.

Neighbouring states in zone 4

PINs from 45 to 48 belong to Madhya Pradesh and 49 to Chhattisgarh, so a 45 code on a Vidarbha-border address is a sign to double-check the state.

How do you find the PIN for your Maharashtra address?

Use the PIN of the post office that actually delivers to your street, not the district head office. Big cities have dozens of codes: Mumbai’s run from 400001 to 400107 and Thane’s from 400601 to 400615.

Where to look

An old letter, an electricity bill or a bank passbook usually shows the right PIN. You can also search your locality in India Post’s PIN directory and confirm the district shown.

Villages and suburbs

Rural PINs often cover a sub post office and its branch offices in nearby villages, so write both the village and the PIN.

What is the Maharashtra code number on vehicles?

The Maharashtra code number on a vehicle is the two letters MH followed by a two-digit RTO number. MH 01 is Mumbai Central, MH 12 Pune, MH 15 Nashik and MH 31 Nagpur West. The series and serial number come after that.

Reading a plate

On MH 12 AB 1234, MH is the state, 12 the Pune RTO, AB the series and 1234 the number. For every office in the state, see the Maharashtra RTO registration numbers list.

MH 27 and other searched codes

Searches for “Maharashtra code 27” usually mean MH 27, which is Amravati in Vidarbha.

How is the MH code different from STD and PIN codes?

The MH code is issued by the transport department and appears on your RC and number plate. STD codes belong to the telephone network, and PINs to the postal network. A single city carries all three, but they never share digits on purpose.

One city, three numbers

Nagpur shows it well: area code 0712, PINs beginning 440, and vehicle codes MH 31, MH 49 and MH 40 for its different RTOs.

What is the ISO code of Maharashtra?

The international short code for the state is IN-MH under ISO 3166-2. It appears in maps, data files and shipping or payment software, often in drop-down lists. You do not write it on letters or number plates.

Where you might see it

A website that auto-fills your state may store it as IN-MH behind the scenes.

Which Maharashtra code do RTO and Vahan forms ask for?

Vehicle forms on the national Vahan system use your RTO code and your full postal address with PIN. The PIN tells the system and the post office where to send your RC. The STD code matters only if the form asks for a landline.

The address and PIN

Write the PIN exactly as it appears on your proof of address, such as Aadhaar or a utility bill. Our vehicle information guide covers the main Vahan services in more detail.

Your mobile number

Most forms now ask for a mobile number for OTPs rather than a landline, so the STD code rarely matters on transport forms.