Vehicle registration plates of India

All motorised vehicles plying on public roads in India are tagged with a registration or licence number. The vehicle registration plate (known colloquially as number plate) is issued by a Regional Transport Office (RTO), the district-level authority on road matters in the respective state or Union Territory. The number plates are mandatory on both front and rear of the vehicle and are required to be in modern arabic numerals with latin letters. Complete specification of registration plates are specified under the rules.

The international vehicle registration code for India is IND.

Colour coding
Registration plates are specified in multiple combinations of text colour and background colour to distinctively identify different categories of vehicles.

Following combinations have been specified:

For colour coding no longer in use, refer section.

Private and Commercial Vehicles
The current format for the registration of private and commercial came into force on 1 July 1989 as part of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The format consists of four parts:
 * ; two letters which indicates the State or Union Territory in which the vehicle is registered.
 * ; a two-digit number allocated to a district within the respective state or Union Territory. Due to heavy volume of vehicle registration, unique numbers may be allocated to multiple RTOs within a single district.
 * ; consists of one, two or three letters or may not exist at all. These show the ongoing registration series of respective RTO and can indirectly indicate the number of registered vehicles (in some cases, also indicate vehicle class). The letters 'O' and 'I' are not used here to avoid confusion with digits 0 or 1.
 * ; issued sequentially and unique to each registration.

The advantage with this format is that the state and district of a particular vehicle is immediately identifiable. This can be useful in e.g. a police investigation as witnesses usually remember the initial few characters.

Vintage series (VA) and Bharat series (BH) registration have their own unique format. For formats prior to 1 July 1989, refer section.

VA (Vintage) series


On 15 July 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport issued a notification regarding a special registration process for vintage vehicles. It was introduced to provide exemption from various pollution and scrappage norms and thus, facilitate promotion of heritage of vintage vehicles. A vehicle is eligible for this registration process if it fulfils following criteria:
 * Two-wheeler or car (specifically, categories L1, L2 and M1)
 * More than 50 years have passed since first registration
 * Vehicle is maintained in its original form

Vintage series registration however restricts free usage of the vehicle. Vehicle may only be used for specific purposes on public roads (e.g. vintage car rally) and not for generic private or commercial use. VA-series registration has a unique format: Characters are representative of following:
 * 'AB': ; two letters which indicates the State or Union Territory in which the vehicle is registered
 * 'VA': Short for ‘Vintage’
 * 'XX': Two letter sequence, starting from ‘AA’, followed by ‘AB’ and so on. 'O' and 'I' are not used here to avoid confusion with the digits 0 or 1
 * '1234':

BH (Bharat) series


On 26 August 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport issued a notification regarding a unified pan-India registration of private vehicles. This special registration process was introduced to ease inter-state mobility by eliminating the hassles of re-registering a vehicle when its owner relocates to a new state or Union Territory.

BH-series registration can be issued to public sector employees of central and state governments, and also to private sector employees of firms with offices in four or more states or union territories. BH-series registration follows a unique format: Characters are representative of following:
 * '12': Represents the last two digits of the year in which the vehicle was registered, e.g. '22' for a vehicle registered in 2022
 * 'BH': Short for Bharat (Hindi: भारत)
 * '3456': Unique number between 1 and 9999, issued randomly
 * 'XX': One or two letters. Sequence starting from ‘A’, followed by ‘B’ and so on. 'O' and 'I' are not used here to avoid confusion with the digits 0 or 1

Vehicles of Foreign Missions
Registration of vehicles belonging to a foreign mission is carried out by Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Following registration format is used: Characters are representative of following:
 * '123': Unique number of atmost 3 digits allocated to the foreign mission by the Ministry of External Affairs (see list below)
 * 'XX': Represents the type of mission to which the vehicle is registered:
 * 'CD' which is short for corps diplomatique, for vehicles registered to an embassy
 * 'CC' which is short for corps consulaire, for vehicles registered to a consulate
 * 'UN' which is short for United Nations, for vehicles registered to one of the UN missions
 * '4567': Unique number of atmost 4 digits, issued sequentially
 * Number '1' is reserved for vehicle(s) used by the head of respective foreign mission e.g. an ambassador. To distinguish multiple vehicles of the head of mission, a suffix is added e.g. '1A', '1B' and so on.

Vehicles belonging to foreign missions are granted the level of diplomatic immunity or consular immunity corresponding to whom the vehicle has been attributed to by the Ministry of External Affairs. Immunity is void if a UN, CD or CC vehicle is driven in absence of an accredited member of the diplomatic or consular corps.

Unique numbers allocated to different foreign missions for the CD and CC registrations:

Vehicles of Indian Armed Forces
Registration of vehicles belonging to Indian Armed Forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) is administered by armed forces themselves. Following registration format is used:

Characters are representative of following:
 * '↑': The first character is an upward-pointing Broad Arrow, whose origins lie in the UK Office of Ordnance.
 * '01': Represents the last two digits of the year in which the armed forces procured the vehicle, e.g. '22' for a vehicle procured in 2022.
 * 'Z': Represents the type or class of vehicle:
 * A - Two-wheel Vehicle (e.g. motorcycles)
 * B - Four-wheel Vehicle (e.g. passenger cars)
 * C - Truck (Up to 3 tonnes) or pick-up trucks
 * D - Truck (More than 3 tonnes)
 * E - Multi-Axle Vehicle (e.g. 4x4 or 6x6 truck)
 * F – Specialist Light Vehicle (e.g. Light Strike Vehicle)
 * G – Trailer
 * H – High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) (e.g. Tata LPTA 2038 6x6)
 * J – Snow Blower
 * K – Ambulance
 * P – Bus, Fire Truck, Tanker, Recovery Vehicle etc.
 * R – Missile launcher
 * X – Active Combat Vehicle (e.g. tank, armoured personnel carrier)


 * '012345': Six digit unique serial number
 * 'A': Last character is a check letter.

Format for private and commercial vehicles
Here is a detailed overview of the format for permanent registration of private and commercial vehicles.

Part 1: Two-letter State Codes


All Indian states and Union Territories have a designated two-letter code. This code referencing came into force on 1 July 1989 as part of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Before that, each district or RTO had three-letter code(s) at their disposal which did not clearly identify the state. This led to a fair degree of confusion — for example, MMC 0123 could fit in anywhere in the country. To avoid this ambiguity, a unique state code was included in format.

A specific state or union territory maybe chosen to register a vehicle due to differences in the amount of taxes involved in registration process. One such example is of Puducherry, where many luxury cars have been known to be registered by residents of other states, sometimes fraudulently, leading to crackdowns by those states.

Current codes
Two-letter codes currently in use for different states and union territories are as follows:

Former codes
Codes no longer active but legally may continued to be used on older vehicles:

Part 2: District Number
Since all states have two or more districts, the district is in charge of registering the vehicle. A vehicle bears the registration of the district in which it is bought rather than the district of residence of the owner. In many states, officials insist that the plates be changed to the local numbers if the owner shifts residence.

The number of districts in the state need not equal the number of permutations of the district field of the licence plate. Often, in districts with large cities the geographical district can be split into two or more administered regions, each governed by an RTO. A case is the 11 RTOs of Bengaluru Urban District in the state of Karnataka which has the plate bearings KA 01 for HSR Layout (Bengaluru Central), KA 02 for Rajajinagara (Bengaluru West), KA 03 for Kasturinagara (Bengaluru East), KA 04 for Yeshwanthapura (Bengaluru North), KA 05 for Jayanagara (Bengaluru South), KA 41 for Kengeri (Bengaluru West Suburban), KA 50 for Yelahanka (Bengaluru North Suburban), KA 51 for Electronic City (Bengaluru South Suburban), KA 53 for Krishnarajapura (Bengaluru East Suburban), KA 59 for Chandapura (Anekal). Certain RTOs can be set up for dedicated purposes. KA 57 in Shantinagara is dedicated for autorickshaws of Bengaluru Urban District and KA 57 F is registration of the same RTO is exclusive for KSRTC and BMTC buses plying in and out of the district.

In some states such as West Bengal, each RTO issues two numbers i.e., separate numbers for commercial vehicles and private vehicles. E.g. Asansol RTO, has the numbers WB 38 for private vehicles and WB 37 for commercial or public ones.

Also the 01 digit may reflect the capital district of the state, though it may not always be the case.

In some states (such as the state of Delhi, and previously in Gujarat and Bihar) the initial 0 of the district code is omitted; thus Delhi district 2 numbers appear as DL 2 not DL 02. The union territory of Delhi has an additional code in the registration code: DL 9 CAA 1111 where DL is the two letter code for Delhi (DL). The additional C (for category of vehicle) is the letter S for two-wheelers, C for cars and SUVs, E for electric vehicles (in some cases only), P for public passenger vehicles such as buses, R for three-wheeled rickshaws, T for tourist-licensed vehicles and taxis, V for pick-up trucks and vans and Y for hire vehicles. This system is also applicable in other states. (For example, Rajasthan, where RJ is the two letter code, P is for passenger vehicles, C for cars, S for scooters and G for goods vehicles.) Also, A for Ambulance, M for Milk Van, P for Police

Part 3: Single or multiple letters
When the initial 9999 numbers are used up, the RTO adds the letter A before the unique 4 digit number. In some states, the two letters also give the description of the make of the vehicle.

The letters may also reflect the subdivision of the district if the district is geographically large.

In Tamil Nadu, the letter G is reserved for Government (both the Union Government of India and State Governments) vehicles and the letter N is reserved for Government Transport Buses, while A to F, H to M and P to Z are for passenger vehicles of all kinds, including commercial vehicles. For e.g. TN 60 AG 3333 could be a government vehicle registered in Theni, whereas a TN 58 N 4006 could be a government Bus registered in Madurai District.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the letter Z is reserved for the State Road Transport (APSRTC) and TSRTC buses (AP**Z, TS**Z, and so on). The letter P (AP 18P, TS 9P, and so on;— Vijayawada RTO and Khairatabad RTO) is reserved for the state police vehicles. The letters T, U, V, W, X, Y is reserved for commercial ones, going on as TA, TB..., UA, UB... and so on whereas rest of the letters are reserved for private passenger vehicles of all kinds.

In Kerala, the number series KL 15 is reserved for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. For e.g. KL 15 3431 is an Ashok Leyland KSRTC bus with vehicle code TS-340. Otherwise, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles. Also, KL 01 (Thiruvananthapuram RTO) issues registrations for police vehicles around the state.

In Assam, AS 20 is reserved for government buses and AS 30 and AS 31 is reserved for Assam state police. To register commercial vehicles, the letter C is used and goes on like AC, BC, etc. For private vehicles of all kinds, registrations are common.

In West Bengal, there are different number codes for commercial vehicles and private vehicles. RTOs have assigned the letter T to some commercial vehicles, e.g. WB 04 TE, and so on. In areas like Alipur, Barasat, Barrackpore and Howrah, letters were assigned for different classes of vehicles for private vehicles. Now, the same letters are used for all types of vehicles. Kolkata's main RTO at Beltala (WB01, WB02, WB03 and WB04) also has separate RTO number codes for two wheelers and private cars, as well as goods and passenger vehicles

In Odisha, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles. Bhubaneswar has two registration numbers OD 02 and OD 33. The OD 02 is used for RTO jurisdiction of Old Bhubaneswar and OD 33 is used for RTO jurisdiction of Patia, Bhubaneswar.

In Jammu and Kashmir, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles. However, the letter Y is used for all government buses.

In Punjab, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles. PB 01 is used to register tourist vehicles.

In Bihar, all RTO's assigns the letter P for passenger vehicles (Commercial vehicles and SUVs) and G for goods vehicles, e.g. BR 01 PC 2433 is a BSRTC bus in Patna. However, for private vehicles, all registrations are common.

In Himachal Pradesh HP 01 and HP 02 are reserved for tourist vehicles and also the first letter of the district is used, e.g. HP 01 D refers to a taxi in Dharamshala. Otherwise, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles.

In Maharashtra, the two letters in each RTO is classified for a different kind of vehicle, e.g. MH 14 BT is assigned for MSRTC buses built in the bus building facility Pimpri, MH 02 CR is for commercial vehicles in Mumbai, MH 10 CJ is for two wheelers in Sangli, MH 04 GM is for cars in Thane, MH 12 JK is for special purpose vehicles in Pune and MH 47 D is for autorickshaws in North Mumbai. For e.g. after letter A letter B will be given after z letter AAwill be given and so on.

In Karnataka, blank, A, B, C, D is used for commercial vehicles; T for tractors and trailers; E, H, J, K, L, Q, R, S, U, V, W, X, Y for two wheelers; M, N, P, Z for private passenger vehicles. G is used for Government Vehicles and F is used for KSRTC/NWKRTC/NEKRTC/BMTC buses. Additional letters are added as each series is exhausted e.g. M, MA, F, FA and so on.

In Madhya Pradesh the numbering system is similar to other states, with a few exceptions: MP 01 are reserved for Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhavan i.e. Madhya Pradesh Governor's Secretariat and Governor's Household Establishment, MP 02 are reserved for the state government vehicles, MP 03 is reserved for the Madhya Pradesh Police, while MP 04 are reserved for state capital RTO i.e. Bhopal. This pattern is followed in Chhattisgarh also with CG 01 for vehicles of Governor's Office, CG 02 for state government vehicles, CG 03 for Chhattisgarh Police and CG 04 for state capital RTO i.e. Raipur. In Madhya Pradesh vehicles used in agricultural purpose are numbered with series A (e.g. AA, AB, AC etc.), big cars by B, small cars by C, special purpose vehicle such as ambulance, crane etc. by D, medium size goods vehicle by G, heavy vehicles by H, small loading vehicle by L, motor cycles by M, passenger buses by P, passenger auto by R, Scooter by S, taxis by T and passengers by E, F, I, J, K, N, Q, U to Z.

When a series is exhausted or reaches MZ, the RTO can start any other series. For example, Bhopal adopted AM, DM, EM following M while Indore started NA, NB, NC, and now series Q is running. This allocation is similar in Chhattisgarh also.

In Goa, the letter X is reserved for the State Road Transport (Kadamba Transport Corporation) buses (e.g. GA 03 X 0109). The letters T, U, V, W, Y, Z are reserved for commercial vehicles, whereas the letter G is reserved for government vehicles. Again, the two letter in each RTO is classified for a different kind of vehicle, e.g. GA 07 C is for cars in Panaji and GA 03 AB is for two wheelers in Mapusa.

In Uttar Pradesh, all registrations are common for private vehicles. Districts use G for government vehicles and any letter for commercial. Currently most districts use T, AT, BT, etc.; some use N, AN, BN, etc., and a few use B, H, etc.

In Uttarakhand, the letter C is reserved for goods vehicles, T for Taxis, P for public transport vehicles and G for government vehicles and A, B, D to O, Q to S, and U to Z for private passenger vehicles of all kinds, with an additional letter added later such as TA, CA, GA, PA and so on.

For example, the official vehicle of the state Home Secretary uses the number "UK 07 GF 9999" and that of the Director General (Information and Public Relations) uses the number "UK 07 GE 9000". The vehicle of the Chairman of the State Sugar Corporation has the number "UK 07 GE 0900".

The registration number of the official vehicle of the now ousted Chief Minister read "UK 07 GB 0999".

Further, UK 07 TA 0251 could be a taxi in Dehradun and UK 07 PA 0250 could be a local bus in Dehradun.

In the North East excluding Assam:


 * Meghalaya issues ML 01, ML 02, ML 03 for government vehicles, while ML 02 specifically for the Police department and ML 03 for the transport department, and registration is common for all vehicles.
 * Sikkim issues the letter P as prefix for all types of private vehicles and T for taxis, J for commercial jeeps, B for buses, and Z, D for other commercial vehicles. For state transport buses, the SK 04 XXXX series of Jorethang was used and have now gone back to register them under B series.
 * Arunachal Pradesh issues AR 02 for its government buses, otherwise all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles.
 * Nagaland issues different letters for all types of vehicles.
 * In Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles.

In Gujarat, government vehicles have number plate with letter G and GJ, which is reserved for government firm vehicles. (e.g. : GJ 18 G 5123 and GJ 18 GJ 6521). All other letters except G are used by passenger vehicles. The letters T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z are reserved for commercial vehicles and goes on in the series AT, AU, ..., BT, BU, ..., and so on.

Also, the number series GJ 18 Y is reserved for the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses (e.g. GJ 18 Y 5432). GJ 18 V was used earlier. After the completion of this series GJ 18 Y was used (e.g. GJ 18 V 8844). Currently, GJ 18 Z is in use. All other letters used for passengers. Also a letter is prefixed for usage in all classes of vehicles, e.g. GJ 01 J to JS are for two wheelers in Ahmedabad, and GJ 01 R to RZ are reserved for private four wheelers in Ahmedabad. However, after the exhaustion of private series in Ahmedabad, vehicles are being registered with the T to Z suffix pattern to meet the demand.

In Delhi, the following letters are used for registration- A for ambulances, B for mini buses, C for cars, F for numbers on demand for private vehicles, G for trucks, K for school vehicles, L for trucks, N for NRIs (e.g. DL 3C NA, DL 2S ND), P is for buses, Q are for commercial three wheelers, R for autorickshaws and radio taxis, S for two wheelers, T for city taxis, Y for private taxis, V, W, E, U, M, Z for other commercial vehicles. DL 1 at Mall Road registers only A, E, G, K, L, M, P, Q, R, T, U, V, W, Y and Z.

In Chandigarh, the following letters are used for registration: T is for trucks, G is for government vehicles. CH 02 registers commercial vehicles. Registration for all private vehicles is common.

In Rajasthan, the following letters are used for registration: M, S, B for two wheelers, C for cars, P for buses, G for trucks, T for taxis and tourist passenger vehicles. Earlier, numbers between 1 and 50 were used, e.g. RJ 14 2M and RJ 14 6C were used for vehicles but now this system has been stopped.

In Haryana, there are different codes for commercial vehicles and different for private vehicles. Private registrations are common.

In the union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry all registrations are common, even for commercial vehicles.

Part 4: Unique number between 1 and 9999
The last four numbers are unique to the vehicle. Usually, the lower 100 numbers are government registered numbers, but it may not always be the case. Special "lucky" numbers (also called fancy numbers) such as 3333, 0001 or 6666 fetch a premium and may touch above ₹1,000,000.

Prior to 2005, Karnataka used to charge ₹1000 for obtaining a unique last four digit number. These numbers used to be issued either from the current running series or from one or two future series. When the numbering system was computerized, numbers could be issued from any future series. However the Karnataka RTO steeply hiked these charges to ₹6,000 if the number to be obtained is in the current series, and ₹25,000 if it was to be issued from a future series. It was increased again in 2010 from ₹6,000 to ₹20,000, and from ₹25,000 to ₹75,000.

As of 2007, Maharashtra has increased the price of unique numbers to the range of ₹25,000 to ₹1,25,000. In 2012, Maharashtra increased the price from ₹1,25,000 to ₹2,00,000.

In Uttarakhand, number 0001 and 0786 has the highest charge of ₹50,000.

In Gujarat, RTO is charging ₹500 for 2-wheeler vehicles and ₹1,000 for 4-wheeler vehicles for chosen number plate, but the chosen number plate not be unique, Ex 4521, 6523, etc. For VIP number 1 (4-wheeler vehicle), RTO distribute an application form to bid for unique number plate which will be attached with amount of money. The highest payer of the amount will get the unique number like 1. Sometimes it takes ₹2,00,000 to ₹5,00,000 (maximum) for this type of number. Currently, Gujarat RTO has revised the amount for chosen number (not unique numbers like single, double digit), which is ₹1000 for 2-wheeler vehicles and ₹5000 for 4-wheeler vehicles.

In Andhra Pradesh the RTO Follows the Auction system for unique numbers. The highest bidder gets the number. Numbers like 0909 0999 0099 0009 are in high demand always and have a high premium and maximum bidders for the auction.

Temporary Registration Format
After a new vehicle is purchased and while the permanent registration number is pending, a temporary registration number is issued by RTO of the district from where the vehicle was purchased.



On 31 March 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport issued a notification regarding amendment to Motor Vehicles Act. Rule 53C in the amendment introduced a homogenised alphanumeric format for temporary registration:

Characters are representative of following:
 * 'T': Registration number always starts with character 'T' to represent 'Temporary'
 * 'MMYY': Reperesents the month and year in which vehicle was purchased e.g. '1223' for vehicle purchase in December 2023
 * 'AA': Represents the state in which vehicle is purchased, same code as specified in is used
 * '0123': Four digit number issued sequentially
 * 'ZZ': One or two letters, sequence starting from ‘A’, followed by ‘B’ and so on. 'O' and 'I' are not used here to avoid confusion with the digits 0 or 1.

Example: T1123LA0123A for a vehicle purchased in Ladakh in November 2023

Temporary registration has a validity of up to six months, states however may use a stricter validity time. During this period owner must obtain a permanent registration from the RTO of their choosing. Some states may only allow limited use of vehicles with temporary registration.

To register a vehicle, it may need to be presented to the RTO, where a Motor Vehicle Inspector will verify the applicant's address and other details, confirm that the engine and chassis numbers are identical to what is written in the application and issues a permanent registration certificate which is usually valid for 20 years.

Trade Registration Format
Government issues trade certificate to businesses which deal with unregistered vehicles and therefore, need to be exempted from the legal requirement of plying vehicles on road with a (permanent or temporary) registration number. Business or agency which may use trade certificate can be a vehicle manufacturer, dealer, vehicle testing agency or a vehicle importer.

Registration authority allots a group of trade registration numbers to the holder of a trade certificate. Trade number is not assigned to a specific vehicle directly by the registration authority (like permanent or temporary number), the holder of trade certificate instead assigns a number to a vehicle themselves from their available allotment. Trade number can only be used on vehicles of category for which it has been issued and should not be assigned to more than one vehicle at once. Trade registration number can be valid for up to five years.



On 14 September 2022, the Ministry of Road Transport issued a notification regarding amendments to trade certificate and trade registration number. A homogenised alphanumeric format for trade registration number was also introduced:

Characters are representative of following:
 * 'AB': Represents the state in which institute is located, same code as specified in
 * '12': Represents the district or RTO which issues the trade registration number, same number as defined in
 * 'Z': Represents the category of vehicle for which the trade registration number has been issued. Character used for different categories are:
 * A – Two-wheel vehicle (e.g. motorcycle, scooter)
 * B – Invalid carriage (vehicle designed specifically for differently abled person)
 * C – Light motor vehicle (e.g. car)
 * D – Medium passenger motor vehicle (e.g. minibus)
 * E – Medium goods vehicle (e.g. truck)
 * F – Heavy passenger motor vehicle (e.g. bus)
 * G – Heavy goods vehicle (e.g. truck)
 * H – E-rickshaw
 * I – E-cart (cargo variant of E-rickshaw)
 * J – any other category not covered above
 * '0123': Four digit unique number assigned to the holder of trade certificate e.g. vehicle dealer or manufacturer
 * 'TC': Short for ‘Trade Certificate’
 * '0001': Number of up to four digits to be assigned to one specific vehicle by holder of trade certificate, as allowed by registration authority

Example: LA01C0001TC0001 for a light motor vehicle (e.g. car) registered for trade in Kargil in Ladakh.

For old format, refer section.

HSRP: High Security Registration Plate
On 1 June 2005, the Government of India had amended rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, mandating introduction of new tamper proof High Security Registration (HSRP) number plates. All new motorised road vehicles that came into the market after that needed to adhere to the new plates, while existing vehicles had been given two years to comply. Features incorporated include the number plate having a patented chromium hologram, a laser numbering containing the alpha-numeric identification of both the testing agency and manufacturers and a retro-reflective film bearing a verification inscription "India" at a 45-degree inclination. The characters are embossed on the plate for better visibility. The letters "IND" were printed in a light shade of blue on the observers left side under the hologram. However it has yet to be implemented since the various state Governments has not yet appointed an official source for manufacture of these plates, due to disputes which are currently in various Indian courts. On 8 April 2011 the Supreme Court of India summoned the transport secretaries of Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh for contempt of court proceedings regarding nonenforcement of the high-security registration plates. The Supreme Court on 30 November 2004, had clarified that all states had to comply with the scheme. Currently all of North East including Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT) and Goa are the only states which have complied in full. The states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra have not proceeded after having called tenders. Besides these states some of the other states have also taken action to implement the new scheme.

Haryana and Punjab has launched the High Security Registration Plates Scheme in the state. High Security Registration Plates have been made mandatory in for all new and old vehicles.

Maharashtra announced that it had planned to implement new number plates soon.

Historical Colour Coding
Following colour coding have been discontinued for different reasons:

In case of changes in 2002, due to large number of vehicles and therefore slow enforcement, old colour coding was in use well after the official discontinuation date.

Pre-1940
Before the introduction of Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 (enforced during 1940), a nationwide format did not exist. Initial vehicle registration format in country was simply a number of up to five digits. Gradually, a prefix of single or two alphabet(s) was introduced which was representative of province/city, and was followed by a number of (up to) four digits, e.g. K 1234 or FP 1234.

There were some exceptions as few places had already started to use three-alphabet prefix codes before 1940.

From 1940 till Independence
After the introduction of Motor Vehicles Act (1939), many three-alphabet codes were introduced and this format gradually became the most common. Characters are representative of following:
 * 'X': Represents the province, e.g. 'B' for Bombay Presidency, 'U' for United Provinces
 * 'AA': Two letter code alloted to registration authority of a specific district.
 * '1234': Unique number between 1 and 9999

In the case of Central Provinces (using province code 'C'), three-alphabet codes used for vehicle registration were:
 * CPZ — For government vehicles
 * CPP — Central Province Police vehicles
 * CPX — where 'X' represents the district code (e.g. CPJ for Jabalpur)

Format of using single alphabet prefix was also phased out.

Post-independence
By 1947 i.e. India's independence, format of using three-alphabet codes was almost standard throughout the country, with the exception of the colonies which were not yet incorporated into India. Certain states/UTs in India also remained exceptions as they continued to use two-alphabet codes for some more years: Chandigarh (CH), Pondicherry (PY), Andaman & Nicobar islands (AN) and Jammu & Kashmir (JK).

Other colonies in India
Colonies in India (other than British) had different registration formats until they were incorporated into independent India.


 * French Colonies: Pondicherry used the following formats:
 * Until the de facto incorporation into India in 1954: Alphabet 'P' as prefix followed by a number of (up to) four digits, e.g. P 1234.
 * Post-incorporation: At some point prefix was changed to 'PY'.
 * Portuguese Colonies: Goa used the following formats:
 * Until around 1957: Alphabet 'G' as prefix followed by a number of (up to) four digits, e.g. G 1234.
 * From 1957 until annexation by India in 1961: Three-alphabet prefix followed by a four digit number in style 'IGx–12–34', 'x' being the sequence alphabet i.e. A, B and so on.
 * Post-annexation: Vehicles were re-registered with new format as per Motor Vehicles Act (1939), with 'GDA' as the three-alphabet prefix.

Princely States


Princely States had a different registration format compared to rest of the country until they acceded to independent India. Colour scheme used was white text on red background and the format was state's name followed by a number.

'X' represents the name of state. Example: MYSORE 1, JODHPUR 5

Top constitutional authorities


It used to be a general practice for offices of top constitutional authorities in India (i.e. President, Vice-President, Governors and lieutenant governors and to some extent Ministry of External Affairs) to not register their official vehicles. Instead of registration plates, an embossed Emblem of India was used (sometimes in combination with a red plate). In 2018, above offices were instructed to get all their official vehicles registered as per applicable laws.

Trade Registration


Before the introduction of 2022 notification, the defined format for trade registration was more generic and only specified following:
 * 'AB', '12' and 'TC' : Same representation as in current format, detailed in
 * 'XXXX': Format consisting of alphanumeric characters, as decided by respective state or Union Territory. Most states/UTs (at the time of introduction of new format in 2022) used the following scheme:
 * '123 456' where '123' is a number (of up to 3 digits) allocated to holder of trade certificate and '456' is a unique number (of up to 3 digits) assigned to a specific vehicle. Example: UP 16 TC 020 007

Trade numbers with old format can continue to be used as per validity period.