What do the numbers and letters on your car’s number plate say? Know the hidden secret of the number plate!

Every vehicle running through the station has a number plate. In India, the letters and numbers on these number plates are not just a random code, but have a systematic and legal structure behind them. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, every vehicle in India is assigned a unique registration number. Each part of this number has a specific meaning, which can be explained as follows,

1. First two letters (State or Union Territory)

Number plates always start with two English letters. These letters indicate the state or union territory in which the vehicle is registered. For example, ‘MH’ means Maharashtra, ‘DL’ means Delhi, ‘MP’ means Madhya Pradesh and ‘KA’ means Karnataka.

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2. The next two digits (RTO code)

The two digits after the letters of the state indicate ‘Regional Transport Office’ (RTO). Each district RTO office is assigned a separate code. For example, ‘MH 09’ is the code for Kolhapur RTO, while ‘MH 12’ is the code for Pune RTO. Due to this, it is known exactly in which city the vehicle is registered in the RTO.

3. Letters in the middle (contd series)

The RTO code is followed by one or two letters (such as A, B, AB, AZ). These represent the current series or series of registrations in the RTO. When all the numbers in a series are exhausted, the next new series is started by the RTO. This series is important for those looking for VIP or fancy numbers.

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4. Last four digits (Unique Registration Number)

The four digits at the end of the number plate are the actual and unique number of that vehicle. This number is given in the range of 0001 to 9999. If a series has starting numbers, they are written as ‘0005’ or ‘0099’.

5. special ‘BH’ Series (India Series)

Some cars these days have the number ’21 BH 1234 XX’. ‘BH’ stands for ‘Bharat Series’. This series is meant for people whose jobs frequently change to other states. If there is this number then there is no need to change the vehicle number according to the state.

The number plate of a vehicle is like the vehicle’s Aadhaar card. This design is of great help to the police and RTO administration in investigating any crime, in case of an accident or in locating a vehicle violating traffic rules.