A vehicle registration plate or number plate is issued by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of the respective state. It demands to be attached to the front and rear portions of the vehicle with clear visibility.
Note: The international code for India is IND.
In India, you would come across 8 different types of number plates. These are –
- White number plate
- Yellow number plate
- Green number plate
- Red number plate
- Blue number plate
- Black number plate
- Number plate with an upward-pointing arrow
- Red number plate with the emblem of India
Please read the next section to understand these different styles of number plates and their meaning.
Different types of the number plate and their meaning
White number plate
It is the most common type of number plate in India. All private or non-commercial vehicles (two-wheelers and four-wheelers) bear white number plates. A vehicle bearing a white license plate with black lettering means it is for private/personal use only. One cannot transport goods or carry passengers in a vehicle with a white registration number plate.
Yellow number plate
You may have observed that all auto-rickshaws, taxis, trucks, and buses have yellow number plates with black lettering. That’s because all commercial vehicles must have a yellow number plate. It’s not just the color difference; commercial vehicles also have a different tax structure than private vehicles. The yellow number plate vehicle drivers must also possess a commercial vehicle driving license.
Green number plate
Green number plates are exclusive to Electric Vehicles (EVs). All EVs registered in India must bear a green license plate. However, there is a difference in the lettering color depending on whether it’s a private or commercial vehicle. All private electric vehicles get a green number plate with white lettering, and commercial EVs get a green number plate with yellow lettering.
Black number plate
In India, all self-driven or rental vehicles (two-wheelers and four-wheelers) must bear a black number plate with yellow lettering. These vehicles are registered as commercial vehicles. However, one does not need a commercial vehicle driving license to drive a black number plate car. Usually, you find these number plates on rental vehicles and luxury hotel transport vehicles.
Red number plate
All brand-new vehicles in India get a temporary registration number. A red license plate displays the temporary registration number in white lettering. You can use the red number plate in India till you get the permanent registration number from the RTO after the post vehicle’s registration. Once you get the permanent number, you can replace the red plate with a white/yellow/green number plate, depending on your vehicle.
The temporary number plate is valid for only one month. However, some states in India do not allow red license plate vehicles to ply on public roads.
Blue number plate
A vehicle reserved for foreign diplomats bears a blue number plate with white lettering. The blue number plates bear alphabets such as CC (Consular Corps), UN (United Nations), DC (Diplomatic Corps), etc. Also, these number plates do not have a state code. Instead, they display the diplomat’s country code.
Number plate with an upward-pointing arrow
All military vehicles registered under the Ministry of Defence have a unique style for license plates. They feature an upward arrow at the beginning or after the second character. The upward-pointing arrow is also called a Broad Arrow. The two digits following the upward arrow denote the year of the vehicle purchase; the alphabet next to the two digits represents the base code, and the numbers after the base code are the serial number. The last alphabet on the license plate indicates the class of the vehicle.
Red number plate with the emblem of India
The vehicles used by the governors of the states bear plain red number plates. A red number plate with the golden national symbol means that the vehicle belongs to the President of India.
Different types of number plates and the designated user
- White number plate- Common citizens can use white number plates.
- Yellow number plate- Commercial drivers are authorized to drive vehicles with a yellow number plate.
- Green number plate- Electric vehicle owners can drive with a green colored license plate.
- Black number plate- Rental car drivers usually drive vehicles with black number plates with yellow lettering.
- Red number plate- Red colored number plate with white alpha-numerals is used on brand-new cars and usually stays with the vehicle manufacturer or dealer.
- Blue number plate- Foreign delegates or ambassadors can use a blue number plate with white alpha-numerals.
- Number plate with upward-pointing arrow- Military officials have permission to drive vehicles, with a number plate having an upward-pointing arrow.
- Red number plate with the ‘Emblem of India’- President of India or Governors of respective states can use a red colored license with the ‘Emblem of India.
Laws related to number plates in India
- According to the Motors Vehicles Act of 1988, all motorized vehicles running on Indian roads must have an RTO registration and a valid license plate.
- The Ministry of Roads and Highways (MoRTH) has brought about some changes in the existing rules related to the vehicle registration plate to restrict fraudulent activities as well as to eliminate any confusion.
- The changes in the rules were made after the 1989 amendment. Below are the updates that came into effect on 1st October 2020.
- As per the new update, driving new motor vehicles with a paper-printed temporary registration number will be considered an offense.
- Temporary license plates will no longer follow the previous color scheme. Instead, it will come with red alpha numerals on a yellow background.
- MoRTH has discarded the presence of any characters except the basic English letters and Arabic numerals. In addition, the new update has banned the usage of any regional language, including VIP numbers sold or auctioned by the various states or Union Territories.
- Further, The Ministry of Roads and Highways has also upgraded the Central Motors Vehicles Rules (CMVR). The new rule states the size, thickness, and spacing between the characters in the number plate. As per the new rule, the dimensions of the three parameters are 65 mm, 10 mm, and 10 mm, respectively. Please note that these rules are applicable to all motor vehicles barring two and three-wheeled vehicles.
- The new update also includes BS-VI four-wheelers. These vehicles must bear a green-colored layer of 1 cm on the number plate. Moreover, these rules will be applicable to four-wheelers running in petrol/diesel/CNG.
- BS-VI four-wheelers will also have a sticker attached to the green layer. The vehicles running on diesel will have an orange sticker, and those running on CNG and petrol will bear a blue sticker.
Here are some other rules pertaining to vehicle number plates:
- No fancy lettering or pictures on a number plate.
- The rear number plate in a transport vehicle should be on the right side at a height of 1m from the ground.
- Transport vehicles must paint the registration mark on their left and right sides, etc.
- Till now, we have discussed the color scheme of different types of number plates. However, other vehicle licensing plates are distinguished based on validity (temporary, permanent) and security.