Vehicle Number Validator
ValidatorsCheck an Indian registration mark and read the state and RTO it was issued by.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
An Indian registration mark carries its own origin. The first two letters are the state, the next one or two digits are the registering office within it, then a letter series and a four-digit number. The newer Bharat series runs the other way round, opening with the year of registration, and is issued to people whose work moves them between states so the plate does not have to change. This reads either scheme in your browser.
What people do next
Features
- Handles both the ordinary state scheme and the Bharat (BH) series.
- Names the state from the registering authority code.
- Splits the mark into state, RTO, series and serial.
- Accepts the spacing and hyphens people write plates with.
How to use the Vehicle Number Validator
- 1Type the registration number, spaced however you like.
- 2Read the state, RTO district and series it breaks into.
- 3For ownership or challan details, use the Parivahan portal.
Frequently asked questions
What does a number plate like MH12AB1234 mean?
MH is Maharashtra, 12 is the registering office within the state — in this case Pune — AB is the series, allocated in sequence as earlier ones are exhausted, and 1234 is the serial. Older plates sometimes carry one series letter or none at all, which is why very old registrations look shorter.
What is a BH series number plate?
The Bharat series, for people whose work moves them between states — defence personnel, central government employees, and staff of companies with offices in several states. The format runs the other way round: two digits for the year of registration, then BH, then four digits, then one or two letters. Its point is that it does not need re-registering when you move.
Can this tell me who owns a vehicle?
No. This reads the structure of a plate and nothing more. Ownership, insurance status, pollution certificate and pending challans all come from the Ministry of Road Transport’s Parivahan portal or the mParivahan app, which require the number and, for some details, further verification.
Why was my valid-looking number rejected?
Most often the state code — only allocated codes are accepted, so a typo in the first two letters fails. The other common cause is a serial shorter than four digits, which older plates genuinely used but modern ones do not. The message names which of the two it was.