BH-series: All you need to know about the new Bharat-series number plates

The Motor Vehicles Act 1988 governs the road traffic rules in India. Section 47 of the Act states that if you change States, you will have to re-register your vehicle if you stay in the new State beyond 12 months. This process involves not only considerable paperwork but also a re-registration fee and other rigmaroles.

Related – Find out other new motor vehicle rules applicable to your vehicle

To simplify this re-registration when changing States, the Government introduced BH number plates on 28th August 2021. New vehicles can now get such number plates to make registrations easier in the case of a change of State. Let’s understand what the new number plates are all about.

What is the BH (Bharat) number plate?

The BH-series plate is an all-India recognized number plate that eliminates the requirements of re-registration every time you change States. So, if your vehicle carries the BH-series plate, you don’t have to apply for a fresh registration if you relocate from the State where the vehicle is registered to another State and stay in the new State for more than 12 months.

Benefits of the Bharat (BH) number plate

Besides eliminating the need for fresh registration in a new State, the BH-series plate has the following benefits –

• The number plate is valid across all States and Union Territories of India.
• You have to pay the road tax for only two years. This brings down the road tax liability as the non-BH-series number plates require tax payments of 15 to 20 years.
• The process to get the Bharat series number plate is digitized, making it hassle-free and convenient.

Format of the new number plate

The BH number plate is different from the usual number plates that you find in vehicles. Its format is ‘YY BH **** XX’ wherein ‘YY’ is the registration year, ‘BH’ signifies that it is a BH-series plate **** is a unique computer-generated number and ‘XX’ is a random set of computer-generated alphabets.

Who can get a BH (Bharat) number plate?

The following types can avail of the BH number plate of vehicle owners –

• Government and State employees
• Private professionals that have a place of business in more than four States or Union Territories of India

How to apply for the number plate?

Though the application process is online, here are the steps to apply for the BH plates –

• Eligible vehicle owners will have to visit the official Vahan portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• Alternatively, you can request your vehicle dealer to apply for the plate on your behalf.
• If the dealer makes an application, Form 20 should be filled out and submitted on behalf of the vehicle owner.
• If you are a private-sector employee, you will have to fill out and submit Form 60. Moreover, you will have to submit a work certificate and your employee ID to get the plate.

Important things to know

Here are some important aspects of the new series of BH plates–

• The number plate is available for non-transport vehicles only.
• In the case of personal vehicles, you have to pay road tax for two years or in multiples of two years, like 4 years, 6 years or 8 years.
• The tax for the new number plate is applicable for 14 years.
• Once the tax period is over, you have to pay the tax annually. Non-payment or a delay will invoke a fine of Rs.100 per day.
• If the cost of your vehicle is below Rs.10 lakhs, the tax will be 8% of the invoice value. If the cost ranges from Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.20 lakhs, the tax is 10%, and for high-value vehicles, it is 12%

So, if you relocate often and are eligible, opt for a Bharat number plate for ease of mobility across the States without having to register your vehicle again and again.

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Find out whether you need the new BH-series number plates