ALL ABOUT THE NEW BHARAT SERIES NUMBER PLATE

The Government of India has recently launched the Bharat Series Number Plates. With this new regulation, the plate holders do not need to register their vehicle every single time they move from one location to another. All the job holders with transferable jobs will benefit from the BH series number plates.

The Bharat series number plates were first issued on the 28th of August 2021. The registration for the new number plates started on the 15th of September, 2021. By the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, vehicle owners had to transfer the registration of their vehicle within 12 months of transfer to the new state.

Now, with the New Bharat Number Plate, the vehicle owners who have transferable jobs won't have to face this issue.

What is the Benefit of a BH series mark for a vehicle?

A vehicle getting the BH series registration mark does not need a new registration plate whenever the owner shifts from one state to another. So, the number plate is valid throughout India.

Another advantage is that the vehicle owners with this new plate will only have to pay 24 months of road tax at one time. If you forget to pay the tax after two years, you need to pay a penalty of Rs 100 per day.

How will the new BH series plate be generated?

The New Bharat Series number plate for the private vehicles will have the same design as earlier. Therefore, on the new number plate, you will find numbers written in black text over a white background. But you will find a big difference in the formatting of numbers and texts.

The Format of the New Plate Is- YY BH **** XX

• The plate will start with 2 numbers which would be the registration year of the vehicle.
• Then, it will be followed by BH, which represents Bharat.
• Then, you will get 4 random numbers starting from 0001-9999.
• In the end, there will be a combination of two letters like AA, AB, BA to ZZ.

However, the letters O and I will not be available on the BH number plate. This will avoid confusion between one and zero.

Will there be any changes in the taxes on the newly registered vehicles?

With the new number plates, there will be a change in taxes. According to the new tax structure:

• If the vehicle costs less than 10 lakhs, the owner needs to pay around 8% of road tax.
• If the automobile costs between 10 to 20 lakhs, the owner has to pay a road tax of about 10%.
• Similarly, if the car costs more than 20 lakhs, the owner needs to pay 12% road tax.
• The power source of a vehicle will have a significant impact on the tax. If the vehicle has a diesel engine, the owner has to pay an additional tax of 2%. If you have an electric car, you can save over 2% on the tax.

Who are eligible for the BH series number plate?

The following personnel is eligible for the new plate:

• It will be available for all the state and central government employees.
• The number plate will also be available for all the military and defense personnel.
• All the employees of Central and State PSU are eligible.
• The private sector owners with offices in four states can also apply.

How will you apply for a BH series mark?

If the vehicle owner passes the eligibility criteria, then he or she can apply for the BH number. To apply, you have to log in to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Vahan portal.

The registration process can be done when you are purchasing a new vehicle. The dealer has to fill up Form 20 on behalf of the owner. The form is available on the MoRTH portal.

What documents have to be submitted in order to get a BH series plate?

The vehicle owners have to submit the following documents to register for Bharat number plate:

• The car owners need to fill the Form 60, which is available on the official portal of MORTH.
• You have to provide valid proof of employment.
• You have to upload a scanned copy of your ID card.

Once these documents are verified by the state government authorities, the new BH registration plate will be assigned.

FAQs

 

Q1. Will the old vehicles get the new BH series number plate?

Ans. Yes, even the old vehicles will get a new BH series number plate. All the automobiles with the new number plate or registration mark do not need to go through the old complicated registration process when they transfer to a new state.

Q2. What is the Bharat series?

Ans. The BH series is a new series of number plates that have been issued by the Government of India for all non-transport vehicles. The plate was first introduced on the 28th of August, 2021. As per the regulation, the vehicle owners with BH series number plates do not need a new registration every time they transfer to another state.

Q3. Will the owner get to choose the number plate?

Ans. No, the initial number plate will be assigned randomly to each vehicle owner. So, you do not have the liberty to choose your letters or numbers.

Q4. What do the first letters of the number plate signify?

Ans. The first two letters of the new number plate will signify where the vehicle was registered. The letters I, Q and Z are not used as the first two letters.