Bharat (BH) Series Number Plate: Registration, Fees, Eligibility

With the introduction of the Bharat series number plate, the Government of India has solved the big hassle of relocation with owned vehicles from one state to another. With a Bharat (BH) series number, you can easily register your car to another state without changing your vehicle’s number plate. Read to know in detail about the Bharat series number and its registration in India.

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New Vehicle Registration Mandate for Inter-State Vehicles: The Bharat Series Number

As per the previous law, car owners had to change their vehicle registration number whenever they shifted to a new state in India. As a result, they had to go through the entire vehicle registration process from the start.

Moreover, if a vehicle relocates to another state, the parent state would also refund the remaining years of road tax, and the remaining period tax will be paid by the vehicle owner in the new state.

This process of re-registration and refund from the parent state gets lengthy and tiring and also varies from state to state, especially when a person is in a transferable job.

However, in September 2021, this Rule was amended by the Government of India.

The new mandate states that vehicles with a BH series number plate will no longer be required to be re-registered if they are shifted to a new state for more than 12 months. This BH number plate will be valid throughout the country, thus diminishing the hassle of registering a vehicle repeatedly.

What is the Bharat Series Number Plate?

The BH series number plate was introduced by the India Government in August 2021. It was introduced with the aim of making one number plate eligible for every state of India.

Thus, the hassle of re-registering your vehicle when you shift to another state minimises saving time and effort.

The Bharat Series, number plate benefits officials, frequently transferred to different states. The BH series number is a great initiative towards bringing a uniform number plate throughout the country.

Who is Eligible for the BH Series Number Plate?

The new BH series number plate has been introduced to private, central, defence, state, government PSUs, and private sector companies. However, for newly introduced BH series number plates, the private sector must have offices in four or more states/ UTs.

If you have a car and a transferable job, owning a BH series number can be beneficial for you.

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How to Apply for Bharat Series Number Plate?

If you fall in the above-given categories, you are eligible to obtain a BH series number. The BH series number plate registration process is mentioned below:

• Logging into the MoRTH's Vahan portal and filling up Form 60 (Available on the Parivahan web portal) if you work in the private sector and have offices in more than 4 states or UTs
• Submit an employment ID with a work certificate.
• For Government employees, a copy of the official ID card is to be submitted.

The state authorities will then verify the submitted proofs and assign them to the BH registration, where the registration number will be generated by a computer.

How will the BH Series Number Plate be Generated?

There is no scope for preference or guesswork in getting the registration number for the BH series vehicle because they are produced arbitrarily or randomly. The numbers will be written in black colour on a white background. Here is an example of a BH series number:

In this number plate, the first two numbers are the vehicle's registration year, followed by BH (which stands for Bharat). Then there is a randomly generated four-digit number followed by two random alphabets excluding the alphabet 'I' and 'O'.

Applicable BH Registration Cost for New Number Plate

There are some set taxes applied on the newly released BH series number plate, which are listed as follows:

1. Road tax: In vehicles with a state-wise registration number plate, the citizens must pay the road tax for 15 years. However, for vehicles that are registered under the Bharat (BH) series, road tax must be paid only for 2 years.

After the 2 years is over, the vehicle owner is free to move to a different state, and then they can pay the road tax as per the respective state's policy.

2. Motor Vehicle Tax: Getting the number plate doesn't give the vehicle owner the liberty to skip RTO or the registration tax/fee. However, the central government will certainly collect the BH registration road tax according to the matrix stated below:

An extra charge of 2% is applicable on diesel vehicles, and redemption of 2% on electric vehicles. The difference in the charges is also in conjugation with the global warming initiatives taken by the government.

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How to Pay BH Series Tax Online?

The road tax for a BH series car can be paid online via the official website of the Parivahen Sewa Portal. Here is a step-by-step guide to paying the BH registration road tax online:

• Visit the official website of Parivahan
• On the given dropdown, select the State where your BH series number was originally registered from
• Enter the vehicle registration number and click on the “Proceed” button.
• From the Online Services section, click on the Pay Your Tax option
• Enter the last 5 digits of your car's chassis number
• Select Tax Mode for two years, and your vehicle's details will show
• Make payment online. Once the payment is made, the updated tax due date will be shown.

How to Buy BH Series Car Insurance Online?

The process of buying motor insurance for a BH series car is similar to that of a non-BH series car. Here is how you can buy car insurance online for a Bharat series number car:

• Visit the homepage of Policybazaar.com (Policybazaar Insurance Brokers Private Limited)
• Select the 'Car Insurance' tab
• You will now be directed to a form where you are required to enter your BH series car number.
• Select your car's current RTO, make, model, variant and registration year.
• Fill in the registration form and proceed.
• From the given motor insurance plans, select the plan and add-ons that you desire.
• Fill in the proposal form and pay the final premium amount
• Upon successful payment, your BH series car insurance documents will be sent to your email address.