The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is responsible for regulating the two-wheeler insurance sector in India. The two-wheeler insurance insures the two-wheeler against loss, damage, or theft and provides coverage against damage caused to any third party by the insured bike. Most of the bike insurance policies provide ‘Personal Accident Cover’ to the driver who owns the vehicle, in which the owner of the vehicle also gets coverage against severe injury as well as death caused to an accident.

In this way, the documents of the insurance are mandatory for an insured vehicle according to the IRDAI laws. This is because the loss of insurance documents can lead to rejection in claim settlement. However, the availability of online purchase of bike insurance plan and consecutively soft copies of insurance documents can save one from losing these documents easily as one can save them on his/her mail or computer. However, the details of the bike insurance policy can be recovered even when one loss these documents. This can be done with the help of the registration number of the two-wheeler.

What is the Registration Number?

The registration number of any vehicle that is plying on the roads of India is its legal and official identity number. The Regional Transport Office of the district level of all the Indian states is the authority that issues a registration number to every newly purchased vehicle. It is the responsibility of the owner to get his/her new vehicle registered at his/her district RTO at most within one month of purchase. As soon as the vehicle is registered, a unique number is given to it. This number should be displayed on a metal plate and must be attached back and in front of the vehicle. The authorized structure of the registration number differs from the type of vehicle.

In this way, the registration number is used to identify a vehicle specifically. It is made up of numbers and letters, wherein the first two letters indicate the Indian state code; the second two letters show the district code. The next letters show the current series of RTO and the last four represent the unique vehicle number.

This numbering system makes it simpler and easier to identify, track, and search for a vehicle.

How to Purchase Two-Wheeler Insurance by Using Registration Number?

While purchasing a two-wheeler or bike insurance policy online, the insured needs to provide his/her registration number. Once the policy is purchased, the details of it get attached to the registration number of the vehicle and can easily be accessed by the RTO, central government, and state government.

What is the Process to Renew Bike Insurance Policy with Registration Number?

One can use the registration number of his/her bike for renewing his/her bike insurance policy. As mentioned above, the policy gets linked to the registration number and one can track the details of the policy with the help of this number and hence can renew it on time.

What is the Process to Check the Bike Insurance Status with Registration Number?

Same as the account number of a person, the registration number is also unique for a two-wheeler. The account number is used to access the details of the bank account and any transaction associated with it, the registration number is used to check the details of the linked two-wheeler. Similarly, when one purchases a bike insurance plan then the information is stored with the registration number. The information is now available on the website of the insurance company and the website of IRDAI.

If one wants to know the end date of the policy and does not have his/her policy number, then it is suggested to visit the official website of State Transport Department or RTO or Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of Government of India. On any of these websites, provide the registration number and you can easily verify the status of the two-wheeler or bike insurance policy. The information there also shows the date till when the policy is valid and other related data of the bike.

What Does Happen When You Lose Your Registration Number Also?

The registration number of a vehicle is the same as the number present on its number plate. So, one can easily check his/her bike's number plate to know its registration number. In case of bike loss, this number can be found on the Registration Certificate (RC) of the bike.

Few Interesting Facts of Registration Number of Bikes in India

• The registration number is valid for 15 years after the purchase of the vehicle. After that, the vehicle is needed to be re-registered for five years. In this way, after 15 years, the vehicle should be re-registered every five years.
• The registration of a vehicle issued in one Indian state is valid in all other states of India.
• A vehicle’s re-registration depends on many factors like vehicle’s age, its compatibility with the road, and level of its pollution creation.
• However, if one moves a vehicle registered in one Indian state to another, then he/she must reregister that vehicle to the state transport department of shifted state maximum after one year. For example, if one has moved his/her vehicle from Uttar Pradesh to Haryana, then after completing 12 months, he/she has to register his/her vehicle in Haryana.

Other Methods to Get the Details of Two-Wheeler Insurance Policy

All the information related to the bike insurance policy can easily be recovered by contacting the insurance provider. One is needed to give as many details as possible to the insurance providing organization for the verification of the owner. As soon as the details are verified, the insurance company issues the duplicate bike insurance policy. The company might allocate some fees for issuing a duplicate insurance policy.

Sometimes, it is needed to print a declaration of the lost insurance policy in the newspaper and share the same with the insurance provider. In various cases, the lost policy declaration is needed to be provided on the indemnity bond paper, which is a non-judicial stamp paper.

The Bottom Line

As per the Indian road law, it is illegal to ride any bike on the roads of India without insurance. One should at least have a third-party vehicle insurance policy. Even though the details of the bike insurance policy can easily be found through different means, but one should keep the photocopy of his/her bike insurance plan with him/her always.

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