State-Wise RTO Codes in India
VahanInfo TeamPublished 2 July 2026 • Updated 15 July 20262 min read
Every Indian number plate starts with a two-letter state code and a two-digit RTO code. Read them together and you know where a vehicle was registered before you ever run a search.
How a registration number is structured
Take GJ05AB1234: GJ is Gujarat, 05 is the Surat RTO, AB is the running series, and 1234 the unique number. Older plates may skip the letter series (GJ051234), and the new BH (Bharat) series flips the format — 22BH1234AB — for owners who move between states frequently.
State and UT codes
| Code | State/UT | Code | State/UT | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | AP | Andhra Pradesh | MH | Maharashtra | | AR | Arunachal Pradesh | ML | Meghalaya | | AS | Assam | MN | Manipur | | BR | Bihar | MP | Madhya Pradesh | | CG | Chhattisgarh | MZ | Mizoram | | CH | Chandigarh | NL | Nagaland | | DL | Delhi | OD | Odisha | | GA | Goa | PB | Punjab | | GJ | Gujarat | PY | Puducherry | | HP | Himachal Pradesh | RJ | Rajasthan | | HR | Haryana | SK | Sikkim | | JH | Jharkhand | TN | Tamil Nadu | | JK | Jammu & Kashmir | TR | Tripura | | KA | Karnataka | TS | Telangana | | KL | Kerala | UK | Uttarakhand | | LA | Ladakh | UP | Uttar Pradesh | | MH | Maharashtra | WB | West Bengal |
District codes: the two digits after the state
Each state numbers its RTOs — GJ-01 is Ahmedabad, MH-12 is Pune, KA-01 is Bengaluru Central, DL-03 is South Delhi. Big cities often span several codes as they grow: Bengaluru alone runs past KA-50. Explore office-level detail on our state guides for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi and Karnataka.
The BH series
Introduced in 2021 for defence personnel, central government employees, and private-sector employees whose companies have offices in 4+ states, the BH series removes the need to re-register when relocating. Road tax is paid in two-year blocks instead of a lifetime lump sum.
Look beyond the plate
The plate tells you where — the RC record tells you what and who. Run any number through RC Search to see the vehicle's maker, class, and registration date, and get the complete record in the VahanInfo app.