[tud]

Although the RTO processes are centralized, the states still have their own process for some activities and selecting a number from personal choice for a new vehicle registration is one among them. I wanted to get myself a number of personal significance and approached an agent suggested by the car dealer. For whatever numbers I mentioned from my choice list, the agent’s response was that, there is a heavy competition at the said RTO and he can only get the numbers that no one has opted for. This didn’t work for me and I decided to do it myself and realized how simple the process is and also found all the numbers of my choice (barring one) available to choose from. I’ll detail the process to opt for a registration number of your choice for your loved steed if you decide to D-I-Y.

Of the 9999 numbers under each registration series, the really fancy looking ones like 0001, 1111, 5005, 1234 and so on are marked as Government approval numbers and the rest of the numbers in the series are open numbers to be issued in incremental order to anyone walking into the registration office after paying the necessary fees. Anybody willing to pay the requisite fancy number/advance number fee can choose from either the government approval numbers or the open numbers. The open number series also includes fancy looking numbers like XXYY, XYYY, YXXX, XYXY, WXYZ, and much more. So it is upto the user to identify the required number and approach the RTO at the right time. If you want to purchase a fancy number / special / choice number at the Tamil Nadu RTO, you can

Fee details:

For Government approval numbers (current series to current + 3 series): Rs 40000
For Government approval numbers (current + 5 series to current + 12 series): Rs 60000 - Rs 200000

For open numbers:
Two wheeler < 50 cc: Rs 1000
Two wheeler > 50 cc: Rs 2000 (includes three wheeler)

Four (or more) wheeler with ex showroom price < Rs 4 lakhs: Rs 10000
Four (or more) wheeler with ex showroom price > Rs 10 lakhs: Rs 16000

As you would have seen from the pricing, buying a Government approval number is very expensive and most people opt to choose a number from the open series. So let me begin with the process to pick a number from the popular open series followed by the Government approval number.

Ensure your vehicle is invoiced, and insurance is purchased. After this the dealer will enter your vehicle details on parivahan portal and provide you with a Disclaimer form. This Disclaimer form is required to be produced at the RTO for purchasing a number.

For picking a number from the open series:

Step 1: Tamil Nadu RTO allows the public to pick and choose a number amongst 1000 numbers from the current registration series, i.e., if the particular RTO is issuing registration numbers from TN 06 AB 9250 on that day, then a user can pick any open number from TN 06 AB 9250 to TN 06 AC 0250. The process to purchase this is very simple and straightforward.

Visit this website - https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/fancy...ic/login.xhtml



On the menu bar, navigate to ‘User online services’ and then click on ‘Available numbers report’.



Select the state, RTO name and the open series name (for example TN 06 AB).

You will be able to see all the numbers available between 0001 - 9999 in the series you have selected. Call the RTO and inquire about the registration number for the day and pick a few numbers of your choice.



Step 2: Visit the RTO with the Disclaimer form, purchaser’s ID proof copy, GST certificate if purchased on a company’s name along with a requisition letter duly signed.

The RTO would insist on a registration number allotment form but in most cases the requisition letter is more than enough as it covers all the necessary details required to be filled in the registration number allotment form. I have attached the registration number allotment form to this post for you to download and fill, especially if you are registering in a company name as it has to be signed and stamped before visiting the RTO. Remember to superscribe the application form with your mobile phone number, email address and Aadhaar (or) GST certificate number.
MOTOR VEHICLE NUMBER REGISTRATION ALLOTMENT FORM.pdf

Step 3: Meet the RTO Superintendent and hand over the documents. After the Superintendent verifies the number availability, the documents will be passed on to another officer to make an entry and issue you a login name and password to access the parivahan portal and pay the required fees. The login details will be emailed to you.

Again visit - https://vahan.parivahan.gov.in/fancy...ic/login.xhtml

Login with the credentials issued to you on email.



On the menu bar click on Pay reserve fee. Then navigate to Select unique ACK number. Choose the number from the drop down and the form on your screen will be auto populated with the details from the Disclaimer form as well as the registration number you have picked and the relevant fees.



Select Pay online and complete the payment transaction. If you pay via a Rupay debit card, UPI or netbanking there are no additional charges. Credit card payment is charged an additional fee.

Once the payment is done the registration number is mapped to your vehicle and whenever (within the next 30 days) the vehicle visits the RTO for inspection and registration, the mapped number will be assigned to the vehicle.

For picking a number from the Government approval series:

Step 1: Approach the Secretary to Government, Home (Transport) department, Secretariat, Chennai with an application and a copy of Sale Certificate (Form 21) to issue a number from the Government approval series. Once the government order is provided for allotting the number, follow the process mentioned for open number series from Step 3.

If you want an open series number greater than the 1000 numbers issued by the RTO’s current series, you will have to approach the Secretary to Government, Home (Transport) department, Secretariat, Chennai with the same steps mentioned above.

Needless to say, it was an extremely simple process and I did not spend more than 30 mins at the RTO office. I visited the PA to RTO and introduced myself and explained my requirement. She was very friendly and guided me to the concerned counter. So if you face any hiccups at the RTO feel free to approach any officer - there is a vast difference in their attitude now and they encourage users who approach without an agent.

[Excommunicado]

Thanks for the info buddy! Although I keep telling myself I must not fall into the these kind of traps and take whatever is allotted, I might change that now. The only problem is which number should I choose? It would be unfair to other numbers, no? 8085 it is then.

[RGK]

I can tell you that the entire number selection process involves a lot of money and political clout. If two owners request the same number, it must be decided based on the value of the vehicle's invoice; otherwise, the allocation is dependent on considerable political influence and bribe.

This is a big business with a lot of superstitions, and some people will even put off buying or registering a car if the number series contains the letter "J." They claim that J will make you hang and that you would be unable to grow .

In the table, the so called fancy numbers (eg: 606, 666) appear to have already been booked.

[narayans80]

The running series and available numbers in Vahan are obsolete. The dealer was able to give the running series more accurately than the site. To be on the safe side, you can start with a number 100 above what the dealer tells you and prepare a list. This way you don't need to think on the spot.

Originally Posted by tud

After the Superintendent verifies the number availability, the documents will be passed on to another officer to make an entry and issue you a login name and password to access the parivahan portal and pay the required fees. The login details will be emailed to you.

In my case, we paid at the counter. Took us more time to process the online payment due to bad coverage.

We chose within the 1000 numbers from the running series

[tud]

Originally Posted by Excommunicado

Thanks for the info buddy!

The only problem is which number should I choose? It would be unfair to other numbers, no? 8085 it is then.

Nice. Quick tip, you have to be extremely lucky to sync your purchase and the registration number series if you want to go with the open series and pick 8085. Keep a look out on the website to track available number report. Best wishes to you!

Originally Posted by RGK

I can tell you that the entire number selection process involves a lot of money and political clout. If two owners request the same number, it must be decided based on the value of the vehicle's invoice; otherwise, the allocation is dependent on considerable political influence and bribe.

This is a big business with a lot of superstitions, and some people will even put off buying or registering a car if the number series contains the letter "J." They claim that J will make you hang and that you would be unable to grow .

In the table, the so called fancy numbers (eg: 606, 666) appear to have already been booked.

Political clout is everywhere but what I'm trying to convey is, the open series system cannot be easily rigged and individuals who are interested in a D-I-Y stand an equal chance to get a number from open series.

606 and 666 are not available on the table I shared as it has been assigned to someone who paid the requisite fee. The screenshot I shared is not of the exact number being registered on that day. For reference, TN 06 AB is registering vehicle in TN 06 AB 7500 odd as of today.

Originally Posted by narayans80

The running series and available numbers in Vahan are obsolete. The dealer was able to give the running series more accurately than the site. To be on the safe side, you can start with a number 100 above what the dealer tells you and prepare a list. This way you don't need to think on the spot.

In my case, we paid at the counter. Took us more time to process the online payment due to bad coverage.

We chose within the 1000 numbers from the running series

In my case though, the number on website and its real time availability were in sync. May be things have improved now?

Interesting to know that offline payment is accepted. It would help many who are not comfortable accessing the payment portal on the phone and have to depend on the nearby shops that help them out.

[Rajeevraj]

I remember doing this for a family members car couple of years back. RTO was Calicut, Kerala.

If I remember right, at that time, we did not pick numbers from the open series and go to the RTO. There was a specific auction time window where you could reserve the number at the base price (Was INR 5000 then), if someone put a higher bid, you needed to counter that. In most cases that happening is rare for the open series numbers. At the end of the auction window, you got the confirmation and then had to pay the amount and the number allotment form is sent to you. In our case we gave it to the dealer and he finished the rest of the processes.

[TROOPER]

No offense to fellow members here, sharing one irritating side of this whole fancy number business.

My new bike is pending registration. For whatever reason, the previous series was over just before Gudi Padwa, 2nd April 2022.

Post that, the next series still hasn't opened up for us normal folks. Dealer says first this fancy number auction will go on, then the series will start. Enquired with the SA who sold us the Hexa, just to be sure, and he said the same.

As I type this, more than five complete working days have passed, with by bike lying idle at the dealership. All because a bunch of folks want some numbers and the govt is as greedy as ever.

Why can't the RTO just block these numbers and pursue their auctions for eternity while people like me can register our ride and get on with it?

[RGK]

Originally Posted by tud

Political clout is everywhere but what I'm trying to convey is, the open series system cannot be easily rigged and individuals who are interested in a D-I-Y stand an equal chance to get a number from open series.

Even though the open series approach existed prior to the online system, the applicant will not know his number until he visits the RTO. They used a ledger, which may be accessed with the agent's help.

Previously, the computer would choose a number depending on the order in which the applications were submitted. This led to commotion as few people got their total (sum of the individual digits )as 8 and the govt removed all numbers and moved to special category (eg 2222).

Now this do-it-yourself method will assist you in selecting only a common number (which is visible in the present 1000 numbers).

As far as TN is concerned, it is always better to approach the RTO office through a reliable agent and get the available number list.

[Sen]

I've had an extremely bitter experience with reserving a specific number for my Vento (which can only be done conveniently through brokers, the system is rigged to make it difficult otherwise and not integrated into Parivahan) here in TG, and despite waiting 6 months I couldn't get it done, and had to resort to an ordinary number. The broker took me for a ride in the middle of the covid pandemic.

What Rajeevraj mentioned is still the process here. Anyhow, I'm sure this will help a lot of folks especially regarding getting an idea for how it works, thanks for sharing.

[OPMaurya]

I might have been lucky with the lucky number booking through Vahan portal but it was really straightforward and stress free experience.
On a whim, I checked with the dealer for a choice number and he pointed me towards the website.
One day before I was to take delivery of my vehicle, I visited the website and booked the number with the option of "vehicle not purchased" (I'll try to share the screenshot, if I get hold of it). Took care to keep "all" the details as in the address proof quoted - word to word, as guided by the dealer. Paid the fees online and carried the printout next day while taking delivery.
Handed over the printout to the dealer and they took care of all the formalities with thre RTO. I got the HSRP in around two weeks.

[tud]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

There was a specific auction time window where you could reserve the number at the base price (Was INR 5000 then), if someone put a higher bid, you needed to counter that.

That is wonderful. Unfortunately TN has not adopted this process and for the same reason, the new user registration facility on the portal is restricted to TN while Kerala offers it. This process sure would have saved me from a visit to the RTO.

Originally Posted by TROOPER

My new bike is pending registration. For whatever reason, the previous series was over just before Gudi Padwa, 2nd April 2022.Post that, the next series still hasn't opened up for us normal folks.

I'm sorry to hear this mate. Are you saying no car or bikes are being registered right now under the normal quota? Which city is this?

Originally Posted by RGK

As far as TN is concerned, it is always better to approach the RTO office through a reliable agent and get the available number list.

This is exactly the misconception I'm trying to break. I would have probably thought so too, if I didn't try to go to the RTO and get this done by myself. But having done this and also finding that all my choice number (barring one) within the 1000 numbers were available, there is no reason to doubt the system.

Of course the agents hanging around the RTO from morning to evening have an upper hand when a series of 1000 numbers open up but if you can look up the numbers online, identify the trends for the registration that happens in a day, you sure can time your RTO visit to pick the number of your choice. I pretty much did the same.

Originally Posted by RGK

Previously, the computer would choose a number depending on the order in which the applications were submitted. This led to commotion as few people got their total (sum of the individual digits )as 8 and the govt removed all numbers and moved to special category (eg 2222)..

This has been in practice for over 2 decades at the TN RTO. I remember a vehicle we purchased in the year 2000. We informed the salesperson that we do not want the sum of the four registration digits to be 8. He informed that the RTO will not provide that number and have blocked all combinations that adds to 8.

Today you can still get this as a choice number by paying a fee. If you look at the screenshot below, all the digits that add up to 8 (green cells) have been lying without being assigned to anyone.

Originally Posted by Sen

I've had an extremely bitter experience with reserving a specific number for my Vento (which can only be done conveniently through brokers, the system is rigged to make it difficult otherwise and not integrated into Parivahan) here in TG, and despite waiting 6 months I couldn't get it done, and had to resort to an ordinary number. The broker took me for a ride in the middle of the covid pandemic.

I'm sorry to hear this mate. Given the rapid digitalisation, I hope things become more transparent in your State and you are able to approach the RTO directly without an agent.

[OPMaurya]

Originally Posted by OPMaurya

" I'll try to share the screenshot, if I get hold of it

Attached the screenshot...

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by tud

I'm sorry to hear this mate. Are you saying no car or bikes are being registered right now under the normal quota? Which city is this?

Zero two wheelers were registered last week. Went to the RTO in the afternoon to enquire and they said the new series would start today. And it did. Bike has been registered.

RTO is MH47, Mumbai North. I’m starting to think this hold up is not entirely special number related. Cause many are still available. Like 0001, which starts at 50k. Whatever the reason. Making people wait an entire week is not cool.

Either ways, thanks for this thread. Learnt something new in the past two days.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by tud

Interesting to know that offline payment is accepted. It would help many who are not comfortable accessing the payment portal on the phone and have to depend on the nearby shops that help them out.

I've done this twice. Once for my car in Nov 2018 and another for my scoot in May 2020. No need for nearby shops. There is a counter in the RTO, where you pay and get the receipt. This receipt you have to provide the dealer.

Originally Posted by RGK

As far as TN is concerned, it is always better to approach the RTO office through a reliable agent and get the available number list.

OP and me are very much talking about the same TN. In my case it is KK Nagar RTO for TN-09. You can get the running series number from the dealer, since they visit and get vehicles registered on a daily basis. The RTO formality for choice number is pretty straightforward, and takes only one sitting, you'll be in and out in 25 minutes. The fact that it was hassle free, was the reason we did it again for the scooter in May 2020

[fossilpastprime]

Is there any such option for the state of West Bengal? I checked but I could not locate one. Can anybody guide please?