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Hello!

After my deep dive into defense vehicle registration format, thread, i took up some interest in registration formats for temporary and trade ('TC') registration numbers which I always felt were never much understood or described in detail.

To set some context, major reason for lack of any definitive format for temporary and trade numbers have been the lack of any specific guidelines or rules from central government. This led to states and union territories taking matters in their own hand and deciding formats/rules as they deemed fit. This has thankfully changed over past few years, leading to a more unified approach for temporary and trade numbers across India.

I compiled as much information as i could get recently for Wikipedia article, but i believe such topics and info have more relevance in our amazing forum :)

Temporary registration number

Ministry of Road Transport (MoRTH) issued a notification in March 2021 introducing a new standardised format for temporary registration numbers. BHPian adigup has already made a good explanation in his thread: . Lets take a recap:

Format for temporary number
T MMYY AA 0123 ZZ

• T: Registration number starts with character 'T' to represent 'Temporary'
• MMYY: Represents the month and year in which vehicle was purchased e.g. '1223' for vehicle purchased in December 2023
• AA: The usual state code for state/UT in which purchase is made
• 0123: Four digit number issued sequentially
• ZZ: One or two letters, sequence starting from ‘A’, followed by ‘B’ and so on, same as in usual registration, but resets every month in this case.

Temporary numbers can be valid of upto six months and should be displayed with red text on a yellow background. This is where my gripe comes in with regards to implementation of these new rules.

While most states have adopted to this new format, the pre-existing colour requirement is still either ignored, or states/UTs remain oblivious, or dealers/customers dont want to be conspicuous for police. As a result, in most states, the general practice is to display temporary numbers with standard black-on-white lettering. Very few states have adopted this new format quite fast and correctly (e.g. Kerela) where red-on-yellow format is well adopted.

Sharing one example of new format here, image courtesy of EVM Autokraft's (Mini dealer) instagram page. 'T0424KL' for a vehicle purchased in Kerela in April 2024

Trade registration number

Most of you would be familiar with the red-plated vehicles either being tested by OEMs or test-drive vehicles at dealership. Businesses that can use this form of registration need to hold a trade certificate (hence the characters TC on registration number) e.g. manufacturer, dealer, importer or testing agency. Some background: Registration authority allots a group of trade registration numbers to the holder of a trade certificate. Trade number is not assigned to a specific vehicle directly by the registration authority (like permanent or temporary number), the holder of trade certificate instead assigns a unique number to a vehicle themselves from their available allotment.

Up until a notification in september 2022, the central government guideline was very generic and only specified following:

Old format for trade number
AB 12 TC XXXX

• AA: The usual state code for state/UT in which business is located
• 12: Code for RTO which issues the trade registration number, same as in usual registration
• TC: Short for ‘Trade Certificate’
• XXXX: As central rules didnt define anything more than above, this could be any series of alphanumeric characters, as decided by respective state or Union Territory

Example: MH12TC12345

Now as per new guidelines, a more standardised format for trade registration numbers has been introduced:

New format for trade number
AB 12 Z 0123 TC 0001

• AA: The usual state code for state/UT in which business is located
• 12: Code for RTO which issues the trade registration number, same as in usual registration
• Z: Represents the category of vehicle for which the trade registration number has been issued. Character used for different categories are:
  A – Motorcycle
  B – Invalid carriage (vehicle designed specifically for differently abled person)
  C – Light motor vehicle
  D – Medium passenger motor vehicle
  E – Medium goods vehicle
  F – Heavy passenger motor vehicle
  G – Heavy goods vehicle
  H – E-rickshaw
  I – E-cart
  J – any other category not covered above
• 0123: Four digit unique number assigned to the holder of trade certificate (e.g. vehicle dealer) by registration authority
• TC: Short for ‘Trade Certificate’
• 0001: Number of upto four digits to be assigned to one specific vehicle at a time by holder of trade certificate, as allowed by registration authority

New trade registration format on a showroom vehicle from Delhi (Note: Character 'C' for a car registered for trade by Tilak Mark RTO (DL-02))


Cheers! :)

Can I buy a car in Bhopal (State MP), and drive it down to Gurgaon and register in the new city? What happens to the road tax? Do I not pay it at the time of purchase? Can I get a fast tag to pay for the tolls without a registration number? I am planning to buy a car and then move to Gurgaon soon after, and register it there. Hence the query

I bought an EV from Bangalore (KA), did a temporary registration there and drove it down to Kochi (KL) where I did the permanent registration after paying KL road tax. Fast tag was registered without a registration number. It was added later on.

Is the temporary number valid for 6 months? The Parivahan website states it is valid for one month only

"A temporary registration number is assigned by the dealership from which the vehicle is purchased which serves the purpose when the vehicle is brand new and is yet to be permanently registered. This unique number is normally valid for a period of maximum one month, in which the vehicle should be registered by the concerned Regional Transport Office (RTO) authority."

Discussed here

But yes, in India, the actual law and local cop's version need not be aligned.

In Harayana most people flaunt their Temporary Numbers proudly (or even worse, A/F) and drive like maniacs, knowing full well that it's illegal. Exploitation of the system at its finest.

Could you be more specific on exploitation of the system? Driving like maniacs is illegal but driving on temporary numbers is not illegal.

I meant driving on a temporary number well past the 30-day limit or driving around with your plates saying A/F. A/F is strictly not allowed if I'm not wrong. Also, there's the fact that speed cameras cannot accurately pick up your number plate if it's not a high-security IND version, so many drivers exploit this to drive recklessly even in monitored stretches.
My personal observation; the drivers who do this are often the same ones who flash their headlights incessantly, use hooters and police lights, etc.

There's a 6 month time limit on temporary numbers not 30 days. Hooliganism is due to their mentality not temporary numbers.

Yes it is for one month.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Temporary number is necessary when the buyer does not have a local address where the vehicle dealership is situated and requires registration in their RTO (may be in the home town or nearest RTO).

Sometimes, individuals postpone their registration while they await a specific number sequence. In such instances, the temporary registration can be extended twice by submitting Form 21 and 22. A small amount of fees to be paid as well.

Came across examples of new trade number format being used on OEM test mules as well, in this case Mahindra BE09? and Thar 5-door.

Most likely registered to Mahindra Research Valley near Chengalpattu (TN 19)

Greetings,
I got a quick question regarding trade certificate registration, Can vehicles with Trade certificate registration driven to neighbouring states? For example a car registered in TN (Trade certificate) be driven in AP for a few days? Please enlighten on that topic.