India license plate (IND) in 2026 ✅

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Current India License Plates and How They Work

India adopted its current license plate system in 2009. The India license plate system uses the standard European size, with black characters on a yellow background at the rear and on a white background at the front. On the left side of the license plate, the abbreviation "IND" (India) is displayed, followed by two letters representing the state or territory of origin. This is followed by a series of numbers, two letters and another series of numbers (e.g. MH 01 AA 1234). India license plates are high-security HSRP plates, featuring holograms on the left side of the plate as well as inscriptions on each character.

How India License Plates Work in Detail

Each ordinary India license plate (number plates) since 2009 uses dimensions similar to European plates, measuring 550×120 millimeters (mm). Ordinary private vehicle license plates, with black characters on a white background, consist of two letters identifying the State or Union Territory, followed in most cases by two numbers identifying the district within that region. They are then followed by one, two, three or no letters, beginning with no letter, followed by A to Z and AA to ZZ, with the possibility of being preceded by a third letter in certain geographical areas to identify the type of vehicle (electric, tourist, trucks, etc.) (e.g. DL9 EAA 0001 for an electric vehicle). The letters I and O are not used on India license plates because they could be confused with 1 and 0, as is also the case with Q in some states. This is followed by one to four numbers, from 1 to 9999. The background color varies depending on the type of vehicle. Finally, a hologram with India's international code, IND, in blue is displayed.

Exceptionally, in some Indian states, the first 0 displayed immediately after the State code is omitted, as in the example of Delhi. India license plates are issued by the Regional Transport Office (Regional Transport Office RTO), which is responsible for keeping a record of the total number of vehicles in India. In some areas of the country, foreign vehicles cannot enter without using an Indian license plate.

Exceptional Cases of License Plates by State

There are some exceptions to the India license plate codes. In the case of Delhi (DL), three letters are displayed, the first of which identifies the type of vehicle, in addition to the different colors used to distinguish vehicles. S for motorcycles, C for SUVs, E for electric vehicles, P for public vehicles, R for tuk-tuks, T for tourist vehicles and taxis, V for vans and pick-ups, and Y for rental vehicles. In some other states, certain combinations within the two letters may identify a particular type of vehicle.

On September 1, 2012, the state of Odisha officially changed its name from Orissa to Odisha, replacing the OR code with OD at the beginning of license plates. Both codes are still permitted. In 2007, the state of Uttaranchal changed its name to Uttarakhand, changing the UA code to UK.

In the state of Tamil Nadu, a series of number combinations ending in 8 have not been used because 8 is traditionally associated with Lord Shani.

Special Indian Numbers

In some regions, reserved numbers are available for purchase, especially those using "lucky" numbers such as 3333 or 6666. In other cases, it is possible to purchase special license plates from series that have not yet been issued. Numbers below 100 may also belong to the government, although number 1 (0001 on the far right) is sold in some regions and can reach high purchase prices.

Other Types of Special License Plates in Use in India

Dealer vehicles use red license plates with white characters, with the serial letters (center) normally being TC or TCR.