Vehicle Number Parser (Indian RTO)
Parse Indian vehicle registration numbers into state, RTO district, and series.
Written by Anil Gautam · Updated
How does the parser read an Indian number plate?
The tool converts the input to capitals, removes spaces and hyphens, and matches the standard pattern: two letters for the state, one or two digits for the RTO district, one to three letters for the series and one to four digits for the number. That makes mh-12-ab-1234 parse exactly like MH 12 AB 1234. A single-digit district is padded, so KA 3 is read as district 03, and leading zeros in the number are kept, so HR 26 DQ 0001 shows number 0001. Parsing happens in your browser, and no government database is queried.
MH 12 AB 1234 gives Maharashtra (MH), RTO district 12 named as Pune, series AB and number 1234. Delhi plates add a vehicle class letter after the district number, such as C for cars and S for two-wheelers. DL 3C AB 1234 comes out as Delhi, district 03 (Sheikh Sarai), series CAB and number 1234, because the class letter is folded into the series.
How are BH series numbers decoded?
Bharat series plates use a different order: two digits for the year of registration, the letters BH, a four-digit number and a two-letter series. The parser checks this pattern first. 22 BH 4567 AB is read as BH series, registration year 2022, number 4567 and series AB. These plates carry no state or RTO code, so the result has no district line.
Why is a real plate shown as unknown or invalid?
State codes come from a fixed table. It includes TG, which Telangana has used for new registrations since 2024 alongside the older TS, and codes still on the road from before a state changed its code, such as OR (Odisha, now OD) and UA (Uttarakhand, now UK). A code outside the table returns Unknown state code, which means the table lacks it; the plate may still be genuine.
District names appear for only 21 large RTOs, in cities including Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. Other districts show their number alone, and any one- or two-digit district passes because the tool does not check that the RTO exists. Five-digit numbers and four-letter series fail the pattern, as do diplomatic and army plates, which follow other formats.
A valid result confirms the format only. The tool cannot tell you who owns a vehicle or whether a number has been issued; for registration details, use the official Parivahan services.