A new registration mark for new vehicles-Bharat series (BH-series) has been introduced in August this year. A personal vehicle of this registration mark won’t require assignment of a new registration mark when the vehicle owner shifts from one State to another, said the Ministry of Road Transport in Parliament.

Vehicle registration facility under Bharat series will be available on a voluntary basis to Defence personnel, employees of Central Govt/State Govt/Central/State PSUs & Pvt sector companies/organisations having their offices in 4 or more States/UTs, the government informed the Parliament.

This will facilitate free movement of personal vehicles across states/UTs of India upon relocation, said Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The motor vehicle tax will be levied for two years or in multiple of two. After completion of the fourteenth year, the motor vehicle tax shall be levied annually which shall be half of the amount that was being charged earlier for that vehicle.

Format of Bharat series (BH-series) Registration Mark –

   YY BH #### XX

YY – Year of first registration

BH – Code for Bharat Series

#### – 0000 to 9999 (randomized)

XX – Alphabets (AA to ZZ)

What is the need for the BH series?

In recent times, the government has taken a host of citizen-centric steps to facilitate mobility. An IT-based solution for vehicle registration is one of them. However, one of the pain points in the vehicle registration process that needed attention was the re-registration of a vehicle while moving to another state. 

Station relocation occurs with both government and private sector employees. Such movements create a sense of unease in the minds of such employees with regard to transfer of registration from the parent state to another state as a person is allowed to keep the vehicle for not more than 12 months in any state other than the state where the vehicle is registered. A new registration with the new state registering authority has to be made within the stipulated time of 12 months. 

De-registering a vehicle required, No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the parent state for assignment of new registration mark in another state, Assignment of new registration mark after the road tax on pro rata basis is paid in the new state and Application for refund of road tax in the parent state on pro rata basis.

This provision to get refund from the parent state on pro rata basis is very cumbersome and it varies from one state to another. The BH-series registration mark has been introduced to make the transfer of vehicles seamless. A vehicle with BH mark will not require a new registration mark when the owner shifts from one State to another.