Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in September 2021 start vehicle registration under the newly launch BH-series (Bharat-series) number plates for non-transport vehicles.
The BH-series was introduce by the government to promote ease of mobility in the nation.
As per MV Act, any vehicle owner shifting from one state to another requires to change number series from parent state (from which the vehicle has been bought) to the new state where the person has move.
So, for certain jobs, including Army personnel, central government officials among many others are require to move from one state to another every 2-3 years, making it tedious to buy new number every time.
To eliminate this, BH series number plate have introduce that does not require a new registration every time owner moves to another state.
Benefits of the BH Series
As per section 47 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, the owners were only allow to keep their vehicle in another state (different from the ones they are registered in) for 12 months.
After this period, the vehicle’s registration was suppose to be transfer from the parent to the new state.
The vehicle register with a BH series doesn’t require any transfer registration every time the owner moves.
The number plate remains valid throughout the country.
Apart from a seamless transfer of vehicles from one state to another and free vehicle owners from the hassle of the heavy paperwork for vehicle transfer, the BH series offers many other benefits.
With this new number plate, vehicle owners are bound to pay just two years of road tax at a time, contrasted to 15 or 20 years (differing from state to state).
In case someone fails to pay taxes after 2 years, the taxes start to accumulate by Rs 100 per day.
How to get a BH series number plate?
The process to get a BH series number plate is an online process.
The vehicles can be register online by the dealer at the time of purchase through the Vahan portal.
After the registration process is complete, the vehicle owner will have their BH series number plate.
Format of BH series number plate
The number plate will be the usual ones for private vehicles, with black text and white background.
There will be a change in the format of the texts and numbers.
Format – YY BH #### XX
The BH series number plates will start with two numbers showing the year of first registration, follow by BH representing ‘Bharat’.
Then there are four randomly generate numbers on the number plate anywhere from 0000 to 9999, follow by two letters using all combinations ‘AA’ to ‘ZZ’.
As the letters ‘I’ and ‘O’ are not use.
What is Taxation Structure for the BH Series?
The new BH series changes the taxation structure.
As per the new taxation structure, if a vehicle has a value of less than ten lakh rupees, the owners ought to pay 8% road tax.
And, if the vehicle costs between 10-20 lakh, the owner has to pay 10% road tax.
Same, if the price of the vehicle is more than twenty lakh, the owners have to pay a 12% road tax.
The taxation also differs for different vehicles considering the power source.
The vehicles having a diesel engine have an add tax of 2% to their tax respective to the price categories.
A vehicle with an electric engine saves the owner 2% tax on their vehicle.
