Assam: RTO code list and details

Every AS number plate is made of four parts. Take AS 01 AB 1234, where AS means Assam and 01 means the Guwahati office for Kamrup Metropolitan. AB is the registration series, and 1234 is the four-digit number that belongs to this one vehicle.

An AS code shows which office registered the vehicle. It does not show where the owner lives now. Moving to another district of Assam does not change the code. A new code is given only if the vehicle is registered again in another state or its registration details are changed.

Keep in mind: Two Guwahati cars can show different codes. AS-01 belongs to the city office, while AS-25 serves the rural district across the river. The address on the paperwork decides which one a car gets.

Older vehicles in Assam

Vehicles registered before 1 April 2019 must also have a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) fitted, by the date Assam sets. Book the installation on the HSRP booking portal named on the Commissionerate of Transport, Assam website, where you can also check the date for your AS vehicle.

Keep in mind: Fitting an HSRP changes the plate, not the registration number. An AS-12 car from Tezpur stays AS-12.

Assam spans the Brahmaputra valley, the Barak valley and the hill districts, so the AS codes below are grouped by region. A plate code points to the registering office. It does not show where the owner lives now.

Office details change from time to time. Confirm them with the Commissionerate of Transport, Government of Assam before a visit.

Two offices serve Guwahati. AS-01 is at Betkuchi on NH-37 and handles Kamrup Metropolitan. AS-25 is at Amingaon in North Guwahati and handles Kamrup Rural. The address on your documents decides where a car is registered.

AS-01 is the busiest code in Assam, and most cars on Guwahati roads carry it. AS-25 covers the rural district on the north bank of the Brahmaputra.

In recent years Assam has created new districts and renamed some old ones. As a result, some codes carry a name that no longer matches the district map. Plates stay valid in both cases.

Karimganj, now Sribhumi

In 2024 the district took the name Sribhumi. AS-10 is still the code for vehicles registered there, and the change does not affect older plates.

AS-20, AS-30 and AS-31

None of these three is a district code. Assam State Transport Corporation buses use AS-20, and police vehicles use AS-30 and AS-31. A private car will not be given any of them.

Good to know: A district name change does not change the registration number. The number changes only with a fresh registration, which usually happens after a move to another state.

Assam charges road tax on a car once, and that one payment covers 15 years. The taxation page of the Commissionerate of Transport puts it at 4% to 14% of the ex-showroom price, rising with the price of the car.

For example: A car priced at ₹3 lakhs ex-showroom pays 4%, which comes to ₹12,000. A car priced at ₹8 lakhs pays 10%, or ₹80,000. When you buy a new car, the dealer normally includes this tax in the on-road price.

A second schedule: The Commissionerate also shows a lower schedule for the same 15-year tax, at 3% up to ₹3 lakhs, 4% from ₹3 to ₹15 lakhs, 5% from ₹15 to ₹20 lakhs and 7% above ₹20 lakhs. Neither schedule carries a date, and the amount Vahan works out for your car is the one that applies.

You can pay road tax through the vehicle tax service on the Parivahan Sewa portal. The dealer can also pay it as part of the on-road price. Assam can change its rates, so check the amount shown on Vahan before you pay.

RTO fees in Assam are national, fixed by Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. A new car costs ₹600 to register, including the Registration Certificate (RC), and a motorcycle ₹300. The amount is the same at Betkuchi, Amingaon or any other district office.

These are RTO fees only. Road tax, the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) and any state service charge are paid separately.

Keep in mind: A private car RC is valid for 15 years. Renewal is then for 5 years at a time, and a late renewal costs ₹500 for each month.

In Assam, the dealer usually registers a new private car through the Vahan portal. You pay the road tax and registration fee along with the price of the car. Once the RTO approves the application, you receive the Registration Certificate (RC).

Document checks, an inspection or an RTO visit may still apply, depending on the vehicle and transaction. These five steps describe the usual path, and some cases differ.

Important to know: Buying car insurance on your own before delivery day is allowed. The dealer needs proof of a valid policy, not a policy sold by the dealer, so you have time to compare plans.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Assam

A loan is removed with Form 35 and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the lender, both issued after the last instalment. The application goes through Vahan, and the RTO then issues an updated RC without the loan. Adding a loan to an RC uses Form 34 instead.

Most RTO work in Assam runs on two national Parivahan services. Registration, the RC, tax and ownership changes are handled on the Vahan portal, while driving licences are handled on the Sarathi portal. Vehicle and challan look-ups are on mParivahan and the e-challan service.

Some services are only partly online, depending on the transaction and the RTO.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Assam

The duplicate RC form is Form 26, used for an RC that is lost, stolen or damaged. It is filed on Vahan or at the district transport office that issued the RC. RC status is shown on Parivahan Sewa and mParivahan, and Kiwi Insurance also lets you check your RC status.

Driving licence services in Assam

Sarathi handles driving licence work in Assam. The learner’s licence, the driving test booking, licence renewal and the International Driving Permit are all applied for there, and the driving test itself is taken in person.

Traffic fines in Assam are based on the national amounts in the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. Compounding is allowed for some offences, and Assam may set its own amounts for those, so the amount on the challan is the one to pay.

E-challans on AS vehicles can be checked and paid on the Parivahan e-challan portal, echallan.parivahan.gov.in, and in mParivahan.

Keep in mind: The fine for driving without insurance is ₹2,000, rising to ₹4,000 for a repeat offence. A valid policy avoids it, and the car insurance section explains how the policy and the RTO record connect.

The exact documents depend on the vehicle, the state and the office, so confirm the current list with the RTO or on the Parivahan Sewa website. If you are leaving Assam, start by getting the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your district transport office. Then register the car in the new state, pay tax there and claim back the unused Assam tax.

A Bharat series (BH) number is valid in every state, so the plate shows no state code such as AS. If the owner is posted to another state, the car keeps its number and needs no No Objection Certificate (NOC) or fresh registration. It is meant for owners who are transferred from one state to another. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) created it through notification G.S.R. 594(E), dated 26 August 2021, with effect from 15 September 2021. G.S.R. 879(E) of 14 December 2022 then allowed Bharat series (BH) vehicles to change owners and existing registrations to be converted.

Eligibility depends on the employer. Government staff, Central or state, qualify, as do defence personnel and public sector employees. A private sector employee qualifies if the employer has offices in 4 or more states or union territories.

Plate format: The format is YY BH #### XX, where YY is the year of first registration, the four digits are allotted at random, and XX represents the alphabetic series, which can be a single letter or two letters. It is black on a white plate, like any other private car.

How it compares: Assam charges its own road tax once, at 4% to 14% of the ex-showroom price for 15 years, while BH tax is 8% to 12%, paid every 2 years.

The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, list the RTO forms used across India, and Assam uses the same ones. Most of them are now filled in online on Vahan or Sarathi. You need a printed PDF only if an office asks for a paper copy.

A used car sale needs the seller and the buyer to fill in Form 29 and Form 30 together. After the transfer, the new owner has 14 days to move the insurance.

Note: The office named by the code on your RC handles your forms. That means the Guwahati office for AS-01 and the Amingaon office for AS-25. An office may also want address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, and the document list on the Parivahan Sewa website confirms what each service needs. Forms not covered here are in the RTO forms list on the Parivahan Sewa website.

How insurance connects to the RTO in Assam

Insurance comes before registration: No AS number is issued without a valid policy. After an ownership transfer, the policy moves to the buyer within 14 days. After a move or a re-registration, inform your insurer of the new number so the policy and the RC match.

Keep in mind: Try to finish both transfers inside the same two weeks: The RC at the RTO and the policy with the insurer. Doing both on time means the car is never left without cover after the sale.