Delhi: RTO code list and details

Delhi RTOs are run by the Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, as 13 zonal offices. To find yours, read the number after DL on the plate: It is the code of the zonal office that registered the vehicle.

A Delhi number plate has DL for Delhi, the one or two digit code of the RTO, a series that starts with a letter for the type of vehicle, and a four-digit number. For example, in DL 1C AB 1234, 1 is the Mall Road RTO and C marks a car.

Most car series in Delhi start with C and most two-wheeler series start with S, so a car from the Mall Road office reads DL 1C and a two-wheeler reads DL 1S. Electric vehicles are given their own series.

Worth knowing: Keep your plate as it is when you move house inside Delhi, for example from Dwarka to Rohini: The DL code does not change. It changes only when the car is registered again outside Delhi or its registration details are changed. A DL car can still be driven anywhere in India.

Worth knowing: Book your High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) installation on the booking portal named on the Delhi Transport Department website, and confirm there the date that applies to your DL vehicle.

Delhi RTO codes run from DL-1 for the Old Delhi RTO at Mall Road to DL-13 for the North West RTO at Rohini-II, with one code for each of the 13 zonal offices. Go to the zonal office that covers the address on your Registration Certificate (RC).

Older plates may show DL 14. That series was issued by the earlier office at Surajmal Vihar, and it is not in the department’s current list of running series.

Delhi now has 13 district RTOs, and five codes are issued from a different office than before. A number already on a plate does not change, and the RC stays valid.

The other eight codes are still issued from the same place, although some offices have new district names, such as South East for Sarai Kale Khan (DL-6) and Central North for Wazirpur (DL-8).

Budget for road tax once, at the first registration: Delhi charges a percentage of what the vehicle cost. Petrol and CNG cars pay 4% to 10%, diesel cars pay a quarter more at 5% to 12.5%, and two-wheelers pay 2% to 8%, depending on the price. Most electric vehicles pay no road tax.

For example, a ₹5 lakhs car is taxed at 4%, so you pay ₹20,000. For a car at ₹8 lakhs, the rate is 7%, so the tax comes to ₹56,000. Choose the diesel version of the ₹5 lakhs car and the rate becomes 5%, which is ₹25,000.

For example, budget 6% for a ₹55,000 scooter, which comes to ₹3,300, and 8% for a ₹90,000 motorcycle, which comes to ₹7,200.

The exemption covers electric vehicles bought and registered in Delhi under Delhi’s electric vehicle (EV) policy, in force from 1 July 2026. An electric car costing more than ₹30 lakhs pays road tax in the same way as any other car. As reported, the policy does not extend the waiver to hybrids, so a hybrid pays the rate for its fuel.

Check the amount Vahan shows before you pay, as the Delhi government can change these rates.

Pay ₹600 to register a new private car at a Delhi zonal office, and ₹300 for a motorcycle. Every zonal office, from DL-1 Mall Road to DL-13 Rohini-II, applies the same national schedule from Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

Paid separately: Budget for the HSRP, Delhi road tax and any service charge of the Transport Department on top of these fees.

Leave the registration to the dealer: For most new private cars in Delhi, the dealer applies on the Vahan portal, so the car does not have to go to the zonal office. The road tax and registration fee are part of the price you pay, and the zonal office approves the application before the Registration Certificate (RC) is issued.

Important to know: Buy the car insurance yourself before delivery day if you wish. The dealer asks only for a valid policy to register the car, so compare plans before you pick one.

Start a used car sale at the zonal office that issued the RC, or on Vahan: The office code on the RC decides where the file goes, not the address of the buyer.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Delhi

Pay the last instalment, then collect the lender’s No Objection Certificate (NOC) and a signed Form 35. Apply on Vahan to remove the hypothecation, and the zonal office issues an updated RC without the loan.

Good to know: Form 34 is the form a lender uses to add a loan to the RC when a Delhi car is bought on finance.

Start most Delhi RTO work online: Use the Vahan portal for vehicle services and the Sarathi portal for driving licences, both on the Parivahan Sewa website. Visit the zonal office only for steps such as the driving test.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Delhi

Apply on Vahan with Form 26 if your RC is lost, stolen or damaged, and pay the duplicate RC fee shown in the fees table. Track the status of a DL registration on Parivahan Sewa or mParivahan, or use Kiwi Insurance to check your RC status.

Driving licence services in Delhi

Handle each licence task on Sarathi: The learner’s licence, the driving test booking, a renewal, and the International Driving Permit. For a paper application, use Form 2 or Form 4A from the forms grid.

Check your DL number on the Parivahan e-challan portal to see what is due before you pay. The fines below come from the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, and Delhi can compound some offences at its own amounts, so the challan shows the final amount.

Pay a challan on echallan.parivahan.gov.in or in the mParivahan app, using the DL number on your RC.

Keep in mind: Renew your car insurance before it lapses to avoid the ₹2,000 fine for driving uninsured, which rises to ₹4,000 for a repeat offence. A valid policy keeps that offence off your challan.

For example, a car that cost ₹8 lakhs and was first registered three years ago pays 70% of ₹56,000, which is ₹39,200. If you are leaving Delhi, get the NOC from your zonal office before you move. Claim back the unused Delhi road tax after the new state has registered the car.

A Bharat series (BH) number is a registration mark that works across India, so it carries no DL code or any other state code. Register a car on BH and you will not need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or a new number when you are posted out of Delhi.

Apply for one if you work for the central or a state government, the defence forces or a public sector company, or for a private company with offices in four or more states or union territories. Check the rules in G.S.R. 594(E), the MoRTH notification of 26 August 2021, which has applied since 15 September 2021.

Compare that with Delhi’s own road tax of 4% to 10% of the car’s cost, or up to 12.5% for a diesel car: The Delhi tax is paid once, while the BH tax falls due again every 2 years.

Fill in most RTO forms online on Vahan or Sarathi: Delhi uses the national forms set under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. Download the PDF only if your zonal office still asks for a paper form.

Sell a used car by filing Form 29 and Form 30 together. Then move the insurance into the buyer’s name within 14 days of the RC change.

Worth knowing: Submit each form to the zonal office whose code is on your RC, such as DL-1 at Mall Road or DL-3 at Lado Sarai. Check the document list on the Parivahan Sewa website first, as the office may also ask for address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. For any other form, open the full list of RTO forms on the Parivahan Sewa website.

Worth knowing: Do the RC transfer and the policy transfer in the same two weeks. The car then stays fully covered from the day the buyer takes it.