Lakshadweep: RTO code list and details

Read an LD plate in four parts. In LD 01 AB 1234, LD stands for Lakshadweep, 01 for the Kavaratti office, AB for the letter series and 1234 for the four-digit number of that vehicle.

Use the code to find the island office that registered the vehicle, not the island its owner lives on now. If the owner moves from Kavaratti to Minicoy, the vehicle keeps its LD-01 code. Expect a new code only if the vehicle is registered again outside Lakshadweep or its registration details are changed.

Worth knowing: Most vehicles here are two-wheelers and small utility vehicles, since the islands are small and the roads are short. The code still tells you which island registered the vehicle.

Check that your LD vehicle carries a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP), as Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 requires on every vehicle in India. The two notifications behind it are G.S.R. 1162(E), dated 4 December 2018, and S.O. 6052, dated 6 December 2018, both from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). A new vehicle shipped to the islands already has the plate, as manufacturers and dealers have fitted it since 1 April 2019.

Older vehicles in Lakshadweep

Get the plate fitted on a vehicle registered before 1 April 2019, by the dates the union territory sets. For the HSRP installation, go to the booking portal listed on the Lakshadweep transport department website, where you can also confirm the date for your LD vehicle.

Worth knowing: This page gives no Lakshadweep fitting deadline or plate price, as neither is confirmed from an official source. The national rule above is what applies on every island.

Lakshadweep uses nine codes across its inhabited islands, even though the whole union territory is a single district. Each island registers its own vehicles, since none of them is connected by road.

Published lists disagree about LD-06 and LD-07, with Kiltan, Chetlat and Kalpeni appearing against different numbers. The list above follows the sources that agree, and is worth confirming with the administration.

Kavaratti, LD-01, is the capital and the main transport office for the union territory. It handles registration, licensing and tax for the island, and sets the practice the other island offices follow.

The other eight codes belong to Agatti, Amini, Androth, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Kalpeni and Minicoy, each registering vehicles for its own island.

There is no road or bridge to Lakshadweep, so every vehicle arrives by ship from the mainland. That shapes what is on the roads here and what the paperwork involves.

What people drive in Lakshadweep

Two-wheelers and small utility vehicles make up most of the traffic, since the islands are small and the road network on each one is short.

Bringing a vehicle to the islands

A vehicle shipped in from the mainland and kept here for more than 12 months is registered again with an LD number, in the same way as a move between two states.

Worth knowing: Inform your insurer when the vehicle moves and when the registration number changes. The policy follows the vehicle, but the details on it have to match the Registration Certificate.

Lakshadweep charges a one-time tax on the price of the vehicle when it is registered, covering the life of the registration. The rate is reported at about 5.5% to 10% of the cost, so the amount for a given vehicle is best read on Vahan.

Enter your registration number on Vahan, or ask the island office that will register the vehicle, to get the exact amount before you pay.

Pay these RTO fees at your island office or on Vahan when you register a vehicle, replace or renew a Registration Certificate (RC) or transfer ownership. No island-specific fee list is confirmed, so the table shows the national amounts from Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.

Also payable: The HSRP, the one-time road tax and any local service charge are paid on top. Vahan lists every amount before you confirm.

New vehicles here are usually bought on the mainland and shipped over, so the registration application is submitted on the Vahan portal at the island office. Pay the road tax and registration fee along with the price, and collect the Registration Certificate (RC) after the island office approves the application.

Be ready for a document check, an inspection or a visit to the office for some vehicles and transactions. Treat the five steps as a guide to the common case.

Important to know: Choose the insurer yourself before delivery. Registration needs only a valid policy, not one arranged by the dealer, so compare plans first.

Transfer an LD vehicle at the island office named on its RC, or on Vahan. Pay ₹300 for a car, then move the insurance within 14 days.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Lakshadweep

After the final instalment, ask the lender for a No Objection Certificate and Form 35. Apply on Vahan, and the island office issues an RC without the loan. Form 34 is the form used to add a loan in the first place.

Use the national Parivahan services for RTO work in Lakshadweep, which saves a boat trip for many tasks. Go to the Vahan portal for registration, the RC, tax and ownership, to the Sarathi portal for licences, and to mParivahan or the e-challan service for vehicle details and challans.

Expect some services to need a visit to the island office, depending on the transaction.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Lakshadweep

Apply for a duplicate RC with Form 26 on Vahan if the original is lost, stolen or damaged, and pay the fee in the RTO fees table. For the current state of an LD registration, use Parivahan Sewa, mParivahan or Kiwi Insurance, where you can check your RC status by number.

Driving licence services in Lakshadweep

Go to Sarathi to apply for a learner’s licence, book the driving test, renew a licence or request an International Driving Permit. Use Form 2 or Form 4A if the office asks for paper.

Check any challan against your LD number on the Parivahan e-challan portal and pay the amount it shows. The fines below are the national ones from the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. Lakshadweep can compound some offences at its own amounts, but none are listed here.

Open echallan.parivahan.gov.in or mParivahan, type in the LD number and settle the challan from the island.

Worth knowing: Keep a valid policy on every LD vehicle, and the ₹2,000 fine for uninsured driving cannot apply.

Check the current documents with the island office or on the Parivahan Sewa website first, as they differ by vehicle, state and office. If you are leaving Lakshadweep, follow the same steps the other way round. Get the NOC from your island office, register the vehicle in the new state and pay its tax, then claim back the unused tax here.

A Bharat series (BH) number is one registration number for private vehicles that works in every state. As it has no state or island code, you do not need a No Objection Certificate (NOC) or a new number when your job takes you to another state. Ask for one instead of an LD number if your work moves you between states.

The scheme dates from 26 August 2021, when the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued G.S.R. 594(E), and it took effect on 15 September 2021. Since G.S.R. 879(E) of 14 December 2022, a BH vehicle can be sold to a new owner, and an existing number can be converted to BH. 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, with no island code.

Compare it with the island rate: The one-time Lakshadweep tax is reported at about 5.5% to 10% of the cost, while BH tax is paid every 2 years.

Keep in mind: Moving away with a BH number needs no No Objection Certificate and no new registration, and there is no Lakshadweep tax refund to claim.

Use the national forms from the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, as there is no island version to look for. Fill most of them in on Vahan or Sarathi, and print the PDF when an office still requires a paper copy.

Selling a used car? File Form 29 as the seller and sign Form 30 with the buyer. Then move the insurance within 14 days of the RC changing to the buyer’s name.

Worth knowing: Send each form to the office whose code is on the RC, for example LD-01 Kavaratti or LD-02 Agatti. Check the document list on the Parivahan Sewa website before the boat trip, as address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate may be needed. Download any other form from the Parivahan Sewa website.

Worth knowing: Plan the RC transfer and the policy transfer for the same 14 days. Doing both together keeps the vehicle insured without a break after the sale.