Madhya Pradesh: RTO code list and details

Madhya Pradesh RTOs are run by the state Transport Department, with the Transport Commissioner in Gwalior. The MP code is on every vehicle registered in the state, and the two digits after it are the number of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) that registered it, across 52 offices.

Four parts make up an MP number plate. MP 04 AB 1234 reads as MP for Madhya Pradesh, 04 for the Bhopal RTO, AB for the letter series and 1234 for the four-digit number.

MP-04 on a car shows that the Bhopal office registered it. The MP-04 code does not change when the owner moves to Indore or any other part of Madhya Pradesh. Only a fresh registration in another state, or a change to its registration details, gives the car a different code.

Worth knowing: Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior each have a full RTO, so cars from the four largest cities show four different codes: MP-04, MP-09, MP-20 and MP-07.

Worth knowing: A High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) installation for an MP vehicle is booked through the portal named on the Madhya Pradesh transport department website, and that website also gives the date for your vehicle.

52 offices in Madhya Pradesh have their own code, from MP-04 Bhopal to MP-71 Niwari. Codes in that range that are not on the Vahan office list, such as MP-23 to MP-27, are not shown.

Offices are Regional Transport Offices (RTO), Additional Regional Transport Offices (ARTO) or District Transport Offices (DTO). The office for a car is decided by the address on its Registration Certificate (RC).

MP-04 is the Bhopal RTO and MP-09 is the Indore RTO, and both are full Regional Transport Offices. Each one registers vehicles for its own district, while the districts around the two cities have offices and codes of their own.

Bhopal RTO (MP-04)

MP-04 covers vehicles whose Registration Certificate (RC) has a Bhopal district address. Sehore (MP-37), Raisen (MP-38) and Vidisha (MP-40) are District Transport Offices with separate codes, and the address on the RC, not the showroom, decides which of them registers a car.

Indore RTO (MP-09)

MP-09 is the code for Indore. Dewas (MP-41) and Dhar (MP-11) are separate offices with their own codes, and Ujjain, also a full RTO, uses MP-13.

The address on your Registration Certificate (RC) decides your office: An RC with a Jabalpur address belongs to MP-20, and one with a Gwalior address to MP-07. The two tables below give the main cities and district towns with their codes.

Districts that are not in these two tables, such as Betul (MP-48) or Balaghat (MP-50), are in the full code list above. The RTO finder at the top of the page also accepts a full MP number.

9 of the 52 offices are full RTOs, 9 are Additional Regional Transport Offices and 34 are District Transport Offices. Each one handles registration, driving licences and road tax for its own district.

Jabalpur RTO (MP-20)

MP-20 is the Jabalpur RTO, one of the 9 full RTOs in the state. Katni (MP-21) and Narsinghpur (MP-49) register vehicles under their own codes.

Gwalior RTO (MP-07)

MP-07 is the Gwalior RTO. Gwalior is also the seat of the Transport Commissioner of Madhya Pradesh, while Morena (MP-06), Bhind (MP-30) and Datia (MP-32) have District Transport Offices.

Ujjain RTO (MP-13)

MP-13 is the Ujjain RTO. Shajapur (MP-42) and Agar Malwa (MP-70) have separate codes, and Agar Malwa is also listed as a full RTO.

Sagar RTO (MP-15)

MP-15 is the Sagar RTO, the full RTO for that district. Damoh (MP-34) and Chhatarpur (MP-16) have offices of their own.

Narmadapuram RTO (MP-05)

MP-05 is the Narmadapuram office, listed on Vahan as Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad), and it is a District Transport Office.

Lifetime tax in Madhya Pradesh is a single payment at a vehicle’s first registration in the state, worked out on its standard price. For a car or a two-wheeler the rate is reported as 8% below ₹10 lakhs, 10% from ₹10 lakhs to ₹20 lakhs and 14% above, and Vahan shows the exact amount.

Worked example: On the lowest reported rate, an ₹8 lakhs car with a standard price below ₹10 lakhs pays 8%, which is ₹64,000, and a ₹1 lakh motorcycle pays ₹8,000. The standard price is the ex-showroom price with GST and cess, before any discount, or the invoice price if that is higher.

Vahan shows the exact lifetime tax for your car before you pay, and that is the amount that applies.

₹600 is the RTO fee to register a new private car in Madhya Pradesh, and ₹300 for a motorcycle, under Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. These national fees are the same at all 52 MP offices.

A battery-operated vehicle pays nothing to have its RC issued or renewed.

Not included: Lifetime tax, the HSRP and any Madhya Pradesh service charge are paid on top of these RTO fees.

For most new private cars in Madhya Pradesh, the dealer files the registration on the Vahan portal and the car does not go to the RTO. Lifetime tax and the ₹600 registration fee are part of the price you pay the dealer, and the Registration Certificate (RC) follows once the RTO approves the application.

Important to know: A policy from any insurer is accepted for registration, not only the dealer’s choice, so quotes can be compared before delivery.

Form 29 from the seller, Form 30 from seller and buyer together and a ₹300 fee move a used MP car into the buyer’s name. The application goes on Vahan or to the office whose code is on the RC, such as MP-09 Indore.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Madhya Pradesh

After the final instalment, the lender gives a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and Form 35. Both go to the RTO through Vahan, and an updated RC without the lender’s name follows. Form 34 is the form that records a loan on the RC in the first place.

The Vahan portal handles vehicle work for Madhya Pradesh, such as road tax, ownership transfer and RC changes, and the Sarathi portal handles driving licences. An RTO visit is needed only for steps such as the driving test.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Madhya Pradesh

₹300 and Form 26 get a car owner a duplicate RC after the original is lost, stolen or damaged. Parivahan Sewa and mParivahan show the current record for any MP number, and you can also check your RC status on Kiwi Insurance.

Driving licence services in Madhya Pradesh

Sarathi covers the learner’s licence, the driving test booking, licence renewal and the International Driving Permit for Madhya Pradesh residents. The test itself is taken at your RTO.

₹2,000 is the fine for a first offence of driving an uninsured car in Madhya Pradesh, and ₹4,000 for each one after that, under section 196 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, as amended in 2019. A current policy is the simple way to avoid it.

These are the national amounts from the 2019 amendment. Some offences can be compounded in Madhya Pradesh at amounts the state fixes, so the amount on the challan is the one to pay.

Checking an e-challan: Pending challans on an MP number can be checked and paid on the Parivahan e-challan portal, echallan.parivahan.gov.in, or in mParivahan.

If you are leaving Madhya Pradesh, the steps are the same in the other direction. Your MP office issues the NOC before you go, and once the car is registered in the new state, you can claim back the unused lifetime tax.

Diesel adds 2% and electric takes off 2%, and the BH tax is paid for 2 years at a time. Madhya Pradesh’s own lifetime tax is paid once, at a rate reported as 8% to 14% of the standard price, so compare both amounts on Vahan before you choose.

Madhya Pradesh uses the national RTO forms of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, and the 13 below are the ones most car and bike owners need. Most are filled in online on Vahan or Sarathi. Download the PDF only if your MP office still needs the form on paper.

Form 29 and Form 30 are used together when a used MP car is sold, and the ownership transfer steps give the order.

Before you submit: Forms go to the office whose code is on your RC, for example MP-04 Bhopal or MP-09 Indore. Address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate may be needed too, and the Parivahan Sewa website lists the documents for each service. Any form not shown here is on the complete form list on the Parivahan Sewa website.