Wadala: RTO code list and details

Worth knowing: A Ghatkopar car whose owner later settles in Thane or Kolhapur still carries 03, as long as it stays registered in this state; the code changes only if the car is re-registered outside Maharashtra or its registration details are changed. The same 03 appears whether the paperwork went through Wadala or Worli.

Eastern suburbs cars registered new on or after 1 April 2019 were fitted with a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) by the dealer, and the department tells those owners that no new application is needed.

For an MH-03 car older than that, the installation is booked on the booking portal named on the Maharashtra transport department website, which also says which date applies. There is no extra fitment charge at a fitment centre, while home fitment costs more. Plate details for the whole state are in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

MH-03 is the only code here, shared by two offices, Mumbai (East)-1 at Wadala and Mumbai (East)-2 at Worli. The confusion runs the other way too, as several places around Wadala carry MH-01.

The main MH-03 office is on the 3rd floor of building B-2 in the Wadala Truck Terminal. A second MH-03 office on Sir Pochkhanwala Road in Worli serves private vehicles only.

The department lists Worli for private vehicle services, but it publishes no area list or service list for that office, so ask the Wadala office first whether your task can be handled there.

What the Wadala RTO does not handle

Addresses in Wadala, Antop Hill, Sion and Matunga go to Tardeo, as do Worli and Prabhadevi, so the MH-03 offices are not the place for them. The Worli branch also does not take transport vehicles such as taxis or goods vehicles.

MH-03 on the department’s Know Your RTO pincode list is the eastern suburbs, not Wadala. Read across the groups below to find the locality on your RC.

Worth knowing: Of Wadala, Sion, Matunga, Antop Hill and Chembur, only Chembur is on the MH-03 list. Living in Wadala, Sion or Antop Hill puts you on the Tardeo list, so the office named after your own neighbourhood is not yours.

A new MH-03 car pays Maharashtra’s one-time road tax, and the Wadala office takes it at registration. For a car owned by an individual the rate is set by fuel and price band, whichever MH-03 office handles the file.

Worked example: Register a ₹6 lakh CNG car to a Chembur address and it pays 8%, which is ₹48,000, and the same car with a petrol engine pays 11%, or ₹66,000. A road safety cess, reported as 2% of the tax, comes on top, and Vahan states the final amount.

Neither MH-03 office sets its own fees. The national rates apply, so a Ghatkopar owner pays at Wadala what a Thane owner pays at MH-04, through Vahan, and with a new car the dealer pays on your behalf.

For example: A Mulund buyer financing a new car pays the MH-03 office ₹2,300 in all, that is ₹600 for registration, ₹200 for the smart card RC and ₹1,500 for the hypothecation, with the road tax separate.

For a Kurla car reaching 15 years, the renewal fee is ₹5,000, doubling to ₹10,000 past 20 years. Late renewals cost ₹500 for every month of delay on a car and ₹300 on a motorcycle.

Plates, road tax and state service charges are not RTO fees, so they are paid on their own.

Selling an MH-03 car means a transfer at Wadala, the office on the RC, or an application on Vahan. You need Form 29 signed by the seller and Form 30 signed by both, plus ₹300 for a car or ₹150 for a motorcycle.

From the date of the sale, a buyer has 14 days to take over the insurance as well.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) at Wadala RTO

With the loan repaid, Wadala needs Form 35 and the financier’s No Objection Certificate (NOC), and removing the hypothecation is free. Each stage, with its papers, is described in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

MH-03 vehicle services are applied for on the Vahan portal and licence services on the Sarathi portal, with Wadala doing the in-person part. In Maharashtra the learner licence test itself is online, after Aadhaar authentication.

Duplicate RC and RC status check for Wadala

Replace a lost MH-03 RC with Form 26, paying the duplicate fee from the fees table. To read the details held against any MH-03 number, use the Kiwi Insurance RC status check.

Driving licence services for Wadala

Licence bookings go through Sarathi, and the booking tells you the test location. For Tardeo, Andheri and the Borivali office, see our Mumbai RTO guide.

An e-challan on an MH-03 car can be looked up by number on echallan.parivahan.gov.in or in mParivahan, and paid there.

Fines for every other offence appear in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

If the car already has an MH plate, say from Thane or Pune, a move to the eastern suburbs only needs the RC address updated. A car with another state’s plate must be re-registered with an MH-03 number once it has stayed in Maharashtra beyond 12 months.

Leaving Maharashtra with an MH-03 car starts with a Form 28 application for the NOC, which Wadala issues free of charge. For a Mumbai vehicle the department also requires an NOC from the Commissioner of Police (or Superintendent of Police), proof that motor vehicle tax is paid and an NOC from the prosecution branch of the registering office.

Worth knowing: As soon as the RC shows the new number or address, inform your insurer. How each step works is explained in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

For owners who change states with their jobs, the dealer can apply for a Bharat series (BH) number in place of MH-03, which removes the need for an NOC from Wadala when you move.

Employees in the private sector need a Form 60 certificate from an employer with offices in 4 or more states or union territories. 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.

The full BH conditions are in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

The full set is on the list of RTO forms on the Parivahan Sewa website, with guidance on timing in our Maharashtra RTO guide.

How insurance links to the Wadala RTO

Without valid cover the Wadala office cannot register a car. Whenever it changes the owner, address or number on an RC, inform your insurer so the policy reflects it.

Benefits apply as per the policy wording and the covers you choose. They are Kiwi Insurance product features, not RTO rules.