Mizoram: RTO code list and details

Mizoram plates are read the same way as plates elsewhere in India, in four blocks. On MZ 01 AB 1234, MZ is Mizoram, 01 is the Aizawl office, AB is the letter series, and 1234 is the four-digit number given to that vehicle only.

As in every state, the code shows the registering office rather than the owner’s present address. Mizoram differs only in its newer districts, covered below. Elsewhere in the state, moving house does not change the MZ code, which changes only if the vehicle is re-registered in another state or its registration details are changed.

Worth knowing: Mizoram created three districts in 2019, and owners there have been asked to move an older MZ-01 or MZ-02 registration to the new district code. That is unusual: Most states leave existing plates alone.

Unlike Mizoram’s road tax, the number plate rule is the same in every state. Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 requires a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) on every vehicle, as notified by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on 4 December 2018 (G.S.R. 1162(E)) and 6 December 2018 (S.O. 6052).

New MZ vehicles have come with the plate fitted by the manufacturer and dealer since 1 April 2019.

Older vehicles in Mizoram

Vehicles registered before 1 April 2019 must have the plate fitted by the dates Mizoram sets. Those dates and the plate price vary by state, unlike the plate rule itself, and neither is confirmed for Mizoram on this page.

Worth knowing: To get a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) installed, book through the booking portal named on the Mizoram Transport Department website, and check there which date applies to your MZ vehicle. Your district office can confirm the current position.

Mizoram uses MZ-01 to MZ-09 for its district offices, with three further codes reported for the districts created in 2019. The code on a plate tells you which office registered the vehicle.

MZ-01 to MZ-09 are reported consistently across published lists. MZ-10, MZ-11 and MZ-12 appear in only one, so confirm those with the Transport Department before you rely on them.

Aizawl has two codes. MZ-01 is the district office in the city, and MZ-09 covers Aizawl Rural. Which one registers your car depends on the address on your paperwork, not on where you bought it.

Between them they handle most of the state’s registrations, since Aizawl holds a large share of the population. The other district offices serve their own areas across the hills.

Mizoram created Hnahthial, Khawzawl and Saitual as districts in 2019. Each is reported to have been given its own code, and owners there have been asked to move their registration across, which most states do not do.

MZ-10, MZ-11 and MZ-12

These are reported as Hnahthial, Khawzawl and Saitual. Only one published list carries them, so check with your district office before assuming your vehicle should change.

Moving an older registration

A vehicle registered under MZ-01 or MZ-02 before the districts were created can be moved to the new code, with a No Objection Certificate from the office that registered it.

Worth knowing: If your registration number changes, inform your insurer. The policy follows the vehicle, but the number on it has to match your Registration Certificate.

Mizoram is the only state that lets you choose how to pay. Under the Mizoram Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Act, 2019, a new private car pays 6% of its cost once for 15 years, or the same period split into two or three instalments.

For example: On a car costing ₹6 lakhs, paying once costs ₹36,000. Two instalments cost ₹25,200 now and ₹13,200 later, ₹38,400 in all. Three cost ₹13,200 each time, ₹39,600 in all. Paying once is cheapest if you plan to keep the car.

Payment works as it does elsewhere: Through the vehicle tax service on Parivahan Sewa, or at your district office. The state can revise the rates, so check the amount on Vahan against the table before paying.

Unlike the road tax, the base RTO fees are not a Mizoram decision: Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 fixes them nationally. Every MZ district office charges them, whether for a new registration, an ownership transfer, or a duplicate or renewed Registration Certificate (RC).

On top of these: The HSRP, the Mizoram road tax and any state service charge are paid separately, and Vahan shows each item before you pay.

As in most states, the dealer files the registration of a new private car in Mizoram on Vahan. Road tax and the registration fee come with the price, though Mizoram adds a choice most states do not offer: Paying the tax once or in instalments. The Registration Certificate (RC) follows once the office approves the file.

Some vehicles and transactions also need a document check, an inspection or an office visit, as in other states. Read the steps as the common case rather than a fixed sequence.

Important to know: As elsewhere in India, you are free to buy the policy yourself before delivery day. A valid policy from any insurer is enough for registration, so compare plans first.

A used car sale in Mizoram follows the national steps, at the district office on the RC or on Vahan. The fee is the national ₹300 for a car, and the buyer has 14 days to take over the insurance.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Mizoram

Clearing a loan works as in any state. With the last instalment paid, get the lender’s No Objection Certificate and Form 35, apply on Vahan, and the district office issues an RC without the loan.

Good to know: Form 34 does the opposite, adding a loan to the RC when an MZ car is financed.

Mizoram has no RTO portal of its own: Like most states, it runs online services on the national Parivahan platform. The Vahan portal handles registration, the RC, tax and ownership, the Sarathi portal handles licences, and mParivahan and the e-challan service show vehicle details and challans.

As in other states, some transactions still need a visit to the district office.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Mizoram

A duplicate RC works as in other states: Apply with Form 26 on Vahan after a loss, theft or damage, and pay the fee in the RTO fees table. Parivahan Sewa and mParivahan show RC status, and Kiwi Insurance lets you check your RC status too.

Driving licence services in Mizoram

Licence services follow the national Sarathi system. The learner’s licence, the driving test, renewal and the International Driving Permit are all applied for there, and the matching paper forms are Form 2 and Form 4A.

Traffic fines are another national rule: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 sets the amounts below for MZ vehicles as for any other. Mizoram can still compound some offences at its own amounts, so the challan is what decides the sum due.

MZ challans are searchable on echallan.parivahan.gov.in and in the mParivahan app, where they can also be paid.

Worth knowing: Of all the fines in the table, the ₹2,000 one for driving uninsured is the simplest to avoid. A valid car insurance policy rules it out.

As with any state, the documents depend on the vehicle, the state and the office, so confirm them with the RTO or on the Parivahan Sewa website. If you are leaving Mizoram, the same steps apply in the other direction: The district office gives the NOC, the next state registers the car and collects its own tax, and you can claim back any unused Mizoram tax.

A Bharat series (BH) number plate is a registration that is valid in every state, while an MZ number belongs to Mizoram. It has no state code, so the owner needs no No Objection Certificate (NOC) or new registration after moving to another state. It is meant for owners whose work moves them between states.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) brought the scheme in with G.S.R. 594(E) on 26 August 2021, applying from 15 September 2021. A later notification, G.S.R. 879(E) of 14 December 2022, added ownership transfer of Bharat series (BH) vehicles and conversion of existing registrations.

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.

Against Mizoram’s own tax: An MZ car pays 6% of its cost once for 15 years, or in two or three instalments, while a BH car pays the rate above every 2 years.

Keep in mind: Unlike an MZ car, a BH car moving to another state needs no No Objection Certificate and no new registration, and there is no tax refund to claim.

Unlike its road tax, Mizoram’s RTO forms are the national ones from the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, identical across India. Vahan and Sarathi take most of them online, and the PDF can be used where an office still asks for a paper form.

Selling works as it does nationally: The seller files Form 29, buyer and seller sign Form 30, and the buyer has 14 days after the RC transfer to move the insurance.

Worth knowing: Each form goes to the office whose code is on your RC, such as MZ-01 in Aizawl or MZ-02 in Lunglei, and in the newer districts it is worth confirming the office first. The Parivahan Sewa website lists what each service needs, which may include address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Forms not shown in the grid are on the forms page of the Parivahan Sewa website.

Worth knowing: Two transfers follow a sale, one at the RTO and one with the insurer. Doing both within the same 14 days means the car is never left without cover.