Sikkim: RTO code list and details

There are four parts to an SK number plate. In SK 01 AB 1234, the first two letters mean Sikkim and 01 means the Gangtok office. AB is the registration series, and 1234 at the end is the four-digit number of the vehicle.

The SK code shows the office where the vehicle was registered, not where the owner lives today. The code stays the same when the owner moves within Sikkim, for example from Namchi to Gangtok. It would change only through a re-registration outside Sikkim or a change to the registration details.

Good to know: Sikkim is a small state, so most vehicles you see carry SK-01. The other five codes belong to district offices, which register far fewer vehicles.

Older vehicles in Sikkim

Vehicles registered before 1 April 2019 left the dealer without this plate, so they need a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) fitted by the dates Sikkim sets. The Sikkim transport department website names the HSRP booking portal. Book the installation there and check the date that applies to your SK vehicle.

Good to know: Fitting an HSRP changes only the plate, so an SK-02 car from Gyalshing keeps its SK-02 number.

Sikkim has only six offices, so the SK code list is short. The table shows the current district names next to the older ones, which changed in 2021 and 2022.

You may come across lists with codes past SK-06. Check any such code with the Motor Vehicles Department before you rely on it.

SK-01 in Gangtok is the main transport office in the state, located at the SNT Complex. It handles registration, licensing and tax for the capital district. Most vehicles on Sikkim roads carry its code.

Each of the other five offices looks after its own district. Gyalshing covers the west and Mangan the north, while Jorethang, Namchi and Soreng serve the south and south west.

Keep in mind: Your policy follows the address on your Registration Certificate, so keep that address up to date. When a district gets a new name, existing plate numbers and insurance policies stay exactly as they are.

Sikkim collects road tax once, when a new vehicle is registered, and works it out on the invoice cost. Under a Transport Department memo of 27 March 2025, the rate rises in slabs from about 1% for a vehicle costing up to ₹2 lakhs to 6% for one costing more than ₹50 lakhs. Commercial vehicles pay between 1% and 3%.

For example: A new vehicle with an invoice cost of ₹2 lakhs falls in the lowest slab, so at about 1% its one-time tax comes to roughly ₹2,000. A 1,197cc hatchback that is already registered and changes owner in Sikkim pays the flat fee of ₹4,000, whatever its price.

The tax is paid at the RTO counter when the vehicle is registered, or online under vehicle tax on Parivahan Sewa. Confirm the slab for your invoice cost on Vahan before you pay.

RTO fees are fixed nationally by Rule 81 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, so Sikkim charges the same amounts as other states, from Gangtok to Soreng. Registering a new car costs ₹600, which covers the Registration Certificate (RC), and a motorcycle costs ₹300.

The table shows only the RTO’s own fees, so it leaves out the road tax, the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) and any service charge that Sikkim adds.

Worth knowing: Renew a private car’s RC on time to avoid the ₹500 charged for every month of delay. It runs for 15 years first, then 5 years at a time.

In Sikkim, the dealer usually files the registration of a new private car on the Vahan portal. You pay the registration fee and any tax due at registration, and the Registration Certificate (RC) is issued after the RTO approves the application.

Some vehicles and transactions still need a document check, an inspection or a visit to the RTO. The steps above show the usual path, not a fixed rule.

Note: The dealer only needs a valid policy to register the car, so you are free to buy car insurance yourself before delivery day. Comparing your options first is worth the time.

Removing a loan (hypothecation) from the RC in Sikkim

After the last instalment, ask the lender for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and Form 35, as the loan stays on the RC until it is removed. With both, apply on Vahan, and the RTO issues an updated RC with no loan on it. Form 34 does the opposite: It records a loan on the RC when the car is first financed.

Online RTO work in Sikkim goes through the national Parivahan services. Anything about registration, the RC, tax or ownership is done on the Vahan portal, and licence work is done on the Sarathi portal. mParivahan and the e-challan service show vehicle details and challans.

What is fully online depends on the transaction and on the RTO.

Duplicate RC and RC status check in Sikkim

To replace an RC that is lost, stolen or damaged, apply with Form 26 on Vahan or at the SK office that issued it, and a duplicate RC is issued. To confirm what the record shows, look up the number on Parivahan Sewa or mParivahan, or check your RC status with Kiwi Insurance.

Driving licence services in Sikkim

Licences run on a national system, so Sarathi handles the learner’s licence, the driving test booking, licence renewal and the International Driving Permit. The driving test itself takes place in person at your SK office.

Traffic fines in Sikkim start from the national amounts set by the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, shown below. The state may also compound some offences at its own amounts, so check the challan for the amount you actually pay.

To check or pay a challan on an SK number, use the Parivahan e-challan portal, echallan.parivahan.gov.in, or mParivahan, which saves a trip to the office.

Worth knowing: A valid policy keeps you clear of the fine for driving uninsured, which is ₹2,000 the first time and ₹4,000 after that. The car insurance section shows how the policy ties into the RTO record.

The exact process and documents can differ by vehicle, state and RTO. Check the current steps with the RTO or on the Parivahan Sewa website. If you are leaving Sikkim, get the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your RTO first. Then register the car in the new state and pay the tax there, which is usually a one-time amount.

With a Bharat series (BH) number, the plate carries no state code, and the same number is valid all over India. An owner posted to another state keeps it, with no No Objection Certificate (NOC) or new registration. An SK number, by contrast, has to be changed after 12 months in another state. The series was introduced by G.S.R. 594(E) of 26 August 2021, in force from 15 September 2021, and G.S.R. 879(E) of 14 December 2022 extended Bharat series (BH) registration to ownership transfers and to converting existing registrations.

The scheme is meant for people posted between states, so eligibility depends on the employer. Government staff at Central or state level are covered, as are defence personnel and public sector employees. For a private sector employee, the employer must have offices in at least 4 states or union territories.

The BH number: 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.

How it compares: An SK registration settles the tax in a single payment of roughly 1% to 6% of the invoice cost, whereas BH tax takes 8% to 12% of the car’s price every 2 years, so the BH route usually costs more here.

The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, apply across India, so Sikkim uses the same RTO forms as every other state. Most can now be completed online on Vahan or Sarathi. If an office still needs a paper form, you can print the PDF.

When a used car changes hands, Form 29 and Form 30 are signed by both seller and buyer. Once the new RC is issued in the buyer’s name, the buyer has 14 days to move the insurance.

Note: Hand your forms in at the RTO that matches the code on your RC, such as SK-01 for Gangtok or SK-02 for Gyalshing. Some offices also ask for address proof or a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Before you go, look at the document list on the Parivahan Sewa website. For anything not covered here, the Parivahan Sewa website keeps every RTO form in one place.

Why the RTO record matters for your policy in Sikkim

No car can be registered without insurance, so a new car is insured first. The policy moves to the buyer within 14 days of an ownership transfer, as cover has to follow the owner. After any move or re-registration, inform your insurer, since the RC and the policy must show the same number.

Worth knowing: Try to transfer both the RC and the policy within the same two weeks. That way the car has full cover, with no break after it changes hands.