Govt Unveils “Bharat series (BH-series)” To Facilitate Seamless Transfer of Vehicles: Check Report

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways department has yesterday announced the launch of a registration mark for new vehicles "Bharat series (BH-series)" where owners can seamlessly transfer their vehicles without having to do a new or re-registration while moving from one state to another. In a press release issued on 28th August 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has said that "This vehicle registration facility under "Bharat series (BH-series)" will be available on voluntary basis to Defense personnel, employees of Central Government/ State Government/ Central/ State Public Sector Undertakings and private sector companies/organizations, which have their offices in four or more States/Union territories."

The department has also confirmed that "The motor vehicle tax will be levied for two years or in multiple of two. This scheme will facilitate free movement of personal vehicles across States/UTs of India upon relocation to a new State/UT. After completion of the fourteenth year, the motor vehicle tax shall be levied annually which shall be half of the amount which was charged earlier for that vehicle," according to PIB.

Format of Bharat series (BH-series) Registration Mark

The registration mark format is placed below:

YY BH #### XX
YY - Year of first registration
BH- Code for Bharat Series
####- 0000 to 9999 (randomized)
XX- Alphabets (AA to ZZ)

According to section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, a vehicle owner is currently or usually permitted to use the vehicle in any state other than the one in which it is registered for no more than 12 months, but must register the vehicle with the new state-registering authority within that time frame. To re-register a vehicle in another or new state the owner has to submit some documents such as No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the parent state, assignment of new registration mark after the road tax on a pro-rata basis, and application for refund of the road tax in the parent state on pro-rata basis. This provision, which allows for a pro-rata refund from the parent state, is a time-consuming process that differs from state to state across the country.