To drive your car on Indian roads legally, you have to abide by the various rules and regulations laid down by the government. For instance, you have to have valid motor insurance to drive your vehicle as per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Similarly, you must also ensure that your brand new car comes with a temporary registration number. This article will help you learn more about a temporary registration number and how to apply for one.

A temporary registration number is a numeric assigned by the dealer from whom you purchased your vehicle. It is a unique number assigned to each vehicle and is valid for a period of one month. During this time, vehicle owners have to get their cars registered by the concerned Regional Transport Office (RTO). According to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, each car must be issued a permanent registration number. However, since giving a permanent number may take a while, you must obtain a temporary registration number. While the thumb rule is that a brand new car must be assigned a temporary registration number at the showroom, you can apply for one yourself in case of a slip–up.

As of now, you cannot apply for a temporary registration number online. The procedure to apply offline is as given below:

• Download Form 20 from the official website of Parivahan Sewa by the Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways and apply for a temporary car registration number.

• Fill up the application form as required.

• Gather the documents needed to apply for the number.

• Visit the RTO that has jurisdiction over your residential area and submit the form with the required documents.

• Pay the registration fees necessary for acquiring the temporary registration number.

• The RTO will issue your new car a temporary registration number.

If you are going for temporary vehicle registration, you need to provide the following documents:

• Form 20, or the application form.

• Form 21, or the original sales certificate of the car.

• Form 22, or the car’s road worthiness certificate.

• Motor insurance certificate.

• Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate.

• Address proof for the owner such as electricity bill, ration card, Aadhaar Card, etc.

• Copy of PAN Card (if not available, Form 60 and 61)

While the temporary registration number comes with a validity of one month, you can apply for an extension if your permanent registration number is not issued in that duration. You can apply for the same with the RTO and specify the reason and time period of extension, subject to payment of certain charges. You can apply for such an extension a maximum of two times. The second time you do so, you have to pay the penalty as required by the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989.

Remember to also keep motor insurance renewed for your vehicles as having third–party coverage is mandatory in India. We hope that this blog has been helpful.