Last updated: October 2026
The direct answer: BH (Bharat) series registration is a voluntary, all-India mark for non-transport (private) vehicles only, available in Kerala if you are defence personnel, a Central or State government or PSU employee, or a private sector employee whose employer has offices in four or more states or union territories. A BH vehicle needs no new registration mark when you move state, and its tax is paid in two-year blocks instead of as one lifetime payment. The Kerala point most guides miss is tax: after a Kerala High Court ruling in January 2025, BH vehicles in Kerala are taxed under the Kerala Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1976, not at the flat central rates on most national pages, so the tax shown on the Vahan payment screen for your vehicle is the figure to go by.
MoRTH introduced the BH series by notification dated 26 August 2021 (G.S.R. 594(E)). The mark is generated randomly through the portal, so you cannot choose the number.
| Part of the mark | Meaning |
|---|---|
| YY (first two digits) | Year of first registration, for example 26 for 2026 |
| BH | Code for the Bharat series |
| #### (four digits) | Randomised number from 0000 to 9999 |
| XX (two letters) | Randomised alphabets from AA to ZZ |
A plate reading 26 BH 1234 AB was first registered in 2026 under the Bharat series. It carries no Kerala district code, unlike a normal KL plate. The plate itself is a high security registration plate; our HSRP number plate Kerala price guide covers fitment in Kerala.
| Category | Proof of eligibility |
|---|---|
| Defence personnel | Official service identity card |
| Central or State government employees | Official identity card |
| Central or State PSU employees | Official identity card or employer certificate |
| Private sector employees | Form 60 working certificate from the employer, confirming the company has offices in four or more states or union territories, plus the employment identity card |
If none of these categories fits you, you are not eligible, however often you travel. BH is also not available for transport vehicles such as taxis, goods vehicles or buses. Self-employed applicants, and employees of companies operating in fewer than four states, stay on the normal KL series. Eligibility is checked from the documents above, and weak employment proof is the common reason a BH request is not approved.
| Point | BH series | Normal KL series |
|---|---|---|
| Moving to another state | No new registration mark needed on relocation | Re-registration is the normal route if the vehicle is kept in the new state for more than 12 months, usually starting with an NOC; see our NOC for car transfer from Kerala guide |
| Road tax pattern | Paid for two years, or a multiple of two years, at a time | Private vehicles normally pay lifetime tax at registration in Kerala; see our Kerala road tax for new car calculator |
| Who can take it | Eligible employment categories only | Any owner |
| Vehicle type | Non-transport only | Transport and non-transport |
| Number choice | Generated randomly by the portal | Choice and fancy numbers are possible through the fancy number route |
Lead with the official Kerala position, because national pages quote a central table that does not set your Kerala bill. Rule 51B sets the principles: tax is levied for two years or a multiple of two, and after the fourteenth year annually at half the amount charged earlier. Rule 51B(2) also printed central rates of 8 percent of invoice price below Rs.10 lakh, 10 percent from Rs.10 to 20 lakh and 12 percent above Rs.20 lakh, with 2 percent extra for diesel and 2 percent less for electric vehicles.
In January 2025 the Kerala High Court, in Harish Kumar KP v Union of India (2025 LiveLaw (Ker) 13), held that prescribing the tax rate is within the states domain, that the central rates in Rule 51B(2) are not enforceable, and that BH vehicles should be registered with tax charged under the Kerala Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1976, following the principles in Rule 51B(1) and (3). In practice: the two-year block pattern applies, but the rate is the Kerala Act rate, and no separate Kerala BH rate table could be verified on parivahan.gov.in or mvd.kerala.gov.in in this run (mvd.kerala.gov.in did not respond at research time). Treat the Vahan payment screen total for your vehicle as final, and check any dealer quote against it before paying; a gap is normally a service charge or add-on, so ask for an itemised breakup.
No separate BH-specific registration fee could be verified on an official fee page in this run. Registration, smart card and plate charges, if any, appear in the same Vahan fee panel, which is the final figure.
BH tax is not a one-time lifetime payment. When a block ends, the next block is paid electronically, in practice through the Pay Your Tax service under Vehicle Related Services on Parivahan, using the registration number and chassis details. You can also pay for a multiple of two years where the portal offers it. After the fourteenth year, tax is annual at half the earlier amount. Set your own reminder: no fixed Kerala late fee for a missed BH block could be verified on an official page in this run, so do not rely on a figure quoted elsewhere.
Eligibility belongs to the owner, not the vehicle alone. If the buyer is not eligible for BH, the vehicle has to move to a normal state registration in the buyers name, with the tax position worked out by the RTO then. Do not promise a buyer that the BH mark will simply continue. The general transfer paperwork is in our RC transfer Kerala fees and time guide; settle the BH question with the RTO before money changes hands.
No. It is voluntary but restricted to defence personnel, government and PSU employees, and private sector employees whose employer has offices in four or more states or union territories, and only for non-transport vehicles.
No new registration mark is needed on relocation; that is the core benefit notified in 2021. Keep tax blocks paid and insurance, PUC and RC valid in every state.
Those are the central rates in Rule 51B(2). The Kerala High Court held in January 2025 that they are not enforceable and that BH vehicles in Kerala are taxed under the Kerala Motor Vehicle Taxation Act, 1976. Go by your Vahan payment screen, not the central table.
The series was launched for new vehicles, and this run could not verify an official Kerala conversion procedure for existing KL vehicles on parivahan.gov.in or mvd.kerala.gov.in. Ask your RTO, with eligibility proof, before relying on any conversion claim by an agent or dealer.
No. The BH registration mark is generated randomly through the online portal, as four randomised digits followed by two randomised letters after the year and BH code.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before applying, and treat the Vahan tax and fee total shown for your own vehicle as the final figure.
Keralam Transport