Last updated: October 2026
If you own a vehicle registered before 1 April 2019 in Kerala and still run the old-style number plate, here is the direct answer: the Kerala Motor Vehicles Department has not announced any last date for old vehicles to switch to a High-Security Registration Plate (HSRP), and there is no published Kerala-specific fine for driving an old vehicle without one. The requirement itself, however, is real and nationwide, and the Kerala High Court has said that vehicle manufacturers and their dealers may fit HSRP on old Kerala vehicles until the state government completes a fair tender process for plate manufacturers. The safe move is to book the HSRP now and keep the booking receipt in the vehicle.
HSRPs became standard on all new vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2019 across India; those vehicles left the dealer with the plates already fitted. For vehicles registered before that date, the central HSRP Order of 2018 leaves the implementation method to each state: the plates may be fitted through the registering authority, through the vehicle manufacturers and their dealers, or through license plate manufacturers approved by the state government, and a central circular of 8 January 2024 advised all states to plan for 100 percent coverage of old vehicles.
In Kerala, the rollout on old vehicles has been slower than in several other states. Court records describe roughly 75 lakh vehicles registered before 1 April 2019 in the state, and as of October 2026 there is no Kerala government notification setting a deadline or an enforcement date for this group, nor a Kerala notification announcing a special fine for old vehicles without HSRP. If that changes, it will come as an official MVD notification, which this page will track. Our Kerala HSRP price guide covers what the plates cost and how the booking portals work.
The legal position in Kerala was shaped by the Kerala High Court's 2024 judgment in Motorsigns India v State of Kerala. The court set aside a state government notification of 30 July 2024 that would have let each Regional Transport Officer call for tenders to buy machinery and set up HSRP plants, calling it a device to avoid implementing the HSRP scheme and inconsistent with the Supreme Court's directions.
The court also made clear that license plate manufacturers cannot affix HSRP without state authorisation, because uncontrolled fitting would damage the integrity of the scheme. In the interim, until the state government selects and authorises plate manufacturers through an open, transparent and fair tender process, the court permitted Original Equipment Manufacturers (vehicle makers) and their dealers to affix HSRP on old vehicles manufactured before 1 April 2019, as is already done in states including West Bengal, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
What this means for you in practical terms: you can legally get an HSRP fitted on an old vehicle today through the vehicle maker's dealer network and the authorised booking portals, without waiting for the state's tender process to finish.
No. As of October 2026, I could not find any Kerala MVD notification, press note or gazette entry that sets a last date for old vehicles to fit HSRP. This is different from some other states: Karnataka's transport department set 31 March 2025 as the deadline for pre-2019 vehicles, after which its challans treat the missing plate under the Motor Vehicles Act, and Maharashtra issued a standard operating procedure with the same 31 March 2025 cutoff.
Kerala's position so far is that the plates are available through OEM dealers and the authorised portals, and enforcement drives against old vehicles for this specific gap have not been announced. That does not mean the gap is risk-free: it means the risk is not a fixed Kerala deadline, but the general traffic enforcement provisions described below, plus the practical risk of being challaned when driving in states that have already started enforcement on old vehicles.
There is no published Kerala-specific HSRP fine figure that I could verify from an official source, so I will not quote one as if it were the rule. The general penalty provisions that apply are:
| Provision | First offence | Subsequent offence |
|---|---|---|
| Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act (general punishment for offences with no specific penalty) | Fine up to Rs.500 | Fine up to Rs.1,500 |
| Defective or fancy number plate, CMVR Rule 50 with Sections 51/177 (as applied by Delhi Traffic Police) | Rs.500 + Rs.5,000 | Rs.1,500 + Rs.10,000 |
| Registration number plate without high security (as applied by Delhi Traffic Police, Sections 39/192) | Rs.5,000 | Rs.10,000 |
The Delhi rows are other-state comparisons, not Kerala rules. Kerala has not published an equivalent dedicated HSRP penalty schedule for old vehicles. Fines also apply for fancy or non-standard plates in any case: a stylised plate is a separate violation from a missing HSRP, so do not treat a decorative plate as a substitute.
The larger risk of skipping HSRP is not a single fine figure. Enforcement in Kerala is moving toward electronic challans and virtual-court escalation; once any challan is raised against your vehicle, the 60-day escalation path toward the virtual court starts. If you already have an e-challan, our e-challan payment steps show how to clear it online before it escalates.
Because the Kerala High Court's interim arrangement lets OEMs and dealers fit HSRP on old vehicles, you do not need to wait for a state deadline. The short version: book on bookmyhsrp.com or makemyhsrp.com, enter the registration, chassis and engine numbers exactly as on the RC, choose the nearest district fitment centre, pay online, and keep the acknowledgement in the vehicle until the riveted plates are fitted (owners report plates reaching the centre within about a week). The full price figures, a real Kerala checkout receipt and the detailed booking walkthrough are in our HSRP price guide for Kerala, and the HSRP service page summarises the figures in brief.
Before the fitting date, the booking acknowledgement is your protection: it proves the order is placed. After fitting, keep the fitment receipt with the vehicle's documents. If a challan is issued, do not argue at the roadside; note the challan number, check it online, and clear it before the 60-day escalation window. And do not fit a fancy or decorative plate in place of the HSRP: stylised lettering, wrong fonts, or missing the IND marking are separate violations with their own penalties.
Other states gave their owners a window between the notification and the start of enforcement (Karnataka and Maharashtra each used deadlines months out). If Kerala announces one, expect a similar window, but do not plan around an announcement that has not happened: the fitment-centre backlog would spike, and waiting means booking under pressure.
No. A fancy or choice registration number is a separate purchase that changes only the registration number; the plate itself must still be an HSRP with the hologram, laser etching, IND marking and snap locks. A stylised plate on an old vehicle is a double risk: no HSRP plus a fancy-plate violation.
Vehicles with a windshield also get a colour-coded fuel sticker on the windscreen (blue for petrol and CNG, orange for diesel, green for electric). In Kerala it generally arrives in the same pack as the plates, as our price guide shows with a real Rs.712 checkout receipt.
Possibly. The Kerala High Court's interim arrangement runs only until the state selects authorised plate manufacturers through a fair tender. After that, the state is expected to publish its own list of approved vendors or portals. Existing HSRPs fitted through OEM dealers remain valid; the tender affects who may fit new plates, not plates already fitted.
States that have started enforcement against old vehicles without HSRP (Karnataka and Maharashtra are examples) can challan any vehicle on their roads under their own rules, whatever the state of registration. If you regularly drive interstate, the voluntary booking is worth doing now rather than after a deadline you did not hear about.
Update the RC first: the booking is verified against government records, and mismatched chassis or engine numbers are the most common reason a booking gets stuck. Sort out hypothecation entries, ownership transfers or address changes through the RTO before ordering.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before applying. This guide is updated whenever Kerala MVD announces an enforcement drive for HSRP on old vehicles.
Keralam Transport