Bharat series registration

What’s in Today’s Article?

• BH Series registration – About, eligibility, resolution of tax issues
• Existing System before BH series
• News Summary

Why in News?

• Now people in transferable jobs, in both government and private sectors, can get their existing vehicles registered under the ‘Bharat’ (BH) series.
  • In August 2021, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had notified Bharat series (“BH” series) of registration of a vehicle.
• Until now such registration under “BH” series was allowed only for new vehicles.

BH series registration

• In order to facilitate seamless transfer of vehicles, govt has introduced a new registration mark for new vehicles i.e., “Bharat series (BH-series)”.
• The new system of allotting BH series registration to vehicles will be completely online.
• The government has amended Rule 47 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. Now, vehicles bearing the BH registration mark will not require to be re-registered in a new state once it relocates.

What is the eligibility for BH series registration?

• Anyone who is a government/PSU employee, state or Centre, is eligible.
• In private sector, an employee of a company that has offices in at least four states/UTs is eligible to get the BH number on voluntary basis.

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What tax issue is resolved under the BH series?

• Vehicles registering under the BH system will be levied road tax for two years and in multiple of two thereafter.
• Owner will not have to pay the whole amount of 15 years’ worth of road tax up front.
• This frees the owner from having to seek refund before or after relocation because the tax has not pre-paid.
• 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.

What was the existing system before the launch of BH Series?

• System before BH series
  • For relocating a vehicle to another state, one has to first get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state where the vehicle is currently registered.
  • After getting the NOC, he/she must re-register the vehicle in the next state where the vehicle will be relocated.
• Legal Provisions Behind this System
  • Section 47 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, regulates the relocation of vehicles to another states.
  • As per this section, a vehicle can reside in another state with the same registration for not more than 12 months it has to be re-registered in the new state.
  • It also enables that person to apply for refund of the road tax in the parent state on a pro rata basis.
• Challenges in Existing System
  • When one buys and registers a new personal vehicle, the parent state charges the road tax up front for the whole registered life of the vehicle, which is 15 years.
  • When the same vehicle relocates in another state after some time, the parent state has to refund the road tax (for the remaining period) it has already received.
  • Refunding of road tax on pro rata basis is mandated by the Section 47 of the Act.
  • However, provision to get a refund from the parent state is a very cumbersome process and varies from one state to another.

News Summary

• Owners of vehicles registered under BH series or with BH number plates don’t need to apply for NOC when they move from one state to another for their jobs.
  • This reduces hassles, paperwork and time as they don’t need to apply for a new registration when they shift to another state.
• The road transport ministry has notified the changes in this regard.
• These changes also allow the transfer of ownership of the vehicles with BH series registration mark to other persons, who are eligible to own such vehicles.

Q1) What is the BH series?

The BH Series number plate removes the obligation of transferring vehicle registration after moving from one state to the other.

Q2) How to convert to a BH number plate?

The owner of the vehicle who wants to convert the regular registration mark to the BH series (if the person is eligible), has to apply in Form 27A for the assignment of the BH registration mark to the registering authority of the State or Union Territory in which the concerned vehicle is currently registered or placed. 

Source: 24 States, UTs rolled out new Bharat Series for vehicle registration