BH Series Number Plate: How the Tax Renewal Really Works, Who Is Eligible and Mistakes to Avoid

By Meezan KhanOct 25, 20266 min read

ShortsWatch while you're here

All Shorts →

ShortErtiga is DEAD! 🚨 Maruti 7-Seater EV (YMC) Spied with 500 KM Range! 🤯 #shorts

ShortMaruti is LOSING! 🚨 Tata Punch Becomes India's No.1 SUV! 🤯 #shorts

ShortNexon In DANGER! 🚨 Hyundai Bayon Gets 5-STAR Safety & Level 2 ADAS! 🤯 #Shorts

ShortNexon is DEAD! 🚨 Skoda Kylaq Gets ₹90,000 DIWALI Discount! 🤯 #Shorts

ShortCreta Ka Kalesh! 🚨 Hyundai Bayon Real Images Leaked & Tech Revealed! 🤯 #Shorts

ShortTesla's Flying Car Isn't For Sale! 🚨 The Genius Decoy Effect Explained! 🤯 #Shorts

Short0-100 IN 0.59 SECONDS?! 🚨 New Tesla Roadster Gets FLYING ROCKET Thrusters! 🤯 #Shorts

Shorti20 is DEAD! 🚨 New Toyota Glanza Launched at ₹6.99 Lakh with LEVEL 2 ADAS! 🤯 #shorts

Rear of a white car with a BH series number plate

A BH series number plate does not expire at 14 years and it has no separate plate renewal. What people call “BH series renewal” is paying the road tax, which the rules set in two-year blocks, and the tax drops to half the usual rate after 14 years. Our video, titled around renewal fees and required documents, used the word loosely, and that wording can mislead owners into hunting for a fee or a plate that does not exist. This guide explains how the BH series number plate works, who is eligible, how the tax is paid, and the mistakes worth avoiding, with a clear note on which facts come from official sources and which come only from secondary ones.

Watch the full video above for the walkthrough. The written version below separates what is official from what is only reported.

What the video covers

BH series number plate renewal and the common mistakes.
Fees, required documents and the online process.
The latest rules.

BH series number plate at a glance

Introduced: by a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notification, G.S.R. 594(E), dated 26 August 2021, in force from 15 September 2021.
Purpose: a BH vehicle does not need a new registration mark when the owner moves to another state.
Format: two digits for the year of first registration, “BH”, four random digits and two letters, generated by the portal.
Tax: levied for two years or in multiples of two, and half the earlier amount each year after 14 years.
Renewal fee: none found in the rules.

Who can get a BH series number

The scheme is voluntary. According to the Maharashtra Transport Department’s scheme document, which quotes the ministry’s rules, eligibility covers defence personnel, central and state government employees, employees of central and state public-sector undertakings, and private-sector employees whose company has offices in four or more states or union territories. Government employees give their official ID card, and private-sector employees give a working certificate in Form 60, which is uploaded during the Vahan processing. The scheme originally covered new, non-transport two-wheelers and four-wheelers. In December 2022 the rules were changed so that a regular-registered vehicle can be converted to BH on payment of the required tax, as reported by the Tribune.

How the “renewal” actually works

There is no plate renewal at 14 years in the rules we found. The registration number stays. What you pay is the motor vehicle tax, in blocks of two years, instead of the usual 15-year lump sum. The Maharashtra document quotes the rule that after the fourteenth year the tax is levied annually at half the amount charged earlier. Other sources phrase this as “from the 14th year”, so the exact year is inconsistent in the sources, and we are saying “after 14 years” and not pinning it to the 14th or 15th.

How much is the tax? Legal explainers describe a calculation on the invoice price excluding GST, with a lower rate for cheaper cars, a higher rate for costlier ones, a surcharge for diesel and a discount for electric. We could not open the gazette text to check the slabs, so we are not printing the percentages. In January 2025 the Kerala High Court ruled, in a case reported by LiveLaw, that the Centre cannot fix the tax rates against the states, because motor vehicle tax is a state subject. So the amount you pay can differ by state, and the figure on the payment portal is the one to trust.

How to pay the tax online

The payment steps below come from insurer and broker guides and not from the Parivahan site itself, which we could not load, so check them on the portal:

Open the Parivahan Sewa portal and go to Online Services, then Pay Your Tax.
Choose the state where the vehicle is registered.
Enter the registration number and the last five digits of the chassis number.
The portal shows the tax amount, which you cannot edit.
Pay by net banking, UPI or card and download the receipt.

The rules we found do not list any documents for paying the tax. Claims online about a Form 25 or extra ID and pollution papers are unverified, and a flat ₹500 “renewal fee” quoted by one insurer’s blog has no source, so do not pay anyone who asks for it.

Mistakes worth avoiding

Letting the two-year tax lapse. One legal site mentions a late penalty of ₹100 a day, but that is secondary and may differ by state.
Assuming the tax is one national figure. It follows state law, so use the portal amount.
Not telling the registering authority when you move. The rules reportedly require you to file Form 33 within 30 days if you keep the vehicle in another state, per a legal explainer.
Treating “renewal” as a plate swap or a fee. The number stays and only the tax is due.
Assuming the plate transfers to any buyer. Transfer rules are reported only, so check before you sell.

What is official and what is not

Point	Source status
Scheme, format, eligibility, documents	Government scheme document
Two-year tax blocks, half rate after 14 years	Government scheme document, wording varies
Tax slabs and formula	Legal explainers only
State control of the rates	Kerala High Court, January 2025
Payment steps	Insurer guides, not the portal
Late penalty and Form 33 timing	Secondary, unverified
Any 2026 rule change	None verified

A note on our video

Our video’s title and description use “renewal”, “renewal fees”, “required documents” and “latest rules 2026”. The description lists no specific figures, so nothing in it contradicts the rules, but the words can mislead. There is no plate renewal, the rules specify tax and not a renewal fee, and the only BH-specific documents are the Form 60 working certificate and the government ID, which are needed at registration or conversion. We found no verified central rule change in 2026. A June 2026 procedure for BH transfers appeared on one portal with no official copy, so we are not treating it as fact. We have not applied for or renewed a BH number ourselves, and this is an explainer and not legal advice.

What to do next

Check your two-year tax date, use the portal amount, and keep the receipt. Watch the full video for the demonstration, and see the videos page and car news. For the scheme text, see the LiveLaw report on the Kerala High Court ruling.

BH series number plate FAQs

Does a BH series number plate need renewal?

Not as a plate. The number stays, and you pay the road tax in two-year blocks, with half the earlier annual amount after 14 years.

Who is eligible for a BH series number?

Defence personnel, central and state government employees, public-sector employees, and private-sector employees whose company has offices in four or more states or union territories.