The Uttar Pradesh Transport Department is set to introduce a new facility that will allow vehicle owners to retain their preferred registration numbers for up to one year after scrapping or disposing of their old vehicles. The system is currently under trial with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and is expected to be rolled out across the state after final approval.
At present, registration numbers are automatically blocked once a vehicle reaches the end of its legal lifespan and is scrapped — typically after 10 years for diesel vehicles and 15 years for petrol vehicles. Under the proposed system, owners will be able to reserve their registration number for a period of one year and transfer it to a newly purchased vehicle within that timeframe.
Transport department officials said applicants will need to apply for the retention facility at their respective Regional Transport Offices (RTOs). The proposed fee for retaining a registration number is Rs 5,000, along with an additional charge of Rs 600.
Officials indicated that the NIC has nearly completed trials of the system, and once it is reviewed by senior authorities, it will be formally launched. The move is part of the department’s broader push toward digitisation and improved citizen services.
So far, Uttar Pradesh has made 58 transport-related services available online, covering areas such as driving licences, vehicle registration, and permits. Of these, 16 services are processed through an auto-approval mechanism. Online facilities currently include change of address on learner’s licences, updating photographs and signatures, issuing duplicate learner’s licences, renewal of driving licences without a mandatory test, biometric updates, duplicate public service vehicle (PSV) badges, conductor licence services, payment of registration certificate fees, and changes to addresses in vehicle registration documents.
The department stated that Uttar Pradesh currently leads the country in the number of faceless transport services available online, with 58 services, followed by states like Assam and West Bengal with 46 each, Tamil Nadu with 45, and Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh with 42 each.
Deputy Transport Commissioner Vijay Kumar Singh said that once implemented, the new system will simplify the process for vehicle owners. “Vehicle owners will be able to reserve their old registration number for one year after completing the application process at the RTO. If they purchase a new vehicle within that period, the reserved number can be transferred,” he said.
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