How to Get the Details of Bike Insurance by Registration Number?

The registration number of your bike is a unique number that provides its identifying tag. It’s an alphanumeric number that identifies a particular vehicle along with the state, district and city where it’s registered. This number is mandatory for all vehicles and must be displayed on both the front and rear sides of the vehicle’s licence plate.

The Regional Transport Office (RTO) of your area provides a registration number to any vehicle that is purchased in a formal document called the registration certificate (RC). It is the responsibility of the bike owner to get their bike registered and get the bike RC details from the nearest RTO within a month of the purchase.

In short, the registration number acts like an ID card for your bike. Traffic authorities can use this number to find its basic details, including fitness status, RTO where it’s registered, PUC details, and insurance status. You can also use it to find your bike’s policy number and other details.

Bike Registration Number Structure

A bike’s registration number is issued in the format of AA BB AA BBBB, where A represents letters, and B represents numbers. Here is what each part of the registration number means:

First Two Letters (AA): These denote the state code for where the bike is registered. Examples include DL for Delhi, RJ for Rajasthan, TN for Tamil Nadu and WB for West Bengal.

Second Two Numbers: These represent the district code or local RTO code. For example, MH-02 represents Mumbai (West) Andheri and its RTO office.

Third Two Letters: These represent an ongoing series used by the RTO office when issuing the latest vehicles. It can be one, two or three letters.

Last Four Numbers: The last four numbers are a unique number given to each vehicle.

Key Aspects of Bike Registration Numbers

Unique Identification: Every registration number is unique and identifies a unique motorbike.

Verifiable: Both traffic authorities and individuals can check your bike’s registration number to find your contact and location details.

Mandatory Requirement: Every vehicle must have a valid registration number to drive legally in India.

Appears on Number Plates: Every vehicle is mandated to display its registration number on both front and back licence plates.

Shows Where It's Registered: By looking at the registration number, you can know the state and district/RTO where it’s registered.

A bike’s registration number works as an official identifier for a bike and proves its legal ownership. Here’s why having this number is important for insurance purposes:

Allows You to Get New Insurance: Since the registration number is a unique identifier, you need to provide it to purchase a new bike insurance plan. This ensures that the insurance is tied to a unique vehicle whose ownership is proven.

Used to Renew Bike Insurance: If you want to renew your bike insurance policy, you will need to provide its registration number. With this, you make sure that you pay premiums to renew a plan that is registered against your bike.

Necessary for Filing Insurance Claims: The registration number proves that you own the bike and lets traffic authorities track the vehicle in case it’s lost or stolen. That’s why when you file a claim for a policy, the insurance company processes it against your bike’s registration number.

Needed to Transfer Your Insurance: When you sell your bike, you also need to transfer its insurance to the new owner. As the registration number and bike insurance are linked, it allows easy transfer of insurance.

Required to Track Insurance Details: You can find your bike information by registration number online via the Parivahan portal or your RTO’s website. This lets you quickly find insurance details, including policy number, insurance validity, etc.

Similar to a bank account number, the registration number assigned to the vehicle is also unique. Therefore, you can use the registration number to check your bike insurance details as well as other essential information. The bike insurance number and other details are stored within the assigned registration number.

Here are the different ways for you to check the bike policy number and other details using its registration number:

Parivahan Website: Parivahan is the official portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under the Indian Government. You can also download the official mParivahan app on your mobile phone and search for your insurance details from there.

RTO Website: You can visit the official website of the RTO where your bike is registered from the website of your state transport department. There, you have to enter your bike’s registration number to find your insurance details.

Insurance Information Bureau: IIB is an IRDAI-owned website that maintains a centralised database of insurance details in India. It allows policyholders and other individuals to check bike policy numbers, insurance validity, etc.

Insurer’s Website: You can also find your bike insurance details by visiting your insurer’s website or app and logging in with your credentials. Another option is to visit their nearest office and search for insurance details using the registration number.

Check our step-by-step guides on how to check your bike insurance details using its registration number through different methods:

Via the Parivahan Website

Step 1: Go to the official Parivahan website and navigate to ‘Online Services’ and ‘Vehicle Related Services’ from the main menu.

Step 2: You will be redirected to the next page, where you need to select the state where your bike is registered.

Step 3: Enter your bike’s registration number, check the privacy policy and terms of conditions declaration and click on ‘Proceed’. You will get complete details about your bike registration and insurance.

Step 4: Select your insurance and download your policy document to get all the details.

Via the Insurer’s Portal

Step 1: Visit your insurance company’s portal.

Step 2: Go to the ‘Retrieve Policy’ or ‘Policy Details’ section based on the menu options.

Step 3: Enter your vehicle registration number and mobile number.

Step 4: Verify using the one-time password (OTP) sent to your registered mobile number.

Step 5: You can see your bike insurance details, including policy number and expiry date. You can also contact your insurer via its customer service number to get these details.

Via the State RTO’s Portal

Step 1: First, find and visit the website of your state’s RTO where your bike is registered.

Step 2: Go to ‘Online Services’ or ‘Citizens Section’ and ‘Vehicle Related Services’ and select ‘Vahan Services’.

Step 3: Enter your bike registration number and chassis number, as requested.

Step 4: Enter the captcha code or mobile number for verification. The system will show all relevant details, including the insurance number for the bike and expiry date.

Here are some additional ways to check two-wheeler insurance by vehicle number if you are unable to use the above methods:

Via the IIB Portal

Step 1: Go to the official website of the Insurance Information Bureau of India.

Step 2: Scroll down till you get to the contact form.

Step 3: Fill in the required details, including your name, email address, organisation name, and mobile number. Then, type in your query. The system will show your bike insurance details.

Via SMS to Vahan

Step 1: Use the mobile number used for your bike registration to type this SMS: VAHAN bike registration number.

Step 2: Send the above SMS to 7738 299899. Once you have sent this SMS, you will get your insurance details along with the owner’s name, model, registered RTO, PUC certificate, RC expiration date, etc.

Here are some advantages of checking your bike policy and other details using the registration number:

• Access to Multiple Methods: Your bike registration number is linked to your insurance for a new bike as soon as you buy it. This lets you check your insurance details via multiple government and insurance portals.

• Full Insurance Details: You can check not only your insurance details with the registration number, but also vehicle ownership, model, make, policy validity, RC details, and more.

• Time Saving Process: Portals like Parivahan, IIB, Vahan, etc., let you easily find your insurance details with just your bike’s registration number. With it, you save time and find what you are looking for in a few clicks.

• Avoiding Penalties: Losing your bike’s valid registration leads to severe fines and penalties when caught by traffic authorities. If you lose your insurance certificate, it carries further penalties.

• Facilitates Easy Renewals: If you have your bike’s valid registration, you can easily renew your existing plan with your insurer. This allows you to maintain continuous insurance coverage and maintain financial safety.

When you check bike number registration on Parivahan or Vahan portals, you may come across error messages, such as ‘no records found’ or ‘incomplete data’. This can happen due to several reasons, which are listed below:

Data Entry Error: Incorrect spacing, use of special characters, or capitalisation could be the reason why you received an error message. Ensure to type in the registration number exactly as it appears.

RC Not Issued: If you have recently upgraded your licence or have a temporary registration, you will get the ‘RC Not Issued’ message. It may take some time for your registration details to appear.

Missing or Delayed Data: If you recently made changes to your registration details, the changes may take time to be updated.

If you can’t access your or a seller’s insurance details, check the hard copies of the policy document, service records, insurance copy or the RTO’s no-objection certificate. You can also manually check the documents by going to your local RTO office.

The following are the consequences of not having a valid bike registration in India:

• Legal Penalties: Anyone who rides an unregistered bike violates the provisions of Section 192 of the Motor Vehicles Act. They can face heavy fines, revocation of their driving licence and even imprisonment.

• Vehicle Impoundment: Traffic authorities may seize any bike operating without a valid registration and impound it.

• Difficulty in Checking Insurance Details: Most government portals require you to provide your registration number to display your policy information. Without a registration number, you can’t know your insurance validity.

• Resale Issues: As the registration number proves your ownership of a vehicle, you will find it difficult to lease or sell your bike without it.

• Delayed Claim Processing: To process an insurance claim, the insurer needs your bike’s registration number. Without it, you have to manually verify your ownership and show ID proof to settle claims.

By now, you must have learnt how to check your bike information by the registration number through multiple methods. Moreover, as stated above, riding a bike without insurance for your 2-wheeler is a legal offence. So, you must keep a copy of your bike insurance policy while driving on the roads.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly basic plan, you can get TATA AIG’s Third Party Bike Insurance. Our third-party insurance plan can be easily purchased online in a few steps and offers the necessary legal coverage against third-party damages.

All the bike prices and other information listed above pertain to a specific city and vehicle model. Since this information is subject to change, it is advisable to check the latest information before purchasing a vehicle or an insurance policy.