Decoding Different-Coloured Number Plates in India

By Roshni Chakrabarty

In India, the colour of a vehicle's number plate indicates the owner or the purpose of the vehicle.

India's government efficiently allocates number plate colour codes for easy vehicle recognition by the traffic police.

Here's what you need to know about the number plate colour codes in India:

This plate is used for the President of India and Governors of various states. The license number is replaced by the Emblem of India.

Red Number Plate

This is given to a vehicle used by foreign delegates/ambassadors. The number is written on this plate in white ink.

Blue Number Plate

This plate uses the code of the country the diplomat belongs to instead of the code of the state of India.

A black ink on a white number plate means the car belongs to a common citizen and cannot be used for commercial purposes.

White Number Plate

A black ink on a yellow plate means the vehicle is a commercial one and can be used for carrying passengers or freight.

Yellow Number Plate

This plate has 11 digits and is registered under the Ministry of Defence, New Delhi.

Military Number Plate