A bike insurance policy has been made mandatory by the rules mentioned under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. This Act governs the traffic rules which motor vehicles have to follow in India and one such rule is the need for a valid motor insurance policy on all vehicles. That is why, if you have a bike, you need to have a valid bike insurance policy on the same. Due to this rule, all biker owners invest in a bike insurance plan. The compulsory bike insurance policy is the third party policy which covers injury, property damage or death suffered by a third party due to the bike. If, on the other hand, you buy a comprehensive policy, you also get covered for the damages which the bike suffers.
Click here to find out the differences between the third party and comprehensive policy in detail.
Whether you buy a third party policy or a comprehensive one, the registration number of the bike is used to buy the policy. Let’s understand what this number is and how you can use it to check bike insurance status.
What is a bike registration number?
Your bike’s registration number is a unique number which is allotted by the Regional Transport Office (RTO) of your district. This number is unique for each vehicle and it helps in the identification of the bike and its owner. When you buy a new bike, you are required to get the bike registered with the local RTO within 30 days of buying a bike. On successful registration of the bike, the RTO issues a unique registration number which you are required to fix onto your bike. This number is printed on a number plate and you fix that number plate on your bike for identification purposes.
The format of the registration number is AA DD AA DDDD where ‘A’ stands for alphabets and ‘D’ stands for numerical digits. The first two alphabets signify the State in which the vehicle is being registered. The next two digits are the district code followed by two alphabets which are the ongoing series of the RTO for vehicle classification. The last four digits are the unique identification number of your bike. So, if the bike number is WB 26 PN 0202, WB would mean that the bike is registered in West Bengal, 26 would be the State’s district where registration has been done, PN would be the RTO sequence and 0202 would be the unique identification number of the bike.
While the first six figures can be the same between two vehicles, the last four digits are never the same and they help in identifying the bike.
Use of the registration number
Besides helping in the identification of the bike, the registration number is useful in the following instances
- For buying a bike insurance plan
You cannot buy any bike insurance policy if you don’t have the registration number of the bike. When the policy is issued, the bike’s registration number is contained in the policy document which helps in making sure that the policy is issued for the specific bike.
- For renewing bike insurance plan
Even when you want to renew your bike insurance policy, you would have to furnish your bike’s registration number so that your policy can be renewed. Purchase and renewal of your bike insurance policy are not possible without the bike’s registration number.
Click on the button below to read more about the bike insurance renewal process.
- For making claims
If you face a claim you would require your bike insurance policy number as well as the bike’s registration number at the time of claim. In fact, the registration certificate of the bike would have to be submitted for getting your claims processed.
Read more about the process of making a bike insurance claim
- For making third party claims
If you suffer an accident and are physically injured due to someone else’s bike, you can make a claim on the individual’s third party coverage if you have the registration number of the individual’s bike. The registration number can be used to check bike insurance status and you can check the status and make a claim for third party injuries. - For checking your bike insurance details
If you don’t have the bike insurance policy handy and you need the policy details of your bike, you can use your bike’s registration number. It is possible to check bike insurance details with a registration number. Just enter the number and you would get the complete details of your bike insurance policy.
Process of checking bike insurance details with registration number
When the bike insurance policy is bought, it gets linked with your bike’s registration number. Thus, it becomes possible to check the details of your bike insurance policy through the registration number. You can do a bike insurance check online with the bike’s registration number. To do so, the following methods can be adopted
- You can choose to visit the official website of the RTO where your bike is registered and use the registration number to do bike insurance check.
- You can go to the website of the State Transport Department and check bike insurance details with registration number
- You can visit the website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan/) and check your insurance policy details. To do so, you would have to enter the registration number of your bike and the complete details would be displayed.
- Even the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has developed an Insurance Information Bureau whose website can be accessed for checking bike insurance online. The website is https://iib.gov.in/
So, if you are buying a new bike insurance policy or renewing an existing one, know the registration number of your bike. The number is linked to your bike insurance plan and helps in identifying your policy in times of claims.
FAQ’s
The registration number of the bike is valid for 15 years from the date that it is issued.
In case you relocate to another state and you want to use the bike in the new State, you would have to get the bike’s registration number changed. The bike would be re-registered in the new State with another unique registration number.
Yes, the registration number of your bike is valid in all Indian States.
