24-hour vehicle registration system introduced, officials say delays will end

The State government has rolled out a new time-bound system for permanent vehicle registration, aiming to complete the process within 24 hours of purchase. Officials said the move is expected to ease long-pending delays and improve service delivery for vehicle buyers in the city.

Explaining the new mechanism, transport officials said dealers will continue to issue temporary registration numbers at the time of purchase, after which the application will be taken up by the Transport Department for final approval. “We have fixed a clear timeline of 20 hours for departmental processing,” an official said.

They added that the system has been designed to eliminate procedural delays. “If the registration is not completed within the stipulated time, the system will automatically generate a permanent registration number after 24 hours based on the available serial sequence,” the official said.

For applicants opting for fancy numbers, officials said a separate window has been created. “Those who want a preferred number will have to pre-book it. They will be given about a month to complete the selection process,” another official said.

The city sees a steady flow of registration applications, with around six major vehicle showrooms and multiple branches handling demand. On average, about 250 vehicles are registered daily, with numbers rising sharply during festive seasons such as Diwali and Dussehra.

Previously, permanent registration often took up to 30 days after issuance of temporary numbers due to administrative and technical bottlenecks. In some cases, concerns were also raised regarding irregular practices in the system.

Officials further noted that ongoing upgrades to the vehicle registration portal have caused server disruptions over the past three days, temporarily affecting operations. “Once the technical issues are resolved, pending applications will be cleared on priority,” an official said.