What a West Bengal registration number tells you

An Indian registration number starts with the state and then a two-digit code for the registering office. In West Bengal that code tells you roughly where the vehicle has spent its life, which is useful before you spend a day travelling to look at it.

Why it matters to a buyer

• Where the paperwork lives. A transfer between RTOs is more work than a transfer within one. If you are in Howrah and the vehicle is registered in Siliguri, expect an NOC and a longer wait.
• What the vehicle has been through. A car registered and driven in central Kolkata has had a different life from one registered in a district town — more stop-start, more standing water in monsoon, less open road.
• Whether the story adds up. A seller in Kolkata with a number from a distant district and no explanation is worth asking about. There is usually a perfectly ordinary answer; it is the absence of one that matters.

Low numbers are older, not better

The two-digit codes were allocated over time, so a low number often means an older registering office, not a valuable plate. It says nothing about the vehicle's condition and should not move the price.

The check that actually matters

Whatever the plate says, put the registration number into the government's vehicle records and confirm the make, model, year and fuel match what you are standing in front of. A number that describes a different vehicle is the end of the conversation.