Vahan Portal Services (2026): What You Can Actually Do Online
Vahan is the national vehicle registration database and the portal built on it. Sarathi is its counterpart for driving licences. Almost every RTO transaction now starts on one of the two.
This covers what you can genuinely complete online, what still requires an RTO visit, and how to get past the errors that stop people.
Vahan and Sarathi are different systems
People search for one and land on the other, which wastes a lot of time.
Vahan handles the vehicle: registration, transfer of ownership, hypothecation, fitness, permits, road tax, and duplicate RC.
Sarathi handles the person: learner licence, permanent licence, renewal, duplicate licence, international permit, and licence endorsements.
If your question is about a vehicle, it is Vahan. If it is about a driver, it is Sarathi. For what a vehicle record contains, see Vahan 4.0 explained.
What you can complete fully online
These no longer require an RTO visit in most states.
State implementation varies. A service live in one state may still be counter-based in another, which is why guidance found online often does not match what you see.
- Checking vehicle details by registration number.
- Paying road tax and downloading the receipt.
- Applying for duplicate RC.
- Booking a fitness inspection appointment.
- Initiating transfer of ownership and hypothecation termination.
- Downloading RC and licence through DigiLocker or mParivahan.
What still needs a physical visit
Anything requiring inspection of the vehicle or the person.
The pattern is consistent: the paperwork moved online, the physical verification did not.
- Fitness inspection itself, though the appointment is booked online.
- Driving test for a permanent licence.
- Vehicle inspection for certain transfers, re-registration and modification approvals.
- Biometric or document verification where the state requires it.
Common Vahan errors and what they mean
Most people give up at one of these, and each has a straightforward cause.
- Details not matching: the chassis number entered does not match the record. Enter the last five digits exactly as printed, without spaces.
- Record not found: the vehicle may be registered in a state whose data has not fully migrated, or the number is entered in the wrong format. Try without spaces and hyphens.
- Backlog: the record exists in an older state system and has not been migrated to the central database. This needs the RTO to resolve; no amount of retrying will fix it.
- Service unavailable: the state server is down rather than your record being wrong. These portals are busiest at month end.
- Payment made but status unchanged: allow 24 to 48 hours before assuming failure, and keep the transaction reference.
What Vahan will not show you
Owner personal details are masked, and deliberately so.
You can see make and model, vehicle class, registration date and RTO, fuel type, insurance and PUC validity, and fitness and permit status for commercial vehicles. You cannot see the owner's name, address or contact details.
Any service claiming to return full owner details from a number plate is either misrepresenting what it does or handling data it should not. The legitimate uses, verifying a used vehicle or onboarding a subcontracted one, are all served by the masked data.
To decode the registration series itself, use the free RC check tool.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Vahan and Sarathi?
Vahan handles vehicle matters: registration, ownership transfer, hypothecation, fitness, permits and road tax. Sarathi handles driver matters: learner and permanent licences, renewals, duplicates and endorsements. Vehicle questions go to Vahan, driver questions to Sarathi.
What does "Vahan backlog" mean?
The vehicle record exists in an older state system and has not been migrated to the central database. Retrying will not resolve it; the RTO has to complete the migration.
Why does Vahan say details not matching?
Usually the chassis number does not match the record. Enter the last five digits exactly as printed with no spaces. If the registration number is rejected, try it without spaces or hyphens, since format handling varies between state implementations.
Can I see the owner name from a vehicle number on Vahan?
No. Owner personal details are masked for privacy. You can see make and model, vehicle class, registration date and RTO, fuel type, insurance and PUC validity, and fitness and permit status for commercial vehicles.
Can I do everything on Vahan online?
Most paperwork yes, including road tax, duplicate RC, fitness appointments and ownership transfer initiation. Physical verification still requires a visit: the fitness inspection itself, driving tests, and vehicle inspection for certain transfers and modifications.