Vehicle owners can soon specify custom registration numbers – for a hefty fee

If have bought a brand new car and want to get a registration number as you wish, it is now possible. But you have to pay more than the usual registration fee -- up to seven times more -- to get your desired license plate number.

While the facility exists in other parts of the world and also carry significant fees as a way of the government generating revenue, this is the first time in Bangladesh that the option of customised number plates for cars has been offered.

The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry issued a circular yesterday allowing the facility of choosing a registration number for a newly-bought car -- as per the circular, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), which is responsible for handing out registration numbers and license plates, will start giving car-buyers the opportunity from now on.

Until the formulation of rules for the Road Transport Act-2018, the ministry has set a fee for availing the offer.

If anyone wants to get a number containing all the same number for all six digits of the plate -- such as 55-5555 -- they have to pay six times more than the current registration fee. However, if anyone wants to get a 77-7777 plate, they have to pay the highest -- seven times more than the usual fee.

A vehicle owner has to pay five times more than the usual fee if he or she wants to get a number with three pair same digits, such as 34-3434. They have to pay four times more if they want to get four of the six digits same, and pay three times more for having two pairs, like 1313.

They have to pay double the current fee for numbers like 0011 or 0022.

A BRTA official said vehicle registration plates are now generated automatically when a vehicle owner seeks registration -- if they want to get choice number, they have to wait for the number to come, if the number is available in the first place.

Now, one can get his or her number registered with registration numbers of their choice by paying additional fees -- still subject to availability of the number -- he said, wishing anonymity.

Another BRTA official said that they are yet to get the copy of the order, and that it would take some time to provide the facility as they have to re-organise their operating systems.

"We have some constraints here and may not be able to give all choice numbers immediately. In that case, vehicle owners may have to wait to get some specific numbers," he said, also wishing anonymity.