T-Permit Cars in India: The Complete Guide
Everything we know about commercial permits, in one place — and the vehicles that already hold one.
A T-permit is a transport permit issued by a State Transport Authority under the Motor Vehicles Act that allows a vehicle to be used commercially — to carry passengers for hire. Vehicles holding one are registered in the transport series and carry a yellow number plate with black lettering. The everyday taxi and app-cab version is a contract carriage permit, meaning the whole vehicle is hired under a single contract for one journey rather than picking up separate paying passengers along the way.
Permit status is the single most consequential fact about a commercial vehicle, and the hardest to check. It decides where the vehicle may legally operate, what it costs to run, whether an aggregator will onboard it — and a large share of what it is worth on resale.
We have written 21 guides on it. They are organised below by what you are actually trying to do, rather than by regulation.
Looking for a vehicle that already has one?
Buying a vehicle with a valid permit already in place avoids the conversion process described below entirely. Every listing on Buy Sell Taxi shows its RC and permit status before you contact the seller.
Start here — what a T-permit actually is
The vocabulary is confusing because three different things get called the same thing: the registration series, the plate colour, and the permit itself.
Getting a permit
What it costs, what paperwork the RTO wants, and the licence the driver needs alongside it.
Converting between private and commercial
Both directions are possible. Neither is quick, and the cost is usually underestimated.
Running across state lines
A state permit stops at the state border. If you take outstation or airport work, this is the one to read.
Tax, fitness and staying legal
The recurring obligations that catch out first-time commercial owners.
Buying, verifying and reselling a permit vehicle
A permit is part of the asset you are buying. These cover how to check it and what it is worth.
Selling a vehicle that holds a permit
A valid, transferable permit is usually the difference between a quick sale and a stalled one — buyers pay for the paperwork they do not have to redo. If you are selling, list it free and we will surface the permit status to buyers.