T-Permit Rules in Delhi
Delhi is the strictest permit regime in the NCR triangle, and the one most likely to catch out a buyer who shopped on price alone.
A T-permit in Delhi is a state commercial transport permit that lets a vehicle carry passengers for hire, run on a DL-1R / yellow plate. It is issued by the state transport authority, and it stops at the state border — crossing it regularly needs an All India Tourist Permit as well.
Delhi issues commercial permits through the Transport Department at the zonal RTOs, and a city taxi here runs on a contract carriage permit with a DL-1R series yellow plate. The permit itself is not the expensive part — what shapes the economics is everything attached to it: the fuel the vehicle is allowed to burn, how many years it has left, and how far it can go before it needs a second permit.
Two rules dominate. New city taxi permits are effectively CNG-only, so a diesel car bought cheap outside Delhi may simply not be permittable as a Delhi city taxi. And the NGT end-of-life limits — 10 years for diesel, 15 for petrol — apply across the NCR districts, not just inside the Delhi boundary. Those limits cap your earning years and, because every subsequent buyer faces the same ceiling, most of the resale value too.
The third thing to understand is the border. A Delhi contract carriage permit covers work inside Delhi. Airport runs to Gurugram, a corporate pickup in Noida, a drop to Faridabad — those cross state lines, and doing them regularly on a Delhi-only permit invites trouble. Most serious Delhi operators carry an All India Tourist Permit alongside, which removes the border question entirely.
Delhi at a glance
| Permit type for city work | Contract carriage, issued by the Delhi Transport Department |
|---|---|
| Plate series | DL-1R, yellow plate with black lettering |
| Fuel reality | New city taxi permits are effectively CNG-only |
| Age ceiling | 10 years diesel, 15 years petrol — NGT, across NCR |
| Crossing into NCR | Needs an AITP in practice, ₹10,000–₹15,000 for cars and MPVs |
| Driver requirement | Commercial licence plus a PSV badge |
Vehicles that already hold a permit
Every listing on Buy Sell Taxi is a commercial vehicle, so the permit question is answered before you start. Browse used taxis for sale in Delhi, or see all used taxis and commercial vehicles.
Selling one instead? List it free — permit status is part of what buyers here are shopping for.
Guides for Delhi operators
These answer the questions Delhi buyers ask most: Whether a diesel car can be run as a Delhi taxi; How many years are left on a given vehicle; Whether a Delhi permit covers Gurugram and Noida runs.