The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has made it mandatory for motorcycle owners to install manual registration number plates at the front of their vehicles, in addition to the digital plates already fitted at the rear. Owners have been instructed to install the new plates in accordance with the prescribed specifications by 15 November, failing which they could face legal action.
The directive was announced in an urgent public notice issued by the BRTA on 16 October. Under the new requirements, motorcycle owners must arrange for the front plates themselves and ensure that they meet the authority’s standards for materials, colours, dimensions and lettering.
According to the notice, motorcycles are already required to display rear retro-reflective number plates equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology under the Road Transport Act 2018 and the Road Transport Rules 2022. The decision to introduce front registration plates is intended to strengthen traffic management and improve the monitoring and identification of motorcycles on the roads.
The new arrangement means that the registration number must be displayed at both ends of a motorcycle, with the front plate following the specifications laid down by the BRTA. Initially, owners will be responsible for arranging the manufacture and installation of the additional plates themselves.
Materials, colours and design requirements
The BRTA has specified that front number plates must be made of either stainless steel or aluminium. The background must be white, while the registration characters and numbers must be printed in black using Bengali script.
Decorative patterns and embellishments are not permitted. Motorcycle owners must therefore ensure that their plates remain consistent with the prescribed design rather than adding personal decorations or other features that could affect compliance.
For motorcycles other than scooters, the registration mark may be displayed on a single horizontal line. Owners must also pay attention to the required dimensions, as the authority has established separate measurements for scooters and other motorcycles.
Different dimensions for scooters and motorcycles
The prescribed dimensions are as follows:
- Scooters: The front number plate must measure 200 millimetres in length and 100 millimetres in width. The characters and numbers must be at least 20 millimetres high.
- Other motorcycles: The plate must measure 285 millimetres in length and 50 millimetres in width. The minimum height of the characters and numbers must also be 20 millimetres.
These specifications are intended to standardise the appearance and presentation of front registration plates. Owners should check the measurements carefully before having a plate manufactured to avoid fitting one that fails to meet the authority’s requirements.
Compliance required by 15 November
The BRTA has urged all motorcycle owners to install the front plates within the stipulated deadline and comply with every condition set out in the notice. As the plates must initially be arranged by the owners themselves, they will need to ensure that the materials, dimensions, colours and lettering are correct.
Displaying registration numbers clearly can assist traffic authorities in identifying vehicles during routine monitoring and when investigating road incidents. Consistent number-plate standards can also help make vehicle identification more straightforward, although the effectiveness of the measure will depend on proper implementation and compliance by motorcycle owners.
With the 15 November deadline approaching, owners should make the necessary arrangements promptly and check the official specifications before installing their plates. Failure to comply with the directive could expose them to legal action, according to the BRTA’s notice.
