LATEST
‘BNP wants to govern with people’s mandate’ All Riyadh fire victims’ bodies returned Germany braces for 160,000 Gen Z protesters Global chicken exports to cross 14m tonnes Bangladesh signs $450m WB financing deal for financial sector reforms Pass rate plunges to 52.12pc Lead pollution puts children at risk Opposition alliance launches southern march Mob killings surge 39pc in October Bangladesh Must Prepare for a $200 Oil Shock – Rooppur Could Be Critical to Averting a Summer Power Crisis
Skip to content

Tuesday | November 03, 2026 | Dhaka

Front number plates made mandatory for motorcycles

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:02 AM, 03 November 2026

The government has made the installation of front number plates and the display of registration numbers on motorcycles mandatory by amending the Road Transport Rules, 2022.

The Road Transport and Highways Division issued a notification on November 1, and the amended provisions came into immediate effect.

Under the revised rules, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has been authorised to determine the design and specifications of front number plates according to the structure and design of different motorcycle models.

The changes allow adjustments to the dimensions, character height and layout of the plates to make installation possible on motorcycles with different front structures.

The registration number may be displayed either in the conventional format or in a single-line layout, according to the amended provisions. BRTA may determine the height of characters, the size of characters showing the district or region, and the height of those indicating the vehicle class.

The authority can also set the spacing within the vertical section of a number plate, the gaps between individual digits and the length of hyphens used between digits on the second line.

For registration numbers displayed in a single line, the rules allow hyphens of specified lengths after the characters indicating the district or region and the vehicle class.

The amended regulations have also included retro-reflective plates for the front of motorcycles to improve the visibility and identification of registration numbers.

The changes take into account differences in the front designs of motorcycle models. A standard-sized plate may not fit every model, making adjustments to dimensions and layouts necessary.

The revised provisions allow BRTA to set specifications that match the structure of individual motorcycles while keeping the registration numbers visible.

Front number plates are considered important for identifying and monitoring motorcycles on roads. With motorcycle numbers increasing in Dhaka and other cities and along highways, proper identification is also important for enforcing traffic laws and maintaining road discipline.

The use of front-mounted plates could also support camera-based traffic monitoring. CCTV systems and automated number plate recognition (ANPR) technology can help identify vehicles through their registration numbers.

An official at the Road Transport and Highways Division said bringing motorcycles, along with other vehicles, under camera-based monitoring had become essential to restoring discipline on the roads.

With the notification now in force, BRTA can take necessary steps to determine the designs and layouts of front number plates under the amended rules.