Full forms: transport and travel

24 full forms, each with a line on what it means.

Vehicle papers, railway tickets and road signs have a language of their own. This page explains the short forms on a driving licence and registration certificate, on an Indian Railways ticket and its status messages, on highways and at airports, and the terms used to describe a car or motorcycle. Understanding a ticket status alone makes the page worth a look: RAC and WL mean very different things for your journey. For the registration code of any Indian district, such as PB 10 or MH 12, see our sister site RTO Codes.

• RTO

  Regional Transport Office

  The government office that registers vehicles and issues driving licences.

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• DL

  Driving Licence

  The official permit to drive a motor vehicle. DL is also the vehicle registration code of Delhi.

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• LL

  Learner's Licence

  The temporary licence that allows a person to learn to drive.

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• RC

  Registration Certificate

  The document that shows a vehicle is registered.

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• PUC

  Pollution Under Control

  The certificate that a vehicle's exhaust is within the permitted limits.

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• HSRP

  High Security Registration Plate

  The tamper-proof number plate now required on vehicles in India.

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• PNR

  Passenger Name Record

  The 10-digit number on an Indian railway ticket that identifies the booking.

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• IRCTC

  Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation

  The railway company that runs online ticket booking and catering.

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• RAC

  Reservation Against Cancellation

  A railway ticket status that guarantees a seat and may become a berth if others cancel.

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• WL

  Waiting List

  A ticket status that means no seat is confirmed yet.

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• TTE

  Travelling Ticket Examiner

  The railway official who checks tickets on the train.

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• EMU

  Electric Multiple Unit

  A self-propelled electric train, such as a suburban local.

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• NH

  National Highway

  A main road maintained by the central government.

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• NHAI

  National Highways Authority of India

  The authority that builds and manages national highways.

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• ETA

  Estimated Time of Arrival

  The time at which a vehicle or person is expected to arrive.

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• ATC

  Air Traffic Control

  The service that directs aircraft in the air and on the ground.

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• IATA

  International Air Transport Association

  The trade body of airlines, which also assigns three-letter airport codes.

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• SUV

  Sport Utility Vehicle

  A car with a high body and ground clearance.

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• ABS

  Anti-lock Braking System

  A system that stops the wheels locking under hard braking.

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• CC

  Cubic Centimetres

  The measure of engine size, as in a 150 cc motorcycle.

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• BHP

  Brake Horsepower

  A measure of the power of an engine.

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• KMPL

  Kilometres per Litre

  A measure of how far a vehicle travels on one litre of fuel.

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• FASTag

  no full form

  FASTag is the brand name of India's electronic toll tag. It is a name, not an abbreviation.

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• OCI

  Overseas Citizen of India

  A status that lets people of Indian origin with foreign citizenship live and work in India.

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How to read an entry

The letters in bold are the short form as it is normally written. Under it is the full form, and then a line of meaning in plain words. Where the same letters mean something else in another field, the entry mentions it. "Copy" puts the short form, the full form and the meaning on your clipboard, ready to paste into notes or a message.

Check what matters. These pages explain names and terms in general. Rules, dates, fees and limits change: take them from the official body. Read on 12 November 2026.

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