Guide · Traffic E-Challan · Bihar
How to Check and Pay a Traffic E-Challan in Bihar (and Dispute It)
In Bihar, traffic e-challans, including the camera challans now common in Patna and other cities, are issued and tracked through the national Parivahan eChallan system at echallan.parivahan.gov.in. You can check any Bihar challan there with your vehicle number, challan number or driving licence number, and pay online by UPI, card or net banking. The Bihar Transport Department portal handles related vehicle services and links into the same system. This page shows how to check a Bihar challan, how to pay it, what the amounts and deadlines usually are, and the step many people miss: what to do when the challan is wrong, so you can dispute it instead of just paying. Last verified October 2026.
- Where: check and pay any Bihar challan at echallan.parivahan.gov.in; the Bihar Transport Department handles related vehicle services.
- What you enter: vehicle number, challan number or driving licence number, plus a captcha.
- If it is wrong: do not pay. Raise a portal grievance first, then contest before a Virtual Court or traffic magistrate.
- Settling: National Lok Adalat sittings via the Bihar State Legal Services Authority can dispose of pending challan cases.
- Safety: never pay through a link in an SMS or WhatsApp message; open the official portal yourself.
01How to check your Bihar challan
A Bihar e-challan can be checked in a few ways. The national portal is the reliable one, because the state feeds its challans into it:
| Where | Portal | What you enter |
|---|---|---|
| National eChallan | echallan.parivahan.gov.in | Challan number, or vehicle number, or driving licence number, plus a captcha |
| Bihar Transport Dept | state.bihar.gov.in/transport | Vehicle and licence services that connect to the eChallan flow |
| SMS or notice | The SMS or posted notice to your registered mobile or address | The challan number printed on it |
On the national portal, open Check Challan Status, enter your vehicle or challan number, solve the captcha and click Get Details. You will see each pending challan with the offence, date, place and a photo where it was a camera challan. Keep your registered mobile handy for the one-time password some steps need.
A camera challan is tied to your vehicle number, so you can find it even without an SMS. Check before a long trip or before transferring the vehicle.
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02How to pay online
Paying a Bihar challan online takes a few minutes:
- Go to echallan.parivahan.gov.in and check the challan as above.
- Select the challan and choose Pay Now.
- Pay by UPI, debit or credit card, or net banking on the government payment gateway.
- Save the receipt and transaction id, and re-check that the status moves to Paid before paying again.
Only pay on the official government portal. Fake challan messages with a payment link circulate widely, so never pay through a link in an SMS or WhatsApp message. Open the portal yourself.
03Amounts, deadlines and compounding
The amount on your challan is set under the Motor Vehicles Act, with the enhanced penalties from the 2019 amendment, and the exact figure for each offence is notified by the state. The number that matters is the one printed on your own challan.
- Deadline. An unpaid challan is generally expected to be cleared within about 60 days before it can be sent to a court as a pending case. Confirm the status on the portal.
- Compounding. Many challans are compoundable, so you settle by paying the notified amount without a trial. A disputed one you do not compound goes to a court.
04When the challan is wrong
Common problems Bihar drivers see:
- The vehicle in the camera photo is not yours, or the number was misread.
- You sold the vehicle and the ownership transfer was not updated.
- The same offence was charged twice, or the place or time is wrong.
- The offence does not match the photo on the challan.
If any of these apply, do not pay, because a paid challan is treated as accepted. Dispute it first.
05How to dispute it
Follow this order in Bihar:
- Raise a grievance on the portal first. The national eChallan portal has a grievance or complaint option. Submit your objection with evidence, such as the registration transfer paper or a clearer photo, and keep the reference number.
- Contest before a court if it is not resolved. A challan you refuse to compound is sent to the traffic or magistrate court named on it. Many traffic challans can be contested through a Virtual Court at vcourts.gov.in, where you plead online and a magistrate decides.
- Use a Lok Adalat to settle. National Lok Adalat sittings organised through the Bihar State Legal Services Authority regularly take up pending traffic challan cases and settle them quickly. Carry your challan and evidence.
Keep every reference number, screenshot and receipt. Once your challan becomes a numbered case, you can follow it like any other matter.
06Tracking a contested challan with Claw
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
A traffic e-challan only becomes a court matter when you contest it, when it is pushed to a Virtual Court or a traffic magistrate, or when it is taken up at a Lok Adalat. Once there is a case number or a hearing date, Claw is where you can follow it. Create a FREE Claw account, search by your name or the case or challan number, and track the matter across the forum that hears it, with the next dates in one place. Claw covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums across India, so whether your Bihar challan is heard by a Virtual Court, a magistrate or settled at a Lok Adalat, there is a real tracking home. Its judgment search spans 30 crore+ decisions, with Supreme Court rulings from 1950 and High Court rulings from 1990, which helps you see how similar motor-vehicle and challan disputes were decided, and results return in under 5 seconds. Claw does not train its AI models on your documents. This is general information and a tracking tool, not legal advice on your challan.
07Sources and further reading
- National eChallan portal (check and pay): echallan.parivahan.gov.in
- Parivahan (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways services): parivahan.gov.in
- Bihar Transport Department: state.bihar.gov.in/transport
- Virtual Courts (contest a traffic challan online where available): vcourts.gov.in
- NALSA (Legal Services Authorities, Lok Adalat): nalsa.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This is general information for drivers in Bihar, not legal advice. Portal layouts and notified amounts change, so confirm the current details on the official site before you pay or dispute.
08Frequently asked questions
How do I check my Bihar traffic challan?
Go to echallan.parivahan.gov.in, open Check Challan Status, and enter your vehicle number, challan number or driving licence number with the captcha. You will see each pending challan with the offence, date, place and a photo where it was a camera challan.
How do I pay a Bihar e-challan online?
On echallan.parivahan.gov.in, select the challan and choose Pay Now, then pay by UPI, card or net banking on the government gateway. Save the receipt and transaction id, and re-check that the status shows Paid before paying again.
The challan is not mine. What do I do?
Do not pay, since paying is treated as accepting the challan. Raise a grievance on the eChallan portal with evidence, such as proof you sold the vehicle or a clearer photo, and get a reference number. If it is not resolved, contest it before the traffic or magistrate court, often through a Virtual Court at vcourts.gov.in.
Can I settle a pending Bihar challan at a Lok Adalat?
Yes. National Lok Adalat sittings organised through the Bihar State Legal Services Authority regularly take up pending traffic challan cases and settle them quickly. Watch for the dates and carry your challan and evidence.
Is there a deadline to pay?
An unpaid challan is generally expected to be cleared within about 60 days before it can be sent to a court as a pending case. Confirm the status on the portal, since timelines and notified amounts are set by the state.
How can I track my challan once it becomes a court case?
Once a contested challan has a case number before a court or a Virtual Court, you can create a free Claw account and track it by case number or your name across the forum that hears it, with the next dates in one place.