A Karnataka RERA number looks like random punctuation: PRM/KA/RERA/1251/309/PR/010326/008412. It is not. Every block means something, and one of them is a date you can check against the launch you were told about. That single check catches errors and misquotes in about five seconds.
Key takeaways
- The format runs PRM / KA / RERA / office / ward / PR / date / serial.
- PRM means project registration. An AGT prefix is an agent, not a project.
- PR confirms it is a project registration rather than a phase of something else.
- The six digits before the serial are a date in DDMMYY form.
- If that date does not match the launch you were told, ask why.
Where we used it: Century Tisora — its number embeds 010326, which matches the reported 1 March 2026 launch. That consistency is why we published the number at all.
The anatomy of the number
Take the example apart block by block and it stops being intimidating.
| Block | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PRM | Promoter / project registration. An agent registration reads AGT instead. |
| KA | Karnataka. |
| RERA | The authority. |
| 1251 | An internal office or jurisdiction code. |
| 309 | A ward or sub-jurisdiction reference. |
| PR | Project registration. |
| 010326 | The date: 1 March 2026, in DDMMYY. |
| 008412 | A sequential serial number. |
The two blocks that matter to a buyer are the prefix and the date. The middle codes are administrative and you can safely ignore them.
The serial is also mildly informative, since numbers issued close together were registered around the same time.
One practical note on transcription. These strings are long and get copied by hand into WhatsApp messages and brochures, which is exactly where digits get dropped or transposed.
So if a number does not return a result on the portal, do not conclude the project is unregistered. Ask for it again, in writing, and check it character by character before drawing any conclusion.
A mistyped number and a missing registration look identical from outside, and only one of them is a problem.
The date check, and why it is useful
Those six digits before the serial are a date, and they tell you roughly when the registration was granted.
So when a salesperson tells you a project launched in March 2026 and the number embeds 010326, those two facts agree, and the number is very likely genuine and correctly quoted.
If the embedded date is two years earlier than the launch you were told, that is worth a question. It might be an earlier phase, a re-registration, or simply the wrong number handed to you.
If it is later than the date you were given, something is definitely off, because a registration cannot postdate a launch it authorised.
We used exactly this check on a Yelahanka project where the developer’s own website did not list the project at all. The embedded date matching the reported launch was a meaningful part of why we were willing to publish the number, flagged as second-hand.
The prefix check, which catches a real substitution
This one matters more than it sounds, and it catches a genuine and not-uncommon mix-up.
A PRM prefix with a PR block is a project registration. That is what you want. It means a specific project, with a sanctioned plan, declared dates and disclosed carpet areas.
An AGT prefix is an agent registration. Estate agents must register with the authority too, and their numbers look superficially similar.
So a project described as “RERA registered” and supported by an AGT number is telling you that the agent selling it is registered, not that the project is. Those are completely different assurances.
It is usually an honest confusion rather than a deception, and it is caught by reading three letters. Look for PRM and PR, and if you see AGT, ask for the project registration separately.
Our guide to what you give up buying before registration exists covers the case where there genuinely is no project number yet.
What the number cannot tell you
Worth being clear, because the checks above are quick and it would be easy to over-trust them.
A valid-looking number is not a valid number. The format check tells you it is plausible. Only searching it on the portal tells you it exists and what it covers.
The number says nothing about the project’s quality or progress. Registration is a disclosure obligation, not an endorsement. A registered project can still be delayed or poorly built.
It does not tell you which units it covers. On a phased development, each phase carries its own number, and the one you have been given may not be the phase your unit sits in.
That last point is the commonest real-world error. Our guide to why phase numbers are not a delivery order covers a project with six registrations whose completion dates do not run in phase order.
So use the format check as a fast filter, then do the actual work on the portal.
A two-minute routine
Put it together and this is the whole procedure, every time you are handed a registration number.
- Check the prefix is PRM and the block is PR, not AGT.
- Read the embedded date and compare it to the launch or phase date you were told.
- Search the number on the Karnataka portal.
- Check the project name and promoter entity on the filing match what you were told.
- Confirm the number covers your phase and your block, not a different one.
- Read the declared completion date and the carpet area schedule while you are there.
Steps one and two take seconds and catch the transcription errors and substitutions. Steps three to six are the real diligence.
Do this before any payment, and keep a screenshot of the filing as it stood when you bought. Filings get amended, and you will want the version you relied on.
Keep the number itself somewhere you will find it again too. You will want it for your loan application, at registration, and years later if you sell.
Common questions
What do the parts of a Karnataka RERA number mean?
The format runs PRM for promoter or project registration, KA for Karnataka, RERA for the authority, then an office code and a ward reference, then PR for project registration, then a six-digit date in DDMMYY form, then a sequential serial number.
Is there a date inside a Karnataka RERA number?
Yes. The six digits before the final serial are the registration date in DDMMYY form. So 010326 means 1 March 2026. Compare it against the launch date you were given; a large mismatch is worth questioning.
What is the difference between a PRM and an AGT RERA number?
PRM with a PR block is a project registration, which is what you want. AGT is an agent registration, meaning the estate agent is registered rather than the project. A project described as RERA registered on the strength of an AGT number is not.
Does a valid RERA number mean a project is good?
No. Registration is a disclosure obligation, not an endorsement. A registered project can still be delayed or poorly built. The number gives you access to declared dates, carpet areas and progress updates, which is what makes it valuable.
How do I verify a RERA number properly?
Check the prefix and the embedded date first, then search the number on the Karnataka portal, confirm the project name and promoter entity match what you were told, and confirm the number covers your phase and block rather than a different one.
Been handed a RERA number?
Send it to us and we will decode it, search it, and tell you what the filing says about the project, the promoter and the declared date. Takes us a day, no charge.
Related reading
Registration number formats and administrative codes can change over time; use the format check as a fast filter and the Karnataka portal as the authority. Figures above are drawn from published project information and are indicative. Where sources conflicted we have stated both positions rather than picking one. Verify any registration yourself on the Karnataka RERA portal before paying a booking amount.
