Key points
- WMI occupies positions 1–3 and identifies the manufacturer.
- VDS occupies positions 4–8 and describes general vehicle characteristics.
- Position 9 is the calculated check digit.
- VIS occupies positions 10–17 and its last four characters are digits.
WMI — positions 1 to 3
The World Manufacturer Identifier is assigned so the manufacturer can be identified. A manufacturer cannot create this code independently.
For a manufacturer with global production below 500 vehicles per year, the third WMI character is 9 and additional VIS characters are assigned to identify the manufacturer.
VDS — positions 4 to 8
The Vehicle Descriptor Section contains five alphanumeric characters indicating the vehicle’s general characteristics.
If the manufacturer does not use one or more positions, the section is still filled to five characters using alphanumeric characters chosen by the manufacturer.
Check digit — position 9
Position 9 is the mathematical verification character. It is derived from the other 16 positions and may be a digit or X.
Keeping it read-only in production software prevents users from overriding the calculated result.
VIS — positions 10 to 17
The Vehicle Indicator Section contains eight alphanumeric characters and identifies the particular vehicle in conjunction with WMI and VDS.
The last four VIS characters are digits. Unused VIS positions are filled with zero so the section always remains eight characters.
ManageVIN is a calculation and record-management aid. It does not assign WMI codes and does not replace an approval authority or professional compliance review.
