A DRIVING LICENCE IS AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT THAT CERTIFIES A PERSON’S ABILITY TO OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE ON PUBLIC ROADS. IN INDIA, A DRIVING LICENCE IS ISSUED BY THE REGIONAL TRANSPORT OFFICE (RTO) OR THE MOTOR VEHICLES DEPARTMENT (MVD) OF THE RESPECTIVE STATE GOVERNMENT. THE DRIVING LICENCE IN INDIA IS ISSUED UNDER THE MOTOR VEHICLES ACT, 1988, AND THE CENTRAL MOTOR VEHICLES RULES, 1989.
TYPES OF DRIVING LICENCES IN INDIA:
THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF DRIVING LICENCES ISSUED IN INDIA:
- LEARNER’S LICENCE (LL)
- PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE (PDL)
- INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP)
LEARNER’S LICENCE (LL):
A LEARNER’S LICENCE IS ISSUED TO A PERSON WHO IS LEARNING TO DRIVE A MOTOR VEHICLE. IT IS VALID FOR SIX MONTHS AND IS A PREREQUISITE FOR OBTAINING A PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE. THE LEARNER’S LICENCE ALLOWS THE HOLDER TO DRIVE A VEHICLE ONLY IN THE PRESENCE OF A PERSON WHO HOLDS A VALID DRIVING LICENCE FOR THE SAME CATEGORY OF VEHICLE. THE LEARNER’S LICENCE CAN BE OBTAINED BY APPLYING TO THE RTO OR MVD OF THE RESPECTIVE STATE BY FILLING UP THE APPLICATION FORM AND SUBMITTING THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS SUCH AS AGE PROOF, ADDRESS PROOF, AND PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS.
PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE (PDL):
A PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE IS ISSUED TO A PERSON WHO HAS COMPLETED THE REQUIRED TRAINING AND HAS PASSED THE DRIVING TEST. IT IS VALID FOR 20 YEARS OR UNTIL THE AGE OF 50, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER. AFTER THE AGE OF 50, THE LICENCE NEEDS TO BE RENEWED EVERY FIVE YEARS. THE PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE ALLOWS THE HOLDER TO DRIVE A VEHICLE OF THE SPECIFIED CATEGORY WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTIONS. THE PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE CAN BE OBTAINED BY APPLYING TO THE RTO OR MVD OF THE RESPECTIVE STATE BY FILLING UP THE APPLICATION FORM AND SUBMITTING THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS SUCH AS AGE PROOF, ADDRESS PROOF, AND PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS.
INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT (IDP):
AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT IS A DOCUMENT THAT ALLOWS THE HOLDER TO DRIVE A VEHICLE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. IT IS ISSUED TO A PERSON WHO HOLDS A VALID PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE. THE INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT IS VALID FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE DATE OF ISSUE OR UNTIL THE EXPIRY OF THE PERMANENT DRIVING LICENCE, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER. THE INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT CAN BE OBTAINED BY APPLYING TO THE RTO OR MVD OF THE RESPECTIVE STATE BY FILLING UP THE APPLICATION FORM AND SUBMITTING THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS SUCH AS AGE PROOF, ADDRESS PROOF, AND PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR OBTAINING A DRIVING LICENCE:
THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR OBTAINING A DRIVING LICENCE IN INDIA:
- AGE PROOF: A PERSON SHOULD BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO APPLY FOR A DRIVING LICENCE. THE AGE PROOF CAN BE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:
- BIRTH CERTIFICATE B. PASSPORT C. SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE D. VOTER ID CARD
- ADDRESS PROOF: THE ADDRESS PROOF CAN BE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:
- AADHAAR CARD B. PASSPORT C. UTILITY BILLS (ELECTRICITY BILL, TELEPHONE BILL, GAS BILL) D. RATION CARD
- PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS: TWO PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS ARE REQUIRED FOR APPLYING FOR A DRIVING LICENCE.
DRIVING LICENCE TEST:
THE DRIVING LICENCE TEST CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS: THE THEORETICAL TEST AND THE PRACTICAL TEST.
- THEORETICAL TEST: THE THEORETICAL TEST CONSISTS OF MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS RELATED TO TRAFFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE TEST IS CONDUCTED ONLINE OR OFFLINE, AND THE CANDIDATE NEEDS TO SCORE AT LEAST 60% TO PASS THE TEST.
- PRACTICAL TEST: THE PRACTICAL TEST CONSISTS OF DRIVING A MOTOR VEHICLE ON PUBLIC ROADS. THE CANDIDATE NEEDS TO DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY AND FOLLOW TRAFFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS. THE PRACTICAL TEST IS CONDUCTED BY A MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTOR OR A DRIVING LICENCE EXAMINER.