Driving License

A driving license is an official document issued by the Government for permitting individuals to operate or drive a motorised vehicle on public roads, without any supervision. In India, the driving license is issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 states that no individual without a valid Driving license is authorised to drive motor vehicles in public places. In this article, we will look at the procedure to obtain the Driving license in detail.

Driving Test at a Glance

An individual who wants to drive the motor vehicle in India roads has to get his/her learner's license first. Learner’s license will act as a provisional license; it is issued for learning. After practising the driving, the person has to apply for driving license and appear for a test in front of a Regional Transport Office (RTO) authority, which upon proper examination, will declare whether he/she has passed the exam or not. Upon passing the test, the Driving license will be issued. Know more about Duplicate Learner’s License

Types of Driving License in India

Driving License in India is issued based on the class of motor vehicle. Some of the most common class of vehicle is given here:

Motorcycles with engine capacity of 50 cc
Motorcycles with gear, motorcycles with the capacity of 50 ccs or more
Light Motor Vehicles (LMV) including car
All Motorcycle types including the motorcycle with gear
Motorcycles with no gears - including scooters and mopeds
Light Motor Vehicle for non-transport purposes
Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) intended for commercial purposes
Heavy Passenger Motor Vehicle (HPMV) also referred to as All India driving permit for trucks and cars or open license
Heavy Goods Motor Vehicle
Candidates holding the heavy vehicle driving license can apply for heavy trailer license

Eligibility for Driving licence in India

The eligibility for a driving license depends on the class of vehicle. The eligibility criteria to obtain the Driving license types in India are described here:

To get the driving license, the applicant must be fluent with traffic rules and regulations. The applicant should have valid address proof and age proof documents.
The candidate must 18 years old to get a driving license for motorcycles with gear
The driving license for heavy commercial vehicles and transport vehicles, the applicant must have finished 8th standard of schooling and applicant must be at least 18 years old
To obtain a driving license for motorcycles without gear up to 50 cc capacity, the candidate must be aged at least 16 years.

Note: If the candidate’s age is less than 18 years, the consent from guardian or parent must be obtained

Documents Required

The following documents are required to get a Driving license in India:

Proof of Address: Aadhaar Card, Passport, Ration Card or House agreement
Proof of Age: Pan card, Birth Certificate, Transfer certificate or 10th Class mark sheet
Application Fees for Learner's License
Passport size photographs
Medical Certificate - Form 1 which is to be signed by a certified Government doctor
Application form

Driving License Application Procedure

The application procedure for the Driving license in India is explained in detail below:

Access Sarathi Parivahan Portal

Step 1: Access the home page of the (Parivahan web portal). Click on Apply Online in Sarathi Parivahan home page:

Image 1 Driving License Step 2: Select state and transaction as issue New Driving License and then click on the continue button.

Image 2 Driving License Note: In the next page instructions will be there regarding the flows in submitting driving license, read the instructions and click on Continue option. Step 3: In the next page enter the valid learner license number and enter the date of birth (DOB) and click on ‘OK’ button.

Image 4 Driving License Step 4: In the application page, check all the personal details, Address details and Driving school details and click on Submit option. A message box will be appeared asking whether you want to submit the data after clicking ‘ok’ your application will be submitted.

Image 5 Driving License Step 5: The Acknowledgement will appear on the screen with the web application number for further reference, click on ‘Print’ to get the hard copy of acknowledgement. ‘By clicking on next option, you can proceed with the application.

Upload Document

Step 6: Select the radio button Upload Documents to upload the required documents and click on the “Next” button. Step 7: Click on “OK” button to continue for uploading the documents. Step 8: Select the address proof from the list of documents, upload the same and click on “confirm” option. Step 9: In the next stage select the age proof from the list of documents and upload the document and click on the confirm option. Step 10: Select the form 1 from the list of documents for uploading and click on upload and then confirm. Click on NEXT option.

Upload Photo and Signature

Step 11: In the next step, click on the photo and Signature option to upload the Photo and signature and click on the “Next” button. Step 12: The below window will appear, read the instructions for the size of photo and signature and click on “Upload and View files.” Step 13: A message will appear once the photo and signature are successfully inserted and click on the next page.

Driving license Slot Booking

Step 14: In this window click on the drivers' slot booking and click on Next button to select date and time to get an appointment. Step 15: In the new page check the applicant details and select the coves and click on Proceed for slot booking. Book. Step 16: In the driver’s test appointment click on the green colour dates (available slots) to get time slots on the right side and select the time and click on radio button below the available seats. Step 17: In the driver’s test appointment check and confirm the date and time that you have selected and click the “Confirm to slot book “ Note: SMS will be sent to mobile regarding booking. Step 18: The Provisional appointment letter will be generated and click on ‘Print’ to get the printout of appointment letter and click on the Next to move to the next step.

Fee Payment

Step 19: Select the Fee Payment option and click on “Next” to continue for fee payment. Step 20: In this window see the instructions and click on “Click here to continue e-Payment” for the continuation of the payment process. Step 21: In the application fee window, first calculate the fee and select the bank from Bank/Gateway and enter the captcha and click on “Pay Now” for continuing the payment process. Step 22: In the next page check all the details, and click on “Proceed for Payment” for continuation on payment process. Step 23: Click on “Continue” option to log in to the bank for payment process. Step 24: After successful payment, the payment success acknowledgement window appears, after seeing the details click on “Print Receipt” to generate payment receipt. Step 25: The payment receipt will be generated, check all the details in the payment receipt.

Get Driving license

On verifying the details, the driver’s license will be issued to the applicant. The applicant can print the driver’s license from the official website of Parivahan. From the home page click on Print License details and then select Extract Details option. The link will redirect to new page. Provide the application number and DOB (date of birth), by clicking on the submit button the Driving license will appear. By clicking on the print option, the applicant can get the hard copy of the Driving license.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Driving License.

To obtain a driving license for motorcycles with gears, the applicant must be at least 18 years old. For motorcycles without gears or up to 50cc capacity, the minimum age is 16 years. For heavy commercial vehicles and transport vehicles, the applicant must be at least 18 years old and have completed 8th standard of schooling.

Yes, you can apply for a driving license online in India through the Sarathi Parivahan Portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The online application process is detailed in the article, including steps for document upload, slot booking, and fee payment.

The documents required include proof of address (Aadhaar Card, Passport, Ration Card, or House agreement), proof of age (PAN card, Birth Certificate, Transfer certificate, or 10th Class mark sheet), passport-size photographs, a medical certificate (Form 1 signed by a government doctor), and the application form.

After completing the online application process, you can book a slot for the driving test appointment through the Sarathi Parivahan Portal. You can select the date and time from the available slots, and an SMS will be sent to your registered mobile number confirming the appointment.

Yes, the article mentions that an individual who wants to drive a motor vehicle in India has to obtain a learner's license first, which acts as a provisional license for learning. After practicing driving, the person can then apply for a permanent driving license and appear for a test.

The payment for the driving license application fee can be made online through the Sarathi Parivahan Portal. The article provides step-by-step instructions for calculating the fee, selecting the bank/gateway, and completing the e-payment process.

Yes, after verifying the details and issuing the driving license, the applicant can print the driving license from the official website of Parivahan. The article mentions the steps to extract and print the license details using the application number and date of birth.

Yes, the article states that if the applicant's age is less than 18 years, consent from a guardian or parent must be obtained to obtain a driving license.

The article does not mention the validity period of a driving license issued in India. However, driving licenses generally have a specific validity period, after which they need to be renewed.

The article does not provide information on applying for a duplicate driving license. However, most states in India offer the facility to apply for a duplicate driving license online in case the original license is lost or damaged.