Well having a driving licence in India has become important as it is not only meant for driving vehicles but also acts as an identity proof. Once you are of the eligible age, that is 18 years, you can apply for licence. Possessing a driving license certifies that the person holding it is qualified to drive anywhere in India. Though after a while, you would not give your driving license much of an importance and would easily consider it an extraneous property, you can never really drive your vehicle on Indian roads without carrying one, as driving without a license is an offence in India. Also, the time and energy invested by you in procuring a driving license is not to be easily forgotten.
Earlier applying for driving licence was a difficult task but now the government of India led by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working on this digital push and had launched the Parivahan Sarathi website that has centralised issuance of a driving license. When you apply for the driving licence first you will be granted a learning licence (LL) after successfully clearing the first level of test at RTO and after a month you will get your Driving Licence (DL).
In order for you to understand how to apply for driving licence we jot down steps and documents you will need while applying for DL.
Steps to apply
- If you wish to apply for a driving licence online, you can do the same by going to the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – the Sarathi website, parivahan.gov.in.
- Click on the ‘New Driving Licence’ under the ‘Sarathi Services’ option on the homepage.
- On the new page that opens, you can see all the instructions on the online application process. After thoroughly going through the instructions, download the form and fill in the details asked.
- Make sure you fill in all the compulsory information (marked with a ‘red*’) and all your personal details that match with the document proofs you wish to submit along with this application.
- Under ‘Selection Class of vehicles’, select options: MCWG (Motor Cycle with Gear). This confirms that you wish to apply for a license to ride motorcycles.
- Once you tick the right boxes under ‘Declaration’ and submit the form, you will get an acknowledgement of the same and receive an SMS on the mobile number you have provided containing the application number. You will also be able to print out this completed application form (captioned as Form 2) on which you will have to affix a photograph to the provided box and fill in any missing details.
Uploading documents
After filling this online application, the next step will be for you to upload documents and scanned images in context with your application.
- Here, you must upload a document each for proof of age, address proof and the CMV Form 1 (self-declaration medical certificate). Make sure they are in PDF or JPEG format and sizes less than 1 MB.
- You have to also upload your latest passport size photo along with an image of your scanned signature online. For these, make sure the image size lies within 20 kb each. If you cannot get them to these sizes, use an online tool like ‘Resize Images online’ or ‘Smallpdf.com’ to reduce the size, and they should be good to go.
Documents you will require
- Proof of age: These will act as identifying your legal age to apply for the DL as one must be 18 years or older to do so. You can submit a copy of either your birth certificate, Aadhaar card, passport, schooling certificates, voter ID or a PAN card.
- Address proof: If you do reside permanently in the same city, you will have to submit a copy of either your passport, aadhaar card, or any other document(s) as may be prescribed by the State Government viz., Ration Card/Water Bill/Electricity Bill/Bus Pass.
- Medical certificate: To certify that you are fit to operate a motor vehicle, you need to fill and submit the “CMV Form-1” as a self-declaration for physical fitness.
- Photographs: In all the computerised offices, it is enough to submit ONE recent passport size photograph. Wherever computerization is not done, the applicants may need to submit three numbers of recent passport size photographs.