I got myself an International Driving Permit (and I am enjoying the benefits of that bit of wisdom now, more on that later) the last time I was in Delhi. The actual issuing of the license took less than 10 minutes once I had figured out where to go and what documents I needed. That took some doing because the Transport Department of Delhi and the Delhi Government websites offer conflicting versions. I wasted some time and energy thanks to that, so once I was done with everything I vowed to post the correct information around here so others know exactly how to go about it.
So here it goes.
Here’s what you’ll need to get yourself an International Driving Permit/ International Driving Licence in Delhi or elsewhere in India ((The forms seem to be the same all over India. I write from my first hand knowledge of the process in Delhi and have done a little bit of research for other parts. I believe this information should hold good in other places as well, but don’t sue me if it doesn’t.)).
Pre-requisites:
1) You should be an Indian citizen.
2) You should have a valid “regular” driving license.
3) You should have a valid passport.
4) You should have a valid visa.
Documents you’ll need to include with your application:
1) Attested copy of your driving license.
2) Attested copy of a proof of residence ((Any one of ration card, yoter’s ID, passport etc.)).
3) Attested copy of a proof of age ((Any one of birth certificate, 10th pass certificate etc. They may or not not ask for this one, but it’s better to keep a copy in your folio.)).
4) Attested copy of the first and last pages of the passport.
5) Attested copy of the visa.
Forms to fill:
1) Medical Forms – Forms 1 and 1a. (Download)
Form 1 is self declaration of physical fitness. You need to get Form 1a filled by a doctor/ medical practitioner – remember to get his/ her sign across the photograph as mentioned at the bottom of the form.
2) IDP form (Form 4a). (Download)
No rocket science here. Fill what you can make out, leave the rest – you can fill it at the transport authority.
Miscellaneous:
1) 4 photographs (INCLUDING the two you’ll use in Forms 1a and 4a above).
2) 500 rupees in cash.
Notes:
a) The International Driving Permit is issued at respective regional transport authorities at NOT the one at Under Hill Road as a couple of the web pages I linked to above says. What that means in plain-speak, that you should go to the same place you went to get the “regular” driving license. If your place of residence has changed since then and you now are now in a different “zone” (or a different city/ state for that matter), you should try visiting the local transport authority first (you’ll need a proof of residence for the local address in that case).
b) Most, if not all, authorities would have a separate counter/ window for International Licences. And they don’t see more than half-a-dozen applicants on even the most busiest of days, so you don’t really need to worry about jostling in the queues.
c) You are bound to encounter “touts” when you reach the authority. They’ll tell you they’ll get the job done in 30 minutes and save you the “hassles”, and for that they’ll quote anything above 500 rupees as their “cut” (the quoted price depends on the kind of car they see you getting out of). But if you reach the authority armed with everything I have mentioned above, you’ll find that there are absolutely no hassles and you’ll get a license in less than 10 minutes (I speak from personal experience) – no touts involved. And you get the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from having done the right thing.
You’ll Never Drive Alone.
Hey Kunal,
Thanks for great information on IDP, that really helps…
Regards
Gaurav
Dear Kunal,
Really aprreciate you putting this up. I have been searching online for some concrete information on how to get an international driving permit for a while now..your website gives the best information. Thanks for putting up the forms as well.
Maybe you should ask the authorities to link to your site 🙂
Cheers
Kunal Suri
PS: By the way, I knew a Kunal Dua a long time back in DPS Puram. Are you the same person? I was in the class of 1999.
Thanks Kunal really thoughtful and kind of you to share the information.
Cheers guys, I knew people would find this useful 🙂
@Kunal – no I am not from DPS.
Hi Kunal
Need to get mine done.. does the medical cert have to be filled by a government doc?
Thanks
Arati
No Arati – any doctor will do. As long as the doctor puts his/ her official stamp and mentions the registration number.
Thanks. A very useful piece of information.
May I know where to get the photocopies attested. Can
these be done at the Authority office?
Hi Gulzar.
You’ll need to get the photocopies attested by a Gazetted officer. I’m not sure anyone at the authority would be a gazetted officer – you could try your luck at the nearest public sector bank or any other government enterprise instead. You might be better off trying at a place where someone knows you already, but I guess any officer would be willing to attest them for you, as long as you are carrying the originals.
Hi! Kunal.
Great piece of work. Would you know where to get a list of countries, where the IDP is valid. My Uncle’s IDP, didn’t work in Nigeria. Specifically, I was looking for validity in Australia.
Hi Radhika
Nigeria is NOT one of the countries listed amognst the ones in which the driving permit is valid. Australia, however is. I guess I should post a scanned copy of the list of countries as well.
Hi Kunal,
Thanks so much for posting this. I’ve spent half the morning making several useless phonecalls and surfing the net for how to get an international permit, and your info’s the only part that was helpful. Thanks especially for the form downloads! Will save me some time 🙂 I have a British passport, so if it helps anyone else reading this, you also nee to show them your Indian visa or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card.
Anita
Hi…I am in a big problem relating to the format of my international driving licence which i got from Delhi .. If any of you has an IDP please can you mail me a scanned copy of first 4 pages at arvindpal80@gmail.com. I will be really really thakful… I am in japan and they are saying that indian license is not in a valid format as per some Geneva convention and so asking to levy fine on me. Please anyone help.
hi,
I was wondering if you can tell how long does it take for an address change. I have a license from Hardwar ( a small town ) but now I stay in Delhi.
Dear Kunal thank you very much for the complete details about the International driving permit
Thanks buddy, i have noted all the information provided by you. Thanks a lot for the underhill part that was really helpfull. Thanks again. Great job done. I wish the Transport Authorities include your submission on the web, life would be so much easier for all.
thanks kunal…….i am sure this info would really help a lot of other people like us………..my friend says …..U R A ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!
Hi,Thank you so much Kunal…Just what i was looking for.Great!!!
Hey Kunal,
Really useful information. Appreciate your effort.
Thanks,
Samridh
Hi Kunal,
Thank you for this excellent resource. Like many others have said, the government links are outdated/incomplete. Your post rocks. I was planning to do to underhill road and would probably have succumbed to some touts ‘charms’ 🙂 instead I am looking forward to that “warm, fuzzy feeling”. God bless.
Thanks dude 🙂
Great piece of info.
will this IDL from delhi work in usa ( new jersey ) and in china ? sometimes they refuse to accept idl is come countries so i will be traveling at these two places .please guide me . gotonutek@Hotmail.com
Thanks Kunal…great info
Hi Kunal
Thanks for the forms. I currently live in Holland and can’t get back to India for sometime. Is it possible i arrange all the forms and that i send them back to India to my family and that they can submit the forms on my behalf.
Or more importantly is it necessary for me to be present at the license office??
I’ll wait for your reply in my mail. Thanks
Hi Kunal
Clear and complete..thanks a lot for the information. I have the same query as Justin above…am in Singapore right now and wont be back in Delhi for sometime…can someone do this on my behalf in Delhi if I have all the forms filled out?
@Justin – I tried replying to you over mail, but the mail didn’t go through. I was sure I had posted this a few days back here as a result, but here you go anyways:
————————————-
I am not sure if you need to be present there yourself – you can try your
luck as it’s down to the officer in charge’s discretion. What I am worried
about however is the fact that (as far as I can recall) they will ask for
the original passport and Indian driving license of the applicant. I am
not sure how you are going to manage that! I guess the best thing would be
for someone from your family to go and check with the regional transport
office before you go through the trouble of sending the documents across.
Do let me know how it goes 🙂
————————————-
thanx buddy
u hv made the life of a lot of people easier….
hi kunal,
thanks alot for this info. I have same problem as someone above mentioned – have licence from rajasthan and now i live in delhi. can i still get a driving permit from delhi?
thanks for replying.
Thanks a ton for this info 🙂
Thanks a ton for the info on IDP……….
Hi Kunal,
You really have done a nice work for putting up all this information for people in need… !!
I’m from jammu & kashmir and have got my driving licence there so where do you think I can apply for IDP… I don’t think they do it in jammu & kashmir…i’m not sure… but can i appy for one in delhi… if yes so which office should i go , do you have any particular address I really would appreciate if you could help me out… !!
waiting for you reponse …!!
Dear Kunal,
Its really so simple to understand and follow your blog. I wish the Government would have put up something like this. Its really helpful..God Bless
Dude, you are a life-saver… 🙂
Great job with the article man was of a lot of help.
Cheers!!!
HI kunal,
thanks for providing this amazing info. one question that i had was, is left hand/right hand drive an issue??
HEY BUDDY,
GREAT INFO.. BUT BY ANY CHANCE DO YOU HAVE THEIR PHONE NUMBER ? ILL BE IN DELHI ONLY FOR 2 DAYS AND THEN LEAVE ABROAD. U THINK ITS POSSIBLE TO GET IT DONE THAT SOON..
DELHI AIN’T THE BEST PLACE TO GET THINGS DONE EASILY I GUESS.
CHEERS BUD
Hi,
This is sanjay from Manali . Himachal Pradesh . I have simple DL
I am interseted to make a international DL .
Becoz I m visiting some europian countries . Then i required International DL .
Please guide me how can I ?
Waiting for reply.
Thanks
Sanjay
09816042715
Hey Kunal,
You wrote this piece almost 7 years back, of all the research that I did on internet, this is by far the best documented process.
Thanks for sharing. I am all set with my documents, am visiting RTO tmrw, hope I get mine in 600 sec!
Cheers
/r
Does One require NOC from the state U took licence from. Basically i hv a licence from rajasthan, is it possible to apply for IDP at Jnk rto?
Hi Kunal,
Thanks for the details,
i want to know that in case on visa on arrival , when we dont hv a copy of visa documents to share .
what are the formalities is that case , is it mandatory to show a visa copy or can i show return air tickets will do.
Once again thanks u so much for sharing the info.
Regards,
Abhishek
Hey Kunal..
I got my IDP today and I must admit that I have followed your steps and the life was easy…
All the docs/forms you mentioned are updated.
Feels like that your experience helps me today 🙂
I recently visited the RTO of Rajasthan and realized that a few things which are not mentioned here are also required.
1) Passport and Driving Liscence in original and original only. Do take self arrested copies as well, but without the original, the officer didn’t take another look at my application.
2) Take a print out of your air ticket too.
3) No need to involve an agent if u hv the patience to wait for every officer to take his time b4 he agrees to sign your application.
4) Take atleast 4 photos with u.
Hope this will help.
Thanks Kunal for this. God bless you.
Justin
Thanks for the tips!
Awesome. Exactly the info that I was looking for.
BTW, the name on my drivers license is different and on my passport is different – do you think that can be an issue?
Is non convention certificate from police department required for IDP? And in what cases will they request for non convention certificate?
Puducherry Transport department is the best. Honest government employees. I saw them refusing bribes when someone intended to. They issued the IDP within half a day after verification of all the requisite documents. It is the civilian duty to have all the documents required for IDP. People not fulfilling the criteria and blaming the staffs for not cooperating is what That’s happening today. However Non-conviction certificate is required here before the process for IDP starts which might make the civilian exhausted to get the certificate.
thanks kunal
Weird situation I have faced at Janak Puri west. According to the Central motor vehicle act, 1989 Form 6A states validity for International driving permit of Maximum for 1 year or up to the date of validity of driving licence which ever is earlier(my driving licence expires in 2027). But they issued IDP for me according to the expiry date of my entry visa. This situation ruined my money which I have invested in my road trip abroad. I talked to the MLO Sant Ram( who was sitting in a VIP stature) and he said we gave on the basis of visa expiry.
I need expert insight in this case at this valuable forum.
Kunal, this is really helpful.
Thanks alot.
Hi could you pls let me know about the renewal procedure for my IDP issued from new Delhi. I am in UAE and cant come to get the same. Is it possible that it could be done without my presence at the DL office.
Hi Kunal
You were lucky to get the IDL in 600 sec. It takes a bit longer.
The whole information is available on google. Simply write international driving permit.
The fee has been increased to ₹1000
Self attested photocopies are accepted but the original documents must be available for inspection.
You have to go personally and no one else can get it for you.