An International Driving Permit is a legal document that an individual can obtain from the RTOs present in every state of India. This official certificate basically permits a person to drive a motor vehicle in a foreign country. Obtaining an International Driving Licence is not a time-consuming procedure and it will not take more than 4-5 days working days for you to get it if you have a valid driving licence. You cannot operate a vehicle on roads outside India without a valid IDP document. An International Driving Permit is translated into various languages so that the authorities in a foreign country can easily understand it. An applicant wanting to obtain an IDP should at least be 18 years of age as per the eligibility criteria and should be a permanent driving licence holder.
If you have an International Driving Licence, you are not required to undergo a driving test abroad before driving a vehicle. Besides this, IDP is one of the crucial documents in case you want to claim the insurance in a foreign country after any unfortunate event like an accident. Thus, you must have an International Driving Licence if you want to drive on foreign roads. IDP also serves as an identity proof when you are travelling outside the country.
In order to obtain an International Driving Licence or Permit, an applicant needs to submit an application form and fees to the RTOs in India. The International Driving Licence Fee is Rs1000, however, this may vary from one state to another since some of the states charge an extra Rs 200 as processing fee. You are supposed to submit the fees at the RTO while submitting the application form.
The entire procedure of getting an International Driving Permit or Licence consists of a few steps that you need to complete after which an IDP is issued. If you want to apply for an IDP at the Regional Transport Office (RTO), you can follow the below-mentioned steps:
Step 1: Visit the RTO and get form 4 which is an application form for issuance of an IDP
Step 2: Fill the application form and enter details including address, driver’s license number, details of the country you are travelling, etc
Step 3: Take the relevant documents along with you and submit them with the application form
Step 4: Pay the application fee
Step 5: Take the driving test (if the driving licence is issued within 3 months of application to IDP)
Thanks to digitalisation, an array of vehicle-related services are now offered online such as issuance of DL and RC, FASTags, HSRPs, etc. For example, if you want to get a PNB FASTag for your vehicle, then you can submit an application online at the respective bank website. Similarly, you can also download the application form for International Driving Permit online and fill it from the comfort of your home. Moreover, the Government of India also offers an online facility to check the International Driving Licence status. To check the status online, you can visit the ParivahanSewa portal and get hold of all the details.
