LMV class Indian DL for NRI: Challenges & 6 key points to remember

You have to physically visit the Regional Transport Office (RTO) for the ‘verification / scrutiny’ of the documents required for the driving licence.

BHPian supermax recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’ve written in the past about how you need to go about if you’d like to obtain an Indian LMV license based on a foreign license,  but that’s an option that’s only available if you don’t have any other Indian DL in any category. If you have an existing DL, say for a two wheeler, you can’t add the LMV class in this manner. Instead, you have to follow all the steps like any regular aspirant, starting from getting an LL issued.

When you are a non-resident Indian, and you have the desire to have an Indian LMV license, it does get rather complicated, so buckle up for the ride!

The challenges

• You won’t get any kind of benefit from the international DL that you already have. The only advantage is that you get to skip the learner’s license test, if you have a DL in some other category, in India.
• If you don’t have Aadhaar, the process for you cannot be completed online. You have to physically visit the RTO, for the ‘verification/scrutiny’ of documents. I applied online when I was abroad, but had to physically present myself at the RTO. When I visited the RTO, there was no real scrutiny of any documents done. The person just cleared the case to the next stage, but it required that I show up in person. If you have Aadhaar, I’m told that this step doesn’t require a physical visit.
• If you, like me, are in the habit of visiting India for less than a month at a time, you are so out of luck, as you’ll have to wait for a mandatory one month period from the date of issue of learner’s license, before you can take your driving test.
• If you go away for longer than six months, your LL expires and you cannot renew it. You’ll have to redo the whole application process from scratch. I don’t know if the ‘scrutiny’ phase becomes a blocker again, or if the scrutiny step is skipped, for a subsequent LL application.
• Since the application is a new LL application and not a renewal, I think the one month minimum time to exam still remains a problem, and as also the scrutiny phase, if you don’t have an Aadhaar.

Alternatives

As an alternative, I can always obtain an IDP issued on my Swedish DL that would allow me to drive legally in India while on my visits, but I’d really like to add an LMV class to my existing Indian DL, if I can, but the challenges mentioned above mean that it is very unlikely that I’ll succeed in my quest.

Advice to other NRIs with similar ambitions

1. Ensure that you have an Indian phone number that you can get OTP SMS delivered to.
2. Fill in your application, pay all the fees, and complete all formalities at least a month before your visit, to provide time for various processing stages.
3. If you have Aadhaar, you should get the LL issued directly, which means you don’t have to wait long in India before you can take the driving test.
4. If you don’t have an Aadhaar, plan to stay in India for at least 35 days; visit RTO as early as you can, to get through with the scrutiny phase, and then catch hold of a driving school, to assist with practice if you need any, and with booking the test.
5. As soon as you’ve held the LL for at least 30 days, you should be able to take the driving test. Pass it!
6. Ensure that you have somebody who can receive the printed DL on your behalf at the address mentioned in the application form, if you are no longer going to be within India, when the printed card DL arrives.

Here’s what BHPian mygodbole had to say about the matter:

Good synopsis.

Reminded me of 2003 when I landed home at 8am, rushed to RTO, got LL, appeared for the test on the 30th day morning after that, picked up my license from driving school at 10pm and left India eight hours later.

One point: if you EVER had an India license, the process gets worse. There is some sort of fine for not renewing earlier license and the fine rises exponentially. A friend whose 1996 license had expired, got a brand new one in 2021 with a different address as per the new address on his Aadhar card after learning of the hefty fine.

Here’s what BHPian CivicheadUAE had to say about the matter:

I am an NRI living in the UAE. My Indian DL is expiring after 20 years in early 2024. I tried renewing it online, but my license was not part of the online database (as it was issued 20 years back). I will be going home to Chennai for a week or so, can the renewal be done in person?

Original DL Issued by TN-02 RTO Chennai

Expiry Date January 2024

My address is now changed (Aadhaar available with new address) and the RTO is different. So, do I approach the Old RTO or the new RTO?

I have a valid UAE DL as well.

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