Smart Card Driving License Application Process in India

Traditionally, a driving license was only issued in a book form, but with technological advancement, getting a smart card driving license has become easy. As opposed to the old book model, the smart card driving license has gained immense popularity/has become a preferred choice all due to its durability, portability/movability (portable or mobile nature).

Often with regular usage of driving license in a book model, the pages of the book tend to fall apart and at the end, people are stuck, waiting for a duplicate driving license to be issued.

Getting a smart card license is hassle-free and easy to carry as opposed to the conventional book form. So, mainly due to this reason, traditional driving licenses are slowly being replaced with the smart card one.

The Regional Transport Department has been given the authority to issue smart card driving licenses. However, a smart card driving licence is not issued in all the Indian states. So first, it’s necessary for you to find out if your state issues a smartcard driving license or not.

Having a mode of transport (Be it a car or a bike) has become a necessity for travelling. While owning a vehicle is important, it is equally important to carry the responsibilities that come with it as well, like having a driving licence, getting valid car insurance or a bike insurance policy (as per your vehicle type). As per the Motor Vehicle Act 1988, a driving licence and a third-party motor insurance is legally mandatory to drive or ride on Indian roads.

Having a smart card driving license is one of the best identity documents one can avail as it’s easy to carry and can hold all the information about an individual.

Here are a few advantages of having a smart card driving license:

• The smart card driving license stores all the information about a driving license owner in a safe way.
• A normal driving license is issued in a book form, mentioning all the information about an individual. But a smart card DL is updated with all the data available in the driving license in the book form plus additional information such as biometrics, personal details, etc.
• There is no chance of your smart card license getting tampered with, as your details are readable only when the card is inserted in special handheld devices. The information of the data can only be accessed by traffic police to verify your identity and authenticity of your driving license.
• The information stored in a smart card driving license cannot be erased and can only be modified. This provides for a good source of a permanent audit trail.
• A smart card driving license prevents the issuance of fake registration certificate and bogus driving licenses.
• You will no longer have to worry that your DL will get torn or mutilated.
• A smart card can withstand extreme climatic conditions and a DL holder can use it anywhere, anytime, under any condition.

While applying for a smart card driving license, you will have to submit the below-mentioned documents:

Address proof: For getting a smart card license, you can submit any of the below documents for submitting your address proof:

• House agreement
• Recent utility bills i.e. gas or electricity bill
• Ration card
• Passport
• Aadhar Card
• If you are residing in an another city, then you will have to submit a copy of your registered rental agreement and LPG/electricity bill

Age proof: For getting a smart card licence, you can submit any of the below documents as your age proof:

• Birth certificate
• Pan card
• Passport
• SSC certificate
• School transfer certificate with the date of birth printed on it

Other documents:

Passport size photographs Duly filled form 4 (permanent license form), Form 1 (application cum declaration of physical fitness) form and 1A(medical certificate) and smart card licence form.

You can get the forms from your nearest RTO office or can download it online.

Anyone who qualifies to get a permanent driving license is eligible to get a smart card driving license. While applying for a smart card DL, it’s necessary to understand what all is covered in the application form.

The application form contains 3 parts mentioned below:

• The visual inspection zone: Basic details such as the applicant’s name, address, date of birth, vehicle class, vehicle type and signature are mentioned under this section.

• The machine-readable zone: This section contains details such as date of the issue of the DL, serial number of the chip, issuing authority details and license validity details.

• The central motor vehicles rule: This section displays details such as qualification, endorsements, fines and other information. In case of a penalty, it also shows the date on which the DL owner was fined and the date on which the dues were settled.

Disclaimer: * Savings are based on the maximum discount provided on own damage premium as offered by our car insurer partners.