Driving Licence Renewal

A Driving Licence is a government-recognized official document. It is a legal proof for allowing you to drive your vehicle on public roads. As per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, it is necessary that you have a valid Driving Licence (DL) if you operate a vehicle. Thus, when a DL expires, renew the same in time. If you drive a vehicle without a valid Driver’s Licence, then as per the traffic regulations and rules (under Section 177 of Motor Vehicles Act), you may have to pay a fine up to Rs. 5,000 and/or face imprisonment for 3 months.

In this post we will discuss the DL renewal forms, how to renew Driver’s Licence, documents to submit, validity of a renewed licence, fees required, and frequently asked questions.

Driving Licence Renewal Form

You need to obtain Form 9 for DL renewal. This is the Driving Licence Renewal Form. You can easily download it from the specific RTO website or visit the local RTO office to get the form offline.

You have to fill up details such as name, personal information, address, date of renewal, date of issue of DL, class of the vehicle, issuer of earlier Driver’s Licence, reason of delay for DL renewal (if the delay is more than 30 days of expiry), declaration, confirmation of additional documents such as recent photographs, medical fitness certificate, date, and receipt of fee payment.
With the filled-up form, you need to submit a few documents (discussed further in this post) to proceed with the driving licence renewal.

How to Renew Your Driving Licence?

You can avail Driving Licence services from your local RTO (Regional Transport Office) website. After the vehicle licence expires, you need to select your state of residence on this website and proceed with the following steps to renew the DL:

Visit the Parivahan website. On the left-hand side of the menu, select ‘Apply Online’.
Click ‘Services on Driving Licence’.
Go through the instructions about filling the application form. Click ‘Next.
Provide your current licence number and birth date. Click ‘Go’.
As per the services applicable on your DL, you will get to see the ‘Required Services’ on screen.
From the given options, select ‘Renewal’.
In the form, fill up the sections for personal and/or details about the vehicle.
After following the provided steps, you will proceed to the Acknowledgement page. Here you can see the application ID. You must take a printout of the same.
On your registered mobile number, you will also get an SMS about the application ID and details
Now you have to go to the local RTO office and submit the filled-up Form 9 with the required documents.
The staff of RTO will verify the documents. After this, you will get the renewed licence the same day or it may take up to 15 days to get the same on your registered address.

Documents for Driver’s Licence Renewal

The list of documents required for renewing a driving licence in India are as follows:

Type of Vehicle	Documents You Need to Submit
Private or Non-transport Vehicles	You have to submit your address proof, age proof, and 3 passport-sized photographs. You have to provide your expired driving licence either the smart card or book form. You need to get Form 9 either online from RTO website or offline from RTO office. This is an application form for vehicle licence renewal. Fill up this form. Now you have to fill up Form 1 and 1A. It is a medical fitness declaration. You can download this form from RTO website.
Transport or Commercial Vehicles	All the documents mentioned above, you have to submit those. Apart from these, you have to also provide the Driver Refreshing Certificate (in case of heavy motor vehicles).

Validity of a Renewed Driver’s Licence

Here are details about renewed Driving Licence’s validity:

A permanent driving licence is valid for 20 years, until the person attains the age of 50.
A grace period of 30 days is given for renewal to those whose licence has already expired.
No penalty is charged in the grace period. If you do not renew the licence even after grace period, then a penalty charge will apply.
If you do not renew the expired licence within 5 years, then you have to apply for a new one.
Those with a Driving Licence for transport vehicle, the validity of period of same is 3 years, and that for a renewed one is 5 years.

Fees for Driving Licence Renewal

Here are details about driver’s licence renewal fees:

Driving Licence Type	Renewal Time	Fees
Book Form	Applied in grace period	Rs. 200
Book Form	After grace period	Rs. 1000 fine + fee
Smart Card	Applied in grace period	Rs. 400
Smart Card	After grace period	Rs. 1000 fine + fee

Frequently Asked Questions about Driving Licence Renewal

Here are the FAQs for Driver Licence’s Renewal:

1. How soon can you get a renewed DL?

After verification of documents, you will get the renewed licence the same day. This is if you apply for renewal at the same RTO where you had obtained your original licence. If you apply at a different RTO, then it can take up to 15 days to receive the renewed DL.

2. Do you get a refund of renewal fee, if the RTO rejects DL renewal?

You will receive half of the fee amount as refund if the RTO rejects DL renewal.

3. Is it possible to renew your Driving Licence online?

It is possible to renew the DL only offline. However, you can obtain the DL renewal form online, take a printout, and fill it up. Then you need to visit the nearest RTO office or the one from where you received the original driving licence. Here, submit the duly filled Form 9 with the required documents.

4. What are the eligibility criteria of renewing a Driver’s Licence?

If your DL has expired, then you are eligible to renew the same. You can apply for renewal before expiry, or within 30-days grace period after expiry without paying penalty fee. If you apply for renewal after this period, then you have to also give a fine along with the required fee.

5. What is the difference between renewal procedures for private DL and commercial DL?

The procedures for the above both are the same. However, the documents that you have to submit for renewal, are a bit different. When renewing licence for commercial vehicle, you have to additionally provide the Driver Refreshing Certificate (for only heavy motor vehicle).

6. How to update address in a Driver’s Licence?

You have to inform the RTO from where you obtained the DL, about updating the address within 30 days. You have to submit NOC (no objection certificate) if there is a change in residential state. The NOC should be from the RTO that issued the original Driving Licence. Then at the local RTO office, you need to provide the NOC, fees, proof of new address, and papers from original RTO office bearing the old address.