An Indian driver’s licence would not be tenable in a foreign country. Instead, you would require an International Driver’s licence (IDL). In the absence of an international driver’s licence, you would be unable to rent a car or drive, since you do not possess the licence of that country.
Nowadays, applying for an international driver’s licence is fairly simple. The United Nations has authorized an international driver’s licence to give tourists the freedom to drive. This licence is globally recognized and identifies drivers as legally-licenced motorists in the country they are traveling.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has fairly simplified the process of application of the international driver’s licence. To apply for an international driving licence, you can either visit an RTO, Western India Automobile Association, or International Traffic Control Association (ITCA) website. Since WIAA offices issue the international driver’s licence to WIAA members only, you might want to get your IDL from your Regional Transport Office.
The processing fees to procure an IDL is ₹1000.
'Form for the Issue of International Driving Permit', or Form 4, duly filled and signed can be picked up from any RTO and has to be submitted before applying for your IDL. Along with the form, you will have to provide your demographic details like name, address, the country you are traveling to and so on. Ensure that the details you provide here are correct since it will be reflected in your IDL.
The CMV 1 and CMV1-A forms pertain to your medical fitness. They are to be submitted along with Form 4. CMV1 is to be duly filled by you whereas CMV1A is required to be filled by your doctor after a primary checkup.
All these forms are easily available on the internet. Other than the official websites, you can get these forms on most transport websites too. You just need to download and fill them in.
The eligibility criteria and documents to apply for an international driving licence is uniform all across the signatory countries of the UN. The payment has to be made during the submission of documents and IDL application form.
The documents required during application of IDL are
Form 4
Form CMV1
Form CMV1-A
Copy of present valid driver’s licence
Copy of flight tickets
Copy of visa
Copy of passport
5 passport size photographs
Proof of Indian citizenship
Valid address proof
Age proof
The applicants should fulfill the following eligibility criteria to procure an international driver’s licence:
Must possess a valid DL
Must be above 18 years of age
Must submit all the required documents stated above
If you wish to apply for an international driver’s permit but you are not sure whether it will be accepted at your destination, here’s a list of countries that accept international driver’s permit:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua (Leeward Is.)
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana (Former Bechuanaland)
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde Islands
Cayman Islands
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao (Netherlands Antilles)
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti (See France Territory of the Afars and Issas)
Dominican Republic (for 6 Months) Jersey
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France & French Monaco
Gabon Lesotho
Gambia
Germany
Ghana Liechtenstein
Gibraltar
Greece Libya
GuateMala
Guernsey
Guinea – Bissau
Guinea Malawi
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica (For PrivateVehicles)
Japan
Jordan
Kampuchea
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Korea (Republic)
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Liberia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua(for 30 days)
Niger
Norway
Oman
Overseas Departments
Pakistan
Panama
Papua and New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines (for 90 days)
Poland United States of America
Portugal (Incl.Madeira and the Azores)
Qatar
Romania
Rwanda
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal (for Private Vehicles)
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South Africa
South West Africa (Namibia)
Spain
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
Sudan
Surinam (Former Dutch Guiana)
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
The central African Republic
Togo
Trinidad and Tobago– For Pvt.Vehicle
Tunisia
Turkey
U.S.S.R
Uganda
United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) (For Private Vehicles)
United Kingdom
Upper Volta
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Western Samoa
Windward Islands
Yemen (Arab Republic)
Yemen Rep
Zaire (Former Congo) (Kinshasa)
Zambia
Zimbabwe (Rhodesia)
It is a certified proof of your driving abilities in a foreign country
Can act as an identity proof
Once you get an international driver’s permit, you are not required to take any driving tests while visiting other countries
You can rent cars in any countries if you visit as a tourist
It is an important document for the insurance companies to cover claims on vehicles driven abroad
According to the present Indian laws, once issued, the international driver’s license cannot be renewed. After applying for an international driving license, it is valid till a period of one year from its date of issue or till the driving license expires, whichever is earlier.
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