International Driving Licence

International Driving License

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.

How to apply for an international driver's licence

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.

Form and fees for international driving licence

• 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.

Documents and eligibility for international driving licence

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

1. Form 4

2. Form CMV1

3. Form CMV1-A

4. Copy of present valid driver’s licence

5. Copy of flight tickets

6. Copy of visa

7. Copy of passport

8. 5 passport size photographs

9. Proof of Indian citizenship

10. Valid address proof

11. Age proof

The applicants should fulfill the following eligibility criteria to procure an international driver’s licence:

1. Must possess a valid DL

2. Must be above 18 years of age

3. Must submit all the required documents stated above

List of countries recognizing international driving permit

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)

Advantages of international driving licence

1. It is a certified proof of your driving abilities in a foreign country

2. Can act as an identity proof

3. Once you get an international driver’s permit, you are not required to take any driving tests while visiting other countries

4. You can rent cars in any countries if you visit as a tourist

5. It is an important document for the insurance companies to cover claims on vehicles driven abroad

Renewal of international driving licence

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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