A driving licence in India is issued by your state transport department, and the application runs through the national Sarathi portal at sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. The sequence is fixed: learner licence first, then a waiting period, then the permanent licence. You apply and pay online, but you attend the RTO in person for the tests.
What you need before you start
The application form is Form 2, which covers learner licence, driving licence, renewal, duplicate and addition of a vehicle class, and it is drawn under Rules 10, 14, 17 and 18 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules. Alongside it, keep proof of age, proof of address, recent passport size photographs, and Form 1, which is your self declaration of physical fitness. Commercial vehicle classes need a Form 1A medical certificate instead, and heavy motor vehicle commercial classes also need a driver refresher training certificate.
Step by step
- Open sarathi.parivahan.gov.in and select your state.
- Click Apply for Learner Licence and complete OTP verification.
- Fill in your personal details, address and the vehicle classes you want.
- Upload proof of age, proof of address and Form 1 or Form 1A.
- Pay the fee online and book a learner licence test slot.
- Pass the computer based test on traffic signs and road rules to get the learner licence in Form 3.
- After 30 days and within 180 days, apply on Sarathi for the permanent driving licence, upload documents, pay and book a driving test slot.
- Attend the driving test with your own vehicle of the class applied for and the original learner licence.
- Give fingerprints and photograph on passing, after which the licence is issued.
Fees and timelines
Fees are prescribed under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules and are collected online on Sarathi when you submit the application. The exact figure depends on the licence class, the service and state level charges, and the portal shows it on the payment screen. On timing, the rule that matters most is the window: apply for the permanent licence after 30 days and within 180 days of the learner licence being issued.
What to do if it goes wrong
If you fail the learner licence test, you can retake it after paying the test fee again. If you fail the driving test, book a fresh slot and try again, and use the time to practise the specific manoeuvre you failed on, usually the reverse or the gradient start.
If your learner licence crosses 180 days without a permanent licence application, the window closes and you have to begin the learner licence process again, so diarise the date. If a document is rejected at the RTO, the usual cause is a mismatch between the name or address on your proof and what you typed into Sarathi, so check both letter by letter before resubmitting. Every state runs its own transport department helpline and grievance channel through the Sarathi state page, and that is the correct escalation route rather than an agent outside the RTO.