Driving licence
First a learner's licence, then a driving test after 30 days. If you pass, the driving licence card comes to your home by post.
About this guidePending verification
Published on 12-11-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
For whom: Anyone in Telangana getting a first licence to drive a two-wheeler or a car. Indian citizens living in India follow the steps. NRIs, OCI cardholders and foreign nationals say where they live: those living in India get the same steps, with their own documents; those living abroad first see their options (renewing an Indian licence they already have, driving here on a licence from another country, where they can apply, and a visit long enough for both tests). A first licence is taken in person at the RTA in India.
Answer the questions below first. Then the documents and steps open.
1Your situation
We show only what your answers need.
- Which of these are you?
- Where do you live now?
- Which vehicle is the licence for?
- How old are you?
- Do you already have a learner's licence?
Your answers stay on this phone.
Each step below says who it is for. Confirm yours at the office, then change your answer here.
This route does not apply to your situation
No licence is issued before 16. A small motor cycle without gear (up to 50cc) needs you to be 16; other two-wheelers and cars need 18.
→ From 16 you can apply for a learner's licence for a motor cycle without gear up to 50cc, and from 18 for other vehicles.
Sources: 1, 2
This route does not apply to your situation
A car licence needs you to be 18. At 16 or 17 you can get only a licence for a motor cycle without gear (up to 50cc), with a parent's consent.
→ For that two-wheeler licence, answer "Two-wheeler" to the first question and follow those steps.
Sources: 1, 2, 7
2Documents you need
Tick the ones you have. They are kept in this browser.
Details
Any one of: birth certificate (from a municipality or another registering authority), a school or education certificate showing the date of birth, passport, Aadhaar card, electoral roll, LIC policy, or an age certificate from a doctor of Civil Surgeon rank. Take the original, or a copy attested by a Gazetted Officer.
Sources: 2, 5, 7, 15
Details
Any one of: Aadhaar card, ration card, passport, voter ID, bank passbook, electricity bill, water bill, telephone or mobile bill, cooking gas connection papers, municipal tax receipt, or a pay slip from a public sector organisation. Take the original, or a copy attested by a Gazetted Officer.
Sources: 2, 5, 15
Details
If you don't have it: It is on the Forms page of the Transport Department website (Form -1). Fill it in and sign it yourself.
Sources: 2, 6
Details
If you don't have it: The form is on the Forms page of the Transport Department website (Form -1 A). A registered medical practitioner (doctor) examines you, fills it in and signs it.
Not confirmed: The Transport Department's own pages and charter disagree on the age (some say 40, some 50). The Motor Vehicles Act as amended in 2019 (section 8(3)) and central Form 2 ask for Form 1A, for a new licence, only for a transport licence. Before you get one, check on the portal or ask the RTA office.
Sources: 2, 7, 6, 14, 17, 1, 10, 15
Details
A parent or guardian signs the application (Form 2) in front of the licensing authority.
Sources: 2, 7
Details
What the photo must look likeNot confirmed: Follow the size and format the upload screen shows; we could not read them on Sarathi.
Sources: 11, 7
Details
At least 30 days old, still valid, for the same class of vehicle.
If you don't have it: You can print it on Sarathi under "Print Learner Licence (Form3)".
Sources: 3, 7, 11, 15
Details
A registered vehicle of the class you applied for, with its registration certificate (RC), insurance (IC) and pollution certificate (PUC).
Sources: 3, 7
Details
Not confirmed: The central Rules (rule 4) and Form 2 ask foreigners for this but name no document. Before you apply, ask the RTA office what it accepts: a passport with visa (and your FRRO registration paper, if you had to register); for an OCI cardholder, the passport with the OCI card. An OCI cardholder need not register with the FRRO (Ministry of Home Affairs, 2021). Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan need no visa to stay in India (Exemption Order, 2025), so they have no visa to show. The Rules do not say which paper the RTA office takes from them; ask the office before you apply.
Sources: 15, 14, 18, 19
Details
Sources: 16, 7
Nothing to get ready before these steps.
- Learner's licence (Form 3) ·
3Your steps
· Do them in order. Tick each one when it is done.
- Do this nowIf: Abroad (in India only on a visit, or not in India now)
If you already have an Indian driving licence, you do not need a new one.
To renew it, or to get a duplicate for one that is lost or damaged, see the guide "Renewing a driving licence". The International Driving Permit (IDP), for driving abroad on that licence, is only for Indian nationals (see the guide "International Driving Permit (IDP)"); it is not issued in India to OCI cardholders or foreign nationals.
Sources: 7, 15, 18
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen living abroad, or recently returned from abroad (NRI) / Foreign national with an OCI card / Foreign national without an OCI card
Before you drive here on a licence issued in another country (with or without an International Driving Permit), ask the RTA office whether you may, and for how long.
Not confirmed
The Motor Vehicles Act lets the Central Government make rules for visitors driving here (section 139(1)(c)), but we found no such rule in the copy of the central Rules we read, and no official page saying whether or for how long a foreign licence may be used.
Sources: 16, 15
- Do this nowIf: Abroad (in India only on a visit, or not in India now)
The Motor Vehicles Act says you apply in the State where you ordinarily live or carry on business, or where the driving school you learn at is.
As you live abroad, ask the RTA office before you apply whether you can apply in Telangana, and which proof of address it will take from you. The central Rules let the licensing authority accept, when for a good reason you cannot give any of the listed proofs, an affidavit you swear before an Executive Magistrate, a First Class Judicial Magistrate or a Notary Public.
Sources: 16, 17, 15, 14
- Do this nowIf: Abroad (in India only on a visit, or not in India now)If: No
If you come on a visit, plan your stay around the two tests, both in person.
The learner's test comes first; the driving test can be taken only when your learner's licence is at least 30 days old, and before it runs out (6 months). There are no emergency slots, and if you fail a test you can take it again only after 7 days. So plan one stay of more than a month with some days to spare, or two visits: one for the learner's test, and one within 6 months for the driving test.
Not confirmed
No official page says what happens to the card, which comes by Speed Post, if you have left India by then; ask the RTA office.
Sources: 3, 7, 9, 15
- Do this nowIf: Abroad (in India only on a visit, or not in India now)If: Yes, for the vehicle I chose
If you come on a visit, plan your stay for the driving test, which you take in person.
You can take it once your learner's licence is at least 30 days old and before it runs out (6 months from its date). There are no emergency slots, and if you fail you can take the test again only after 7 days.
Not confirmed
No official page says what happens to the card, which comes by Speed Post, if you have left India by then; ask the RTA office.
Sources: 3, 7, 9, 15
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen living abroad, or recently returned from abroad (NRI)If: In India (I live here now)
As you now live in India, the Motor Vehicles Act's rule is the same as for anyone: you apply in the State where you ordinarily live or carry on business, or where your driving school is.
If that is Telangana, follow the steps below.
Sources: 16, 17
- Do this nowIf: Foreign national with an OCI card / Foreign national without an OCI cardIf: In India (I live here now)
You can get an Indian driving licence too.
A diplomat may apply for the driving licence directly; anyone else first takes a learner's licence, then the driving test, as in the steps below. Along with proof of age and address, you also give proof that you are in India legally. The application form asks for Aadhaar details only if you already have Aadhaar.
Not confirmed
If the Sarathi portal asks for Aadhaar and you have none, ask at the RTA office.
Sources: 13, 15, 14
- Do this nowIf: Foreign national with an OCI card / Foreign national without an OCI cardIf: Abroad (in India only on a visit, or not in India now)
Parivahan says a foreigner can apply for an Indian driving licence; it does not say whether someone who lives abroad can, so ask the RTA office first, as the earlier step says.
A diplomat may apply for the driving licence directly; anyone else first takes a learner's licence, then the driving test, as in the steps below. Along with proof of age and address, you also give proof that you are in India legally. The application form asks for Aadhaar details only if you already have Aadhaar.
Not confirmed
If the Sarathi portal asks for Aadhaar and you have none, ask at the RTA office.
Sources: 13, 15, 14
- Do this nowIf: Indian citizen living abroad, or recently returned from abroad (NRI) / Foreign national with an OCI card / Foreign national without an OCI card
If you hold a driving licence issued in another country for the same class of vehicle, take it with you and ask the RTA office whether you still need the driving test.
The Motor Vehicles Act (section 9(3)) says the driving test is not needed for someone holding a licence for that class from a competent authority of a country outside India; the Transport Department's FAQ says the same for a non-transport licence (such as a two-wheeler or car).
Sources: 16, 17, 7
- Do this nowIf: 16 or 17If: No
At 16 or 17 you can apply only for a motor cycle without gear (engine up to 50cc).
A parent or guardian also signs the application.
Sources: 1, 2, 7
- Do this nowIf: BothIf: No
If you want both, choose both classes, two-wheeler and car, when you apply; at the driving test you drive each vehicle.
If you already have a learner's licence for one of them, apply for the other only; the Transport Department's FAQ says it is given without a test. Its 2017 charter charges the ₹50 learner's test fee for each class; the current fee table does not say "for each class". Pay what the portal shows.
Sources: 4, 3, 7, 10
- Do this nowIf: BothIf: Yes, for the vehicle I chose
Your learner's licence must cover both the two-wheeler and the car; at the driving test you drive each vehicle.
Sources: 15, 3, 7
- Do this nowIf: No
On the Sarathi portal, choose the state "Telangana" and open "Application for New Learner Licence".
Fill in your details and upload the documents, photo and signature the portal asks for.
Open the official pageSources: 11, 12, 2
- Do this nowIf: No
Pay the learner's licence fee online and book a date and time for the test at an RTA office near you under "LL Test Slot Booking", in the order the portal asks.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
A note under the fee table says the ₹300 driving test fee is also paid at this stage, while the FAQ lists it at the driving licence stage; at each stage pay what the portal asks.
Sources: 11, 4, 7, 10, 8, 14
- Do this nowIf: No
On the booked day, go to the RTA office with your documents.
After your photo, signature and thumb impression are taken, you take a computer test. The Transport Department's FAQ describes about 20 questions in 10 minutes, at least 12 right to pass, in Telugu, Hindi or English. You can practise on Sarathi with "Mock Test for LL".
Sources: 8, 7, 10, 11
- Do this nowIf: No
If you pass, you get the learner's licence the same day.
Print it on Sarathi under "Print Learner Licence (Form3)". It is valid for 6 months.
Open the official pageSources: 7, 10, 11
- Do this now
Wait at least 30 days from the day you got the learner's licence, and learn to drive meanwhile.
Book the driving test slot before the learner's licence runs out (6 months).
Sources: 3, 7, 9
- Do this now
On Sarathi, open "New Driving Licence" and apply for the driving licence on your learner's licence.
Pay the fee and book the test track, date and time under "DL Test Slot Booking", in the order the portal asks.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
Official lists differ on the documents here: the central Rules, Form 2 and the Transport Department's documents page ask again for proof of age and address and Form 1, while its FAQ and 2017 charter list only the learner's licence. Give what the portal asks for.
Sources: 11, 3, 4, 7, 10, 9, 15, 14, 5
- Do this now
On the booked day, go to the driving test track with a vehicle of the class you applied for, its RC, insurance and PUC, and your learner's licence.
You drive in front of the Motor Vehicle Inspector.
Sources: 3, 7, 9
- Do this now
If you pass, the driving licence card comes to your address by Speed Post.
You can follow it on Sarathi under "Track Dispatch Article Status". How long a two-wheeler or car licence is valid depends on your age on the day it is issued: under 30, until you turn 40; 30 to 49, for 10 years; 50 to 54, until you turn 60; 55 or more, for 5 years.
Open the official pageSources: 3, 7, 11, 12, 17
If something goes wrong
If it is rejectedIf you fail the learner's test, book a slot again; you can retake it after 7 days.
If you fail the learner's test, book a slot again; you can retake it after 7 days. If you fail the driving test, book again with the same application number after 7 days. After 3 failures in a row you must wait 60 days from the last test, and the Act as amended in 2019 says you must then complete a remedial driver training course at a driving school; ask the RTA office how this is applied. Each retest is paid for again: the fee table lists ₹50 (learner's) and ₹300 (driving, each class); pay what the portal shows. If the learner's licence runs out, take a new one (Sarathi lists "Expired Learner Licence Issue Again") and wait at least 30 days again.
Sarathi portal (Telangana) · Open the official page
Sources: 7, 9, 4, 11, 17
If it is lateIf the card has not come, first check "Track Dispatch Article Status" on Sarathi.
If the card has not come, first check "Track Dispatch Article Status" on Sarathi. Then complain to the Transport Department's call centre: 1100 from BSNL, 1800 425 1110 from other networks. The department's 2017 charter, which gives these numbers, says it tries to settle complaints within 7 days; if not, they go to the next officer, and to the Transport Commissioner after 15 days.
Transport Department call centre
Sources: 10, 11
If you are asked for more moneyThe Transport Department has no agents or touts.
The Transport Department has no agents or touts. Slot booking is free, and nobody can get you a slot out of turn. Do not pay anyone for a slot. Pay only the fees the portal shows, online, and keep a receipt for every payment. If anyone asks for money, complain to the call centre (1100, or 1800 425 1110).
Transport Department call centre
Sources: 9, 8, 10
Official websites for this work
- Sarathi (Parivahan) Driving licence, learner's licence, renewal
- Transport Department (Telangana) Vehicle and licence forms
Related guides
The 19 official pages and papers this guide is written from
- Driving LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Where do you get it? When do you get it? (ages); Do you need to produce a Medical Certificate? · read on 30-10-2026
- Learner's LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Licensing Authorities; Age limit to obtain Driving Licence; Documents Required · read on 30-10-2026
- Permanent LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Procedure (30 days, Form 4, test of competence, vehicle, speed post) · read on 02-11-2026
- Fees: Licence (licence fee payable under rule 32 of the C.M.V. Rules, 1989)Transport Department, Government of Telangana, Table, serial numbers 1 to 4; notes 1 and 2 · read on 30-10-2026
- Proof of Documents RequiredTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Documents to be enclosed as to the correctness of Address and Age · read on 02-11-2026
- Forms: LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Form 1, Form 1 A, Form 2, Form 4 · read on 30-10-2026
- FAQ's: LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, How do you obtain a Learner's Licence?; How can I obtain a learning licence? (requirements, notes, fees); How to get your fresh driving licence? (requirements, retest, fees, validity table); How to get your fresh driving licence?, note: exempted from the test for a non-transport category when holding a licence for that class from a competent authority of any country outside India; retest of the learner's and driving tests after 7 days; How to get your driving licence renewed?; How to get international driving permit? · read on 02-11-2026
- FAQ's: LLR TestTransport Department, Government of Telangana, What is the LLR test; time; languages; agents · read on 30-10-2026
- FAQ's: Driving TestTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Slot booking; choice of track; expiring learner licence; agents and touts; I need to go abroad, is there any special slots for emergencies (there are no emergency slots; plan well in advance) · read on 02-11-2026
- Citizen's Charter, Transport DepartmentTransport Department, Government of Telangana, 6.1 Service delivery offices; A. Issue of driving license (table, page 4); 8. Grievance/Complaint Redress Mechanism (12-10-2017) · read on 30-10-2026
- Sarathi: Licence services, TelanganaMinistry of Road Transport and Highways (Parivahan Sewa, built by NIC), for the Transport Department, Government of Telangana, Menus: Learner Licence (Application for New Learner Licence, Print Learner Licence (Form3), Mock Test for LL, Online LLTest(Stall)); Driving Licence (New Driving Licence); Appointments (LL Test Slot Booking, DL Test Slot Booking); Upload Document (Upload Photograph and Signature); Fee Payments; Others (Track Dispatch Article Status, Road Safety Content) · read on 30-10-2026
- NIC Telangana: Parivahan's Sarathi Launch Ushers in New Digital Transport Services in State of TelanganaNational Informatics Centre, Telangana State Centre (on cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in), Launch for learner's licences on 30 April 2025; plan for the whole state by the end of August 2025; core features · read on 30-10-2026
- FAQ: I am a foreigner, can I apply Driver's License on the basis of my country's Driver's LicenseMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Answer: a diplomat may apply for the driving licence directly; anyone else applies for a learner's licence first (FAQ category: New DL, New Driver's License services) · read on 02-11-2026
- Form 2 [Refer Rules 10, 14, 17 and 18] of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: application for learner's licence or driving licenceMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Item 2: Aadhaar details "if already available"; Annexure: proof of address and age (passport among them); other documents, item 7: proof of legal presence in India in addition to proof of residence, for foreigners; Annexure, proof of address and age, item 8: affidavit sworn before an Executive Magistrate, Notary Public or First Class Judicial Magistrate; item 4: proof of address "in case of New Learner's Licence or New Driving Licence"; annexure, other documents: Form 1, photograph; item 1: classes of vehicle (Motor Cycle Without Gear, Motor Cycle With Gear and Light Motor Vehicle are separate classes) · read on 02-11-2026
- The Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 (consolidated text with amendments to about 2012)Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (consolidated text published by the Transport Department, Government of Chhattisgarh), Rule 2(r): an International Driving Permit is issued by a licensing authority in India to an Indian national, for driving in other countries party to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic; rule 4, item 12 (inserted by G.S.R. 276(E), 10 April 2007): proof of legal presence in India in addition to proof of residence, for foreigners; Chapter II (rules 3 to 32, rule 31 being the driving syllabus): no rule on driving in India on a licence from another country; rule 4, proviso: where no listed document can be produced for sufficient reason, the licensing authority may accept an affidavit sworn before an Executive Magistrate, a First Class Judicial Magistrate or a Notary Public as evidence of age and address; rule 4 (proofs "in original or relevant extracts thereof duly attested"); rule 5(1) (Form 1 self-declaration with an application for a learner's licence or a driving licence; Form 1-A from a registered medical practitioner for a transport vehicle); rule 10 (the words "or renewal" of a learner's licence omitted by G.S.R. 276(E), 10 April 2007); rule 14(1) (a driving licence application goes with (a) an effective learner's licence for the type of vehicle applied for, (c) photographs, (f) proof of residence, (g) proof of age); rule 15(1) (learner's licence held for at least thirty days before the driving test) · read on 02-11-2026
- The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (59 of 1988), text before the 2019 amendmentMinistry of Law and Justice, Government of India (India Code), Section 8(1) (where to apply: where one ordinarily resides or carries on business, or where one's driving school is); section 9(3), first proviso, clause (a)(iii) (no driving test for the holder of a licence for that class from a competent authority of a country outside India); section 139(1)(c) (the Central Government may make rules on the conditions for people entering India for a temporary stay to drive here); section 14(1) (a learner's licence is effective for six months from its issue) (14-10-1988) · read on 30-10-2026
- The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (No. 32 of 2019)Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1, No. 51), Sections 4(i) and 5(i): in sections 8(1) and 9(1), "any licensing authority in the State"; section 5(ii): only the second proviso of section 9(3) replaced; section 4(iii): section 8(3) (medical certificate) now only for an application "to drive a transport vehicle"; section 5(iv): after three failed tests the applicant "shall be required to complete a remedial driver training course"; section 9(ii): new clause (b) of section 14(2) (validity of a licence other than a transport licence by age at issue or renewal: under 30, until 40; 30 to 49, ten years; 50 to 54, until 60; 55 and over, five years) (09-08-2019) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 1050(E) dated 4 March 2021: rights of Overseas Citizen of India cardholders (Citizenship Act, 1955, section 7B(1))Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii), No. 962), Rights (1) multiple entry lifelong visa, (2) exemption from registration with the FRRO or FRO, (5) a foreigner's rights in fields not named; Explanation (1): an OCI cardholder is a foreign national holding a foreign passport and is not a citizen of India (04-03-2021) · read on 02-11-2026
- Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025 (S.O. 3997(E)), as amended by S.O. 6027(E) of 4 November 2026Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Paragraph 3(1)(b): citizens of Nepal and Bhutan · read on 10-11-2026