Renewing a driving licence
Apply for renewal on Sarathi from a year before the expiry date; if it expired more than a year ago, you must also pass the driving test again. A duplicate for a lost licence is applied for there too. The new card comes 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 who lives (or works) in Telangana and is renewing an Indian driving licence, or needs a duplicate for a lost or damaged one. A licence taken in another state can be renewed here too. It also covers those who are abroad. OCI cardholders and foreign nationals may also be asked for proof that they are in India legally.
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?
- What do you need?
- Where are you now?
- How old are you?
- When is or was the expiry date?
Your answers stay on this phone.
Each step below says who it is for. Confirm yours at the office, then change your answer here.
We could not confirm whether this applies to you
We found no official page that says how to renew a driving licence, or get a duplicate, while you are abroad, or that an Indian embassy can help with it. What the official pages say: you can apply for renewal on Sarathi from one year before the expiry date; after applying, Parivahan's FAQ says you go to the RTA on the booked day with your original documents; within a year after expiry no test is needed, but after more than a year you must pass the driving test again. Indian missions abroad have an official role only in re-issuing an expired International Driving Permit.
→ If your licence expires within a year, renew it before you leave India, or on your next visit (choose "In India" in this guide). To ask whether your case can be done without coming in person, contact the Transport Department through Sarathi's "File Your Grievance", or the Transport Department's call centre (1100 from BSNL, 1800 425 1110 from other networks).
Sources: 3, 8, 7, 10, 16, 4
2Documents you need
Tick the ones you have. They are kept in this browser.
Details
Sources: 13, 16, 12
Details
If you don't have it: It is part of the Form 2 application; it is also on the Forms page of the Transport Department website (Form -1). Fill it in and sign it yourself.
Sources: 1, 13, 15
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 examines you, fills it in and signs it, partly over your photo.
Sources: 1, 2, 13, 15, 9
Details
A recent passport-size photo and your signature. Form 2 says the photo for an online application must be at most 50 KB; upload them as the portal asks.
Sources: 1, 10
Details
The copy of the complaint or lost report you gave the police about the lost or damaged licence.
Sources: 1
Details
Sources: 5
Details
Not confirmed: Form 2, the application form also for renewals and duplicates, lists for foreigners, where it applies, "Proof of legal presence in India in addition to proof of residence". It does not say which documents count, and the renewal rule (rule 18 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules) does not ask for it. Ask the RTA office first whether you need it, and whether a passport with visa, an FRRO registration paper or an OCI card will do. An OCI cardholder is a foreign national (Ministry of Home Affairs notification, 2021).
Sources: 1, 18
Nothing to get ready before these steps.
3Your steps
· Do them in order. Tick each one when it is done.
- Do this nowIf: Renewal (it is expiring or has expired)
On Sarathi (Telangana), open "Services on DL (Renewal/Duplicate/AEDL/IDP/Others)" in the Driving Licence menu (or "Apply for DL Renewal"), give your licence number and date of birth, and choose renewal.
You can apply from one year before the expiry date. If you apply within one year after it, no driving test is needed. When the portal asks, choose an RTA: by the Act, a licensing authority other than the one that issued your licence may also renew it. If your licence is for a transport vehicle (a goods vehicle, bus or other vehicle run for hire), you need the Form 1A medical certificate whatever your age; the form is on the Forms page of the Transport Department website (Form -1 A). Upload the photo, signature and forms as the portal asks.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
Parivahan's FAQ said to choose the RTA where your licence was last dealt with, or the nearest one, and that no NOC is needed to renew here a licence from another state (we could not open that page again on 11 November 2026).
Sources: 3, 8, 1, 10, 12, 9, 15, 11
- Do this nowIf: Renewal (it is expiring or has expired)
Pay the fee on the portal and keep the receipt.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
The Rule 32 table says "grace period" without saying how long it is. By section 15 of the Act as amended in 2019, the ordinary ₹200 fee applies when you apply up to one year after the expiry date; the ₹300 fee and the ₹1,000 a year apply after that. We have not seen what Sarathi itself charges; the portal works out any late fee.
Sources: 14, 13, 6, 10, 8, 9
- Do this nowIf: A duplicate (the licence is lost or damaged)
If the licence is lost, damaged or defaced, first complain to the police and keep the copy: Form 2 asks for that copy in all these cases.
Then on Sarathi (Telangana) open "Apply for Duplicate DL" (or "Services on DL"), give your licence number and date of birth, and choose duplicate. Upload the police complaint copy, the photo and, if you have one, an attested photocopy of the old licence; if the old licence is damaged, take it with you to the office.
Open the official pageNot confirmed
These amounts are from the FAQ written before Sarathi. Pay the amount the portal shows. Parivahan's FAQ said to choose the RTA where your licence was last dealt with and, if you do not know your licence number, to go to the transport office with your original documents (we could not open that page again on 11 November 2026).
Sources: 1, 5, 3, 10, 12, 13, 10, 11
- Do this nowIf: Renewal (it is expiring or has expired)If: It passed more than a year ago
If the expiry date passed more than a year ago, the licence is renewed only after you pass the driving test again.
Book the test slot the portal shows and take the test with your vehicle.
Not confirmed
Parivahan's FAQ said some states first ask for a new learner's licence (we could not open that page again on 11 November 2026); if the portal asks for one, take it.
Sources: 8, 3, 14, 13
- Do this now
If the portal asks for a slot, book it under Appointments, "DL services Slot Booking".
On that day, take your original documents to the RTA.
Not confirmed
Parivahan's FAQ on appointments says you take an appointment on Sarathi and go to the RTO on that day with your original documents; it adds that this service is in some states only. If the portal completes your application without asking for a slot, follow what it shows. Another Parivahan FAQ said to take the printed application and the fee slip too (we could not open that page again on 11 November 2026); the application forms can be printed under "Application Status" on Sarathi.
Sources: 3, 10, 12, 13, 4
- Do this now
The renewed licence (or the duplicate, marked "DUPLICATE" in red) comes as a smart card by speed post; you can follow it under "Track Dispatch Article Status" on Sarathi.
For a licence other than a transport licence, the new validity depends on your age on the day of renewal: under 30, until you turn 40; 30 to 49, 10 years; 50 to 54, until you turn 60; 55 or more, 5 years. A transport licence is valid for 5 years (3 years for a hazardous-goods licence).
Open the official pageSources: 13, 8, 10
If something goes wrong
If it is rejectedIf you fail the driving test, book a slot again on the portal (the repeat test fee is ₹300).
If you fail the driving test, book a slot again on the portal (the repeat test fee is ₹300). The Transport Department's FAQ, on a new licence's test, allows a retest only after 7 days, and after 3 failures in a row not for the next 60 days.
Sarathi portal (Telangana) · Open the official page
Sources: 3, 14, 10, 13
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 charter says complaints are settled within 7 days; if not, they go to the next officer, and to the Transport Commissioner after 15 days.
Transport Department call centre
Sources: 16, 10
If you are asked for more moneyThe Transport Department has no agents or touts; book your slot yourself, and nobody can get you a slot out of turn.
The Transport Department has no agents or touts; book your slot yourself, and nobody can get you a slot out of turn. Pay only the fees the portal shows, online, and keep the receipt. If anyone asks for money, complain to the call centre (1100, or 1800 425 1110).
Transport Department call centre
Sources: 17, 16
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
- Form 2 [Refer Rules 10, 14, 17 and 18] of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989: application for learner's licence or driving licence or addition of a new class of vehicle or renewal of driving licence or change of address or nameMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Services applying for (Renewal of Driving Licence; Duplicate Driving Licence); photo for an online application not more than 50 KB; Self-Declaration as to Physical Fitness; Annexure, other documents: 1 (Form 1), 2 (Form 1A "if the applicant is applying for renewal and is above 40 years of age or applying for Transport Licence"), 5 (photograph), 9 (copy of the police complaint when the licence was lost, mutilated, defaced or damaged); Annexure, other documents, item 7: proof of legal presence in India in addition to proof of residence in case of foreigners · read on 02-11-2026
- Form 1A [Refer Rules 5(1), (3), 7, 10(a), 14(d) and 18(d)]: Medical CertificateMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Heading (filled in by a registered medical practitioner); certificate of medical fitness; note 1 (the doctor signs partly over the photograph) · read on 02-11-2026
- FAQ: Services On Driver's License (pages 1 to 4)Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Page 1: When should I apply for Renewal ("within one year prior to or after the expiry"); procedure for services (Sarathi, state, Driving License, Services on Drivers License, licence number and date of birth); an application made against any RTO can be changed before the fee is paid. Pages 2 to 4, read on 2 November 2026 and not opened again on 11 November 2026 (the guide gives what they said only as not confirmed): renewal steps (visit the RTO on the scheduled date with original documents and fee slip; expired more than one year: driving test, or a learner's licence as per state policy); which RTO for renewal (last transaction or nearest) and for a duplicate (last transaction); NOC not required to renew in another state; licence shown expired or missing on Sarathi (contact the transport office with the originals) · read on 02-11-2026
- FAQ: Appointment of Slots for Driver's LicenseMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Reprinting the appointment or acknowledgement form (Sarathi, state, "Application Status": the application forms and the appointment or acknowledgement slip); booking, rescheduling or cancelling a slot (Sarathi, state, "Appointments", select the service, take the appointment, "Visit RTO on scheduled date with original documents"; "available in some states only") · read on 11-11-2026
- Duplicate LicenceMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), When a duplicate is issued (lost or destroyed; defaced, torn or written up; photograph to be replaced); requirements (Form 2, the defaced licence if available, attested photocopies if the licence is lost, fees with user charges) · read on 02-11-2026
- Licensing Related Fees and ChargesMinistry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Parivahan Sewa), Fee payable, serial numbers 5 (International Driving Permit, ₹1,000), 8 (renewal, ₹200) and 9 (renewal after the grace period, ₹300, and ₹1,000 for each year or part of a year of delay after the grace period) · read on 02-11-2026
- Notification G.S.R. 15(E) dated 7 January 2021: the Central Motor Vehicles (First Amendment) Rules, 2021Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(i), No. 13), Rule 1(2): in force from 15 February 2021; rule 2: new rule 14(2) (an IDP is applied for online through parivahan.gov.in in Form 4A, with a valid driving licence, the Rule 32 fee, three recent passport photographs, valid proof of Indian nationality and valid proof of passport); rule 3: Rule 32, serial 5 (₹1,000; an additional ₹2,000 when the applicant applies online through an Indian Mission or Post abroad, from a foreign country, with an expired IDP); rule 4(c): Form 4A, item 15 (07-01-2021) · read on 02-11-2026
- 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), Section 9(ii): new clause (b) of section 14(2) (validity of a licence other than a transport licence by age on the date of issue or renewal: under 30, until 40; 30 to 49, ten years; 50 to 54, until 60; 55 and over, five years); section 10: in section 15, "either one year prior to date of its expiry or within one year" (sub-section (1)), "one year" for "thirty days" (sub-sections (3) and (4)), and in the second proviso to (4): more than one year after the licence ceased to be effective, the licensing authority "shall" refuse to renew unless the applicant passes the test of competence to drive (09-08-2019) · 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 15(1) (any licensing authority may, on application, renew a driving licence; second proviso: an application to renew a licence to drive a transport vehicle, or in any other case one by an applicant who has attained the age of forty years, is accompanied by a medical certificate); section 15(3) and (4) (the fee for an application made before, or not more than the stated period after, the date of expiry, and the fee for one made later; the 2019 Act made that period one year); section 15(6) (an authority renewing a licence it did not issue informs the authority that issued it) (14-10-1988) · read on 11-11-2026
- Sarathi: Licence services, Telangana (page headed "Transport Department, Government of Telangana")Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (Parivahan Sewa, built by NIC), for the Transport Department, Government of Telangana, Menus: Driving Licence (Services on DL (Renewal/Duplicate/AEDL/IDP/Others); IDP Print Licence; Display IDP Details); Appointments (DL services Slot Booking); Upload Document (Upload Documents/ Scanned Images; Upload Photograph and Signature); Fee Payments; Others (Track Dispatch Article Status); Application Status; File Your Grievance; quick links Apply for DL Renewal, Apply for Duplicate DL, Apply for International Driving Permit (IDP) · read on 02-11-2026
- Automated Online Services (AOS): Menu PageTransport Department, Government of Telangana (its Automated Online Services site), Notice on the menu page: for Learner Licence, Driving Licence and Conductor Licence transactions, visit the Sarathi portal (sarathi.parivahan.gov.in) · read on 11-11-2026
- Renewal of Driving LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Online slot booking for renewal; application to the licensing authority where the applicant resides or carries on business; fee under Rule 32; the driving licence; Form 1A wherever applicable, with the declaration in Form 1 · read on 02-11-2026
- FAQ's: LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, How to get your driving licence renewed? (book a slot and pay online; Form 9, Form 1, Form 1A for a transport licence or above 40 years; original licence; retest if applied 1 year after expiry; fees: ₹200 within the grace period or ₹300 after it, ₹1,000 for each year or part after the grace period, service charge ₹300 for a non-transport licence, smart card ₹200; validity table; speed post); How to get a duplicate driving licence? (lost, defaced or torn; ₹200, service charge ₹300, smart card ₹200; marked "DUPLICATE" in red; speed post); How to get international driving permit? (Form 4A; passport and visa wherever applicable; Indian licence; two photographs; Form 1A; address proof; ₹1,000 and service charge ₹300; valid 1 year or until the licence or visa expires; same day) · 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 3 (test of competence, ₹300), 5 (International Driving Permit, ₹1,000), 8 (renewal, ₹200) and 9 (renewal after the grace period, ₹300, and ₹1,000 for each year or part after it); note 1 (smart card, ₹200 more) · read on 02-11-2026
- Forms: LicenceTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Form -1, Form -1 A, Renewal of Driving Licence, International Driving Permit (downloads) · read on 02-11-2026
- Citizen's Charter, Transport DepartmentTransport Department, Government of Telangana, 8. Grievance/Complaint Redress Mechanism (head of the office; call centre 1100 from BSNL and 18004251110 from other networks; redress within seven days; escalation, and to the Transport Commissioner after 15 days) (12-10-2017) · read on 02-11-2026
- FAQ's: Driving TestTransport Department, Government of Telangana, Some agents and touts assure me a slot (the department has no agents or touts; book your slot yourself; no one can allot a slot out of turn) · 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
- 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 18(1): renewal in Form 9 to the licensing authority where the applicant ordinarily resides or carries on business, with the fee, photographs, the licence and the medical certificate in Form 1-A; no document for foreigners. Rule 4 (proof of legal presence for foreigners, item 12) is for the issue of a licence · read on 02-11-2026