A driving licence is an important document every citizen in our country should have. It is a piece of paper that allows people to drive freely on Indian roads without any legal repercussions. Driving without this important document can get you into many legal entangles and rob you of your freedom as well. Another important aspect of a driving licence is that it does not come with a life-long validity. It carries an expiry date and the licence needs to be renewed before it ceases to exist. So, today we will discuss how NRIs can renew their Indian driving licences that are about to expire.
A driving licence can be used for 30 days after its expiry and if you renew the same after the grace period you would be liable to pay a penalty. The driving licence can be renewed for a sum of Rs. 200 but the amount varies from state to state. Coming back to the case of NRIs, who are based out of India, should they be in India to renew their driving licences that are on the verge of expiry? Could they do the needful from their respective countries of residence?
New Tweaks Have Brought Cheers For The NRIs
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Jan 7 2021, Indians living overseas can renew their driving licence via Indian embassies or missions, from the respective countries they are residing at present. The Indian RTOs will then despatch the renewed licenses to the respective destinations abroad. So, NRIs need not come to India for the same now. Also, the new tweaks now permit an Indian citizen applying for an Indian driving licence to be excluded from furnishing a valid visa and medical certificate for the purpose.
Renewal Via VAHAN Portal
Indians based overseas are required to apply for renewal of their driving licences through the website of Indian embassies or missions abroad, which then gets transferred to the VAHAN portal in India for the approval of the RTOs. The applicants are required to provide a fee of Rs 2,000 for the same purpose. Along with the fee, they have to submit proof of a valid driving licence, three passport-sized photographs, valid proof of nationality and a passport.
