New Delhi: The format of driving license is set to change. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, under which all the States will have to issue the driving licenses in the standard format for their smooth validation in other countries also.
India, being a signatory to Convention on International Road Traffic of 1949 (Geneva Convention), is required to issue International Driving Permit (IDP), commonly known as driving license with validity in other countries, as provided under this Convention, for the acceptance of the same on reciprocal basis with other countries.
Now, as per the amendment brought in by the MoRTH, the format, size, colour etc. for IDP has been standardized for issuance across India, and in adherence to the Geneva Convention. Provision for QR code to link the IDP with the Driving License has also been made. A comparison of vehicle categories across various Conventions and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 has also been added for facilitation of regulatory authorities. Helpline numbers and email have also been provided.
The IDPs will henceforth be issued in the form of booklet, measuring 148x105mm in size, and its cover will be grey in colour. It will be of 12 pages with cover and back and contain names of the countries the permit is valid for driving. The cover page will have the permit number, validity and details of issuing authority along with seal and signature.
Currently, the format, size, pattern, colour etc. of the IDP being issued was differing across States in India. Due to this, many citizens were facing difficulties with their respective IDP in foreign countries.
