Driving Licence Renewal Process in Mumbai

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A driving licence is a document that authorises an individual to ride or drive motor vehicles in public places. In India, individuals are not allowed to operate motor vehicles unless they possess a valid driving licence, as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. To obtain a driving licence, you will need to approach the RTO in your jurisdiction or apply for it online. Keep in mind that you will need a learner’s licence to apply for a permanent driving licence.

The validity of a driving licence is 20 years or until the applicant attains the age of 50 years, based on whichever of the two happens first. Given that riding/driving a motor vehicle without a driving licence is not allowed in the country, you should ensure that you renew your licence before its expiry date.

Driving Licence in Mumbai

Residents of Mumbai can apply for a driving licence online through the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The concerned individual will be granted a driving licence upon successfully clearing the driving licence test.

Driving Licence Renewal in Mumbai

Here are a few things that you should know about the driving licence renewal procedure in Mumbai:

• An individual who is looking to renew their driving licence will need to submit the application form for the renewal of the driving licence along with the required documents to the Licencing Authority.
• A driving licence holder can start the application process 30 days prior to the actual expiry date of the driving licence.
• After the expiry of a driving licence, the driving licence holder is given a 30-day grace period to renew the licence. If the licence is renewed within the expiry date or during the 30-day grace period, the driving licence’s expiry date will be considered as its renewal date. On the other hand, if the application for renewal is made after the 30-day grace period, the date on which the application form is received by the Licencing Authority will be considered as the renewal date. The applicant, in such cases, might have to pay an additional fee.
• A driving licence that has been expired for 5 years or more cannot be renewed. In such a case, the concerned individual will need to make a fresh application for the driving licence, after first applying for the learner’s licence and clearing the applicable tests.
• If your original driving licence was issued by an RTO outside Maharashtra, you should, ideally, obtain a No Objection Certificate from the RTO that had previously issued your driving licence.
• Once you submit the application form and required documents, your application will be verified by the Licencing Authority, after which it will be renewed.

Documents Required

You will need to submit the following documents to renew your driving licence:

• Form 9, which is the application form for renewing the driving licence
• Your driving licence
• Medical certificate in Form 1A
• Three copies of your recent passport-size photographs
• Form 1 (applicable for transport vehicles)
• No Objection Certificate, if the licence was issued by an RTO outside Maharashtra
• Applicable fee

Why You Should Renew Your Driving Licence

It is necessary to renew your driving licence due to the following reasons:

• Legally Required: Legally, you cannot ride or drive a motorised vehicle in the country unless you have a driving licence. If you are caught driving/riding without a driving licence, you will be fined. To avoid this, you should renew your driving licence on time.
• Can be Used as ID Proof: It is beneficial to have a driving licence since it can also serve as proof of identity. Thus, you can submit your driving licence as ID proof when travelling, for banking purposes, etc.
• To Avoid Applying for a New Licence: If you let your driving licence stay expired for more than 5 years, you will need to apply for a new driving licence. In this case, you will need to apply for a learner’s licence and clear the learner’s licence test, after which you will be eligible to apply for a driving licence. Thus, to avoid going through the entire application process for a second time, it is best to renew your driving licence within the specified due date.
• To Avoid Paying More at the time of Renewal: If you renew your driving licence after the specified grace period, you will need to pay an additional fee when renewing your licence. To avoid shelling out additional money, you should renew your policy on time.

Residents of Mumbai can renew their driving licence online through the official website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (Sarathi) or by directly approaching the RTO for the same. Make sure to keep the expiry date of your driving licence in mind and renew it within the grace period to be compliant with the rules of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.