Driving licence rules may change: New colours, tougher tests proposed

The draft rules propose a higher pass mark for learner drivers, fee waivers for select online services and changes to licence formats, documentation and application timelines, among other measures

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed separate colour-coded driving licences for Indian and foreign nationals, alongside stricter learner-driver assessment requirements and fee waivers for select online services.

 

The proposals are part of draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, notified by the ministry on October 16. The draft was published in the Gazette of India on October 21 and is open to objections and suggestions for 30 days from the date copies of the notification are made available to the public.

 

The ministry has proposed raising the qualifying threshold for the safe-driving tutorial assessment from 60 per cent to 75 per cent. The tutorial would have to last at least 30 minutes, while the time allowed to complete it would increase from seven days to 15 days.

 

 

Under the proposed changes to Rule 16, every driving licence issued or renewed by a licensing authority would be provided as a laminated or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) card in Form 7. Separate formats would be prescribed for Indian and foreign nationals, with different background colour schemes and nationality included among the licence details.

Changes to licence details

The draft proposes introducing a dedicated online process for updating particulars on a driving licence, including the holder's name and address. Applications would be submitted through the designated portal using a new Form 2A, along with supporting documents.

 

Licensing authorities would have to approve or reject applications within 15 days, recording reasons for rejection and communicating the decision to applicants, including electronically. Applications for address changes that remain undecided for 30 days would be deemed approved under the proposal.

 

The ministry has also proposed removing fees for changes to personal particulars, including name and address, and waiving charges for specified services accessed online through Aadhaar authentication. The draft further seeks to remove additional fees for delays in submitting no-objection certificates in cases involving changes of residence.

 

The proposed rules revise the documents accepted as proof of identity, age and address. Depending on the category of proof required, the lists include Aadhaar, passports, voter identity cards, e-ration cards, birth certificates, educational certificates, government-issued service identity cards and pensioner identity documents, among others. Electricity and household gas bills not older than three months would be accepted as proof of address. Foreign applicants would also need to provide proof of their legal presence in India, in addition to proof of residence.

 

The draft also proposes changes to the information recorded on driving licences. The existing machine-readable zone would be replaced by a QR code-readable zone, while the proposed data fields would be expanded to include nationality, medical conditions, allergies, medication or prescription details, organ-donor status and emergency contact information.

 

Separately, a person permanently surrendering a vehicle category on a driving licence would have that category automatically deleted within seven days of the application. The person would not be eligible to obtain a learner's licence or driving licence for the surrendered category for one year from the date of surrender.

 

The proposals will be considered after the 30-day period for objections and suggestions. The amendments would come into force upon their final publication in the Official Gazette, unless otherwise specified.