Indian citizens whose International Driving Permit (IDP) has expired while they are abroad can now apply for renewal through embassies or missions in their respective country of stay.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a notification in this regard on January 7, 2021. Earlier, there was no mechanism for IDP renewal while citizens were abroad.
With this amendment, Indian citizens can now apply for renewal through the Indian Embassies/Missions abroad, from where these applications would move to the VAHAN portal in India, to be considered by the respective Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), the ministry said.
IDP would be couriered to the citizen at his/her address abroad by the respective RTOs.
Documents required
The amendment also removes the conditions of a medical certificate and a valid visa at the time of making the request for the IDP in India. The idea is that a citizen who has a valid driving licence should not have a requirement for another medical certificate, the government said.
There is also no need for a visa to apply for the IDP in India before travel as there are countries where the visa is issued on arrival or visa is issued at the last moment.
In such cases, visa is not available when applying for the IDP in India before travel.
"There are countries where the Visa is issued on arrival or Visa is issued at the last moment. In such cases, VISA is not available when applying for the IDP in India before travel. Hence, IDP application can be made without VISA now," it added.
