[Yamahead]

I got my first MCWG license from MVD,Kolkata in 2004 though I was riding around in all sorts of 2-wheelers in Hubli, Karnataka( engg college) since 2004. Such is the level of enforcement that between 2000 and 2004 not a single cop in either Goa or Karnataka stopped me to check my license.

Cut to 2011 when I needed a LMV license in Chennai.Enrolled myself at a neighbourhood driving school and landed up at the Thiruvanmiyur RTO at the appointed date to get my LLR and lo and behold I was asked to come later since my passport with Kolkata address was not good enough for getting a license in Chennai.
I had to go to Kolkata for some office work and it took me exactly one hour and a phone call from my mom( She is Professor at Calcutta Medical College and apparently one of her students is the daughter of a big-shot in the MVD) to get a LLR and also the friendly gentleman adviced me " next time you come home will get you a permanent license in a jiffy".
Mind it, I know how to drive quite well and in all my visits to the RTOs of Kolkata & Chennai no one has bothered to ask me IF I knew how to ride a car or a bike. People assume since you can pay, you might as well drive on the roads.
Meanwhile the driving schools in Chennai and the local RTO guys sorted out their hafta/ daily system so my driving school has also given me an LLR.
This is stupid,insane and a total dhabba on the system. It takes a computer, a net connection and a simple national repository to track and issue licenses. IF we can apply for and get credit cards online ( Citibank is totally online now), we might as well download and print forms, go to a nationalised bank and deposit the fees using a challan, go to some authorised testing centre, give a PROPER test and get our licenses.It sucks to appear for a sham-test in front of a guy who has the IQ of a cabbage and the morals and greed of a pirate.
My two cents.

[musafir_blr]

1. can i get the license issued by the RTO TN07 ( chennai south which is inThiruvanmiyur ) even though the permanent address given in my PASSPORT
comes under RTO TN 10( chennai south which is valasaravakkam).

(ps: i have this doubt because couple of friends of mine said that i will issued license only by the RTO under which my permanent adress comes under.is it true.?).

I think your friends are right.

I stay in Bangalore and when I bought my car in 2008, the registration was done with K R Puram RTO by the Dealer. When I went to RTO (this year) for de-hypotication (I didnt go through any agents), the RTO was pro-active enough to ensure I change my car's Address and RTO into Indiranagar as per my current address (the car registration was not required to change).

[Fortuner71]

Dear Bhpians,

Request the procedure for renewal of driving licence and cost involved .
my DL expired in June 2011 and since iam out of the country currently , i shall come in december 2011 and get it renewed from the RTO in Mysore , Karnataka .

1. Let me know what are the forms needed ?
2. Can i get these forms online ?
3. what is the cost ?
4. how many days does it take ?( normal : not through agent ).

Thanks and regards,

[shayonpal]

Today I visited the Mumbai RTO (in 4 bungalows) to figure out how to apply for a new license. They gave me a set of forms and asked me to stand in a line at 5 in the morning to get some sort of a 'token'. Apparently the RTO processes only 400 registrations a day, and if I don't be on the queue early enough, I might not be able to make it for that day.

Anyway, my query is that the form also includes a medical certificate section that needs to be filled in by a (government?) doctor. Can that be filled up by my family doctor (who is a MD) or does it have to be filled up by a government doctor only?

Plus, are there any tips and tricks for me to make the whole process comparatively smooth?

[bhasker]

Originally Posted by shayonpal

Anyway, my query is that the form also includes a medical certificate section that needs to be filled in by a (government?) doctor. Can that be filled up by my family doctor (who is a MD) or does it have to be filled up by a government doctor only?

Yes, any MBBS doctor can do the signing job for you. The rules say that the person conducting the medical examination should be at least MBBS equivalent or higher, qualified. MD is a degree which I believe is higher than MBBS. So I guess your family doctor can sign it. Do remember to take/his her rubber stamp and seal along with the signature.

Originally Posted by shayonpal

Plus, are there any tips and tricks for me to make the whole process comparatively smooth?

I am not very much aware with the happenings at Mumbai RTO(s), buy from my experience, I have learnt that you will save time and be able to make the process faster, if you stay alert and observant. There is always a procedure in which the applicant has to proceed to the counters for various jobs like form collection and filling, final document verification, fees payment, data entry on computer and final submission on counter and to collect the acknowledgement. For the first timers it could be really confusing, so just keep asking the people standing around you for which counter to proceed to. Trust me ! It really works and you job could become hassle free with the help from other people standing around you !

All the best !

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by shayonpal

Anyway, my query is that the form also includes a medical certificate section that needs to be filled in by a (government?) doctor. Can that be filled up by my family doctor (who is a MD) or does it have to be filled up by a government doctor only?

Plus, are there any tips and tricks for me to make the whole process comparatively smooth?

The only tip to have a smooth process is pay for the agent who will do the running around for you. He can even arrange a doctor's certificate. In Thane RTO, there are about 10+ agents who keep hovering around gullible customers promising fast action. They charge hefty amounts too - Rs 1000 for DL whereas the total amount is Rs 400/- (350 for smart car + 50 for DL form). If you try to do it your way then be ready to spend considerable amount of time.

IMO every BHPian should try to do on their own, this way the nuances of the process will be better understood and conveyed to all.

[shayonpal]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

They charge hefty amounts too - Rs 1000 for DL whereas the total amount is Rs 400/- (350 for smart car + 50 for DL form). If you try to do it your way then be ready to spend considerable amount of time.

Personally, I do not wish to take help from the touts at all. Additionally, the charges aren't Rs 1,000 but rather to the tune of Rs 3,500.

I checked the Central Motor Vehicular Rules and it said that I didn't need a doctor's certificate unless I am applying for a transport license. This has gotten me confused all the more!

[bhasker]

Originally Posted by shayonpal

I checked the Central Motor Vehicular Rules and it said that I didn't need a doctor's certificate unless I am applying for a transport license. This has gotten me confused all the more!

Dear shayonpal,

I must tell you that the CMV Act, 1989 might say that you don't need a medical fitness certificate. But on the other hand, different set of rules are placed in RTOs of different states. I will give you one example. I had applied for my first learner's license in Chandigarh. I was compulsorily asked to get the medical certificate signed. After some time, I moved to Delhi and then applied for a learner's license at a Delhi RTO. Here also I had to compulsorily get the medical certificate signed. After few months, I again moved to Bangalore. Here, I applied for a learner's license again. To my surprise, when I asked another other applicant from whom to get the medical certificate signed, he looked at me and said, "you don't need a medical certificate if your age is less than 40 years. Medical certificate is only required for applicants whose age is 40 years or more."

Another example, for applying for a driving license in Uttar Pradesh(UP), if you don't have a residence proof of your own, you can submit the residence proof of your father. Whereas, in Delhi, one should submit only his residence proof, and his parents' residence proof is not acceptable.

So, please make a note, that the set of rules differ in all the RTOs across India. You better go to your RTO early in the morning with the form duly filled, and you can ask the fellow applicants to check your form, if there are any mistakes or anything else to be filled or any other form to attach.

[soumobakshi]

Let me tell you my side of the story.

I had a 4 Wheeler DL issued in my name with a validity till Dec 2009. Now due to my job i was in Bangalore, i approached the RTO based on my local address for renewal in the month of Oct 2009 stating that i would like my DL to be extended / renewed from Karnataka.
Since this was a unique case i was asked to go and meet the Officer in Charge. The officer narrated his visionary thought !!

He asked me to fill a Form for LL and he will sign and issue me an LL in no time as i already have a DL. Post 30 day’s timeframe i am to visit again to the RTO and appear for a formality test on my vehicle (With all Original documents of the vehicle and a latest PUC). All this due to the fact that when a DL is sent from a different RTO the receiving RTO do not respond in a timely manner and hence they don’t want to follow the renewal formality for a DL from a different state.

Just wanted to scribe it here for others to be aware of the Process and Workaround that is in place with RTO's for DL renewal.

[t18]

Not so recently I had to visit Mumbai RTO(Kalyan) many times for getting my bikes' mortgage and transfer of ownership to my friend to whom I sold it. As I had visited it many times I used to see this one guy inside the office going about doing many things like stamping going through record books just like it was his job. I believed he was an RTO employee as he had access to the office and everybody in there seemed to be knowing him. Recently I went to this shop near by my home to renew PUC for my Honda Aviator, and this same guy from the RTO owns and operates it. I tell him that I have seen him in the Kalyan RTO and ask if he is an employee. He says that he is just an agent and as the officers in the RTO have lot of work he does most of their job. Wow...

[amitabhr]

@shayonpal:
Medical certificate is not needed. Only required for Commercial.

I just took a nephew to get his LL made few weeks back.
Standing in the line from 6-6:30 or max 7am is essential for learner's license at Andheri RTO.
It is quite boring since counter will open at 9:45 and then as per your token your time will be anywhere from 10 to 2. Usually for people in the line by 6:30-7:00 the time will be max 11am. Then it will take 15 minutes for submitting form and paying Rs 30 (per class of vehicle) and biometrics. Then 30 minutes for the test and they will hand you the LL immediately after the test in the same room.

There is absolutely no benefit of using any agent for LL.

Now I need to get my nephew's permanent license made.
We have the form filled up etc but I can't find out if I need to go once to submit the form and again some other day for driving test ?
Or can both the things be done on the same day ?

[riteshritesh]

I admit to debauchery w.r.t my D/L that I had gotten done 18 yrs ago. My BC was in Gujarati and the way they write 6 seemed like 5. So I went ahead and got my 2wheeler D/L done , 1 year in advance, when I was 17. That time, I did it on my own. Sweated it out in the dusty RTO, but managed to get it done.
When I turned 18, used my passport and got my 4 wheeler D/L done with the correct age and DOB, again on my own,since I was aware of the procedure, I had done a year ago.
I preferred not to get a wrong D.O.B on my 4 wheeler D/L.

Fast Forward to 3 months ago, I realised that my 2wheeler license was about to expire and I had a scooty, for short rides. I decided not to renew the old 2 wheeler lic., rather get a learners license for 2 wheeler w/o gears and give the test, etc etc, but there was no way, I was going to stand in queues and waste a day at the RTO.
So got hold of driving school agent nearby and he got 1) MCWG added( without any test) 2) A Smart card 3) Address changed to new residence in Rs 2500. I just went to get my photo clicked on a Saturday and that was all.

So yes, I choose a wrong method, but I also couldn'tt be away from office to save Rs 2000 ( considering 500 are official fees), a part of which is the agents income and livelihood.

If one has the time to spare, he/she should surely try it out once in a lifetime ( which I did when I was 18 ).

[shayonpal]

Finally got my Learner's License. Here's the story of how I made that happen -

I went to the Andheri RTO and got in the line at about 5AM in the morning. There are 2 different lines - one was for the gents, and the other for senior citizens/ladies. At that hour, it seemed there were roughly 100 people already before me. By the time it was 7AM, the ladies started congregating as well, and the gents' line was well over 400, I was sure. The line had winded up all the way to the 1st floor parking lot.

The counter opened at about 8.45 AM, and I got my token at 9.45 AM. The number was 196. There was an inspector that checked my documents, collected it, and gave me the token. The time slot allotted to me was 12.00 PM.

At noon, I went in, where another inspector checked the original documents and sent into a small room. There, my photograph and fingerprints were recorded. Next was the test. I liked the way they conducted it. They made 50 people sit together in a batch, with a 3-button switch in front of each one of us, a la KBC. There was a projector that would project the questions on the wall, along with 3 options. We were given 10 seconds per question to press the buzzer to register our answers. I was proud to discover that I answered all 20 questions correct.

10 minutes of wait, and we got the LLR, along with the form we had originally submitted. Apparently I will need to carry it with me when I apply for the permanent license.

@amitabhr - ^^ should answer your query. We need to visit the RTO only once.

[raj_5004]

Prelude:

I am migrating to Dubai and plan to apply for a UAE driving license as soon as I get there. Now, if I have an Indian driving license which is more than 5 years old, then I only need to give half of the normally required driving lessons.

I got my license more than 9 years ago and it is a book type license, not a smart card. The license states driving permit for M/C with gear and LMV.

Dubai driving schools however do not recognize these book type licenses. They consider only smart cards.

Dilemma:

So, I went to a RTO agent to convert my book license to a smart card. I got the smart card in about 20 days but it mentioned only M/C with gear. There was no mention of LMV on it. I sent it back through the agent. Today, the agent called me and informed me that RTO's system states I have only driving permit for M/C with gear, not for LMV!

What the heck? I have a given proper driving tests in a car and M/C with a RTO officer besides me, 9 years ago. Then I got a proper license with their stamp and the officer's signatures on it, which mentions both - LMV and M/C.

Now the agent says, I can try talking to a RTO officer. If he does not agree, then I will have to go through the entire process again - starting with making a learner's license. That defeats the whole purpose! I lose my 9 years of driving experience required for the Dubai license. That means double the time and expenses.

What can be done here? Why should I go through this agony for the RTO's mistake?

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

What can be done here? Why should I go through this agony for the RTO's mistake?

You can try talking to the RTO - i hope you have copies of the book with you. Alternatively, you can also raise an RTI petition to get the details of your license - AFAIK, there exists a master register with the details. With your License number, you can search in the master register and get an extract from there to prove your point. RTI allows citizens to inspect records.