International Driving Permits Can Now Be Renewed While Abroad

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) issued a notification about a week ago to the effect that Indian citizens can now renew their International Driving Permit (IDP) while they are abroad, in case their IDP expires. The new amendment allows Indian citizens to apply for renewal of their IDP through Indian embassies and Missions abroad. The said applications will then be moved to the VAHAN portal in India and will be considered for renewal by respective RTOs. After renewal, the IDPs will be couriered by the RTOs to Indian citizens at their respective addresses abroad.

The amendment also removes the requirement of providing a medical certificate and a valid visa at the time of applying for IDP in India. MoRTH believes that a citizen who has a valid driving license should not have a requirement for another medical certificate. Plus, there are countries that offer a visa on arrival or cases where visas have been issued at the very last moment. Keeping these conditions in mind, the government will now allow IDP applications without a visa.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has extended the validity of vehicular documents till March 31, 2021. The Ministry decided to take this step to prevent the spread of COVID-19. MoRTH has also issued a directory to the States and Union Territory administrations regarding the extension for the validity of documents. As per the notification, vehicular documents like fitness certificates, permits, driving license, registration certificates, and others will remain valid till the end of March 2021.