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40. Indian Driving License from abroad Question: I have a question. What is the process of getting a drivers license. You mentioned you had to get a learners permit. Did you have to wait one month to get the actual license? In addition how easy is this process to do remotely from overseas (assuming you have ALL the required credentials - i.e. proof of residence, all forms filled out, etc) Thank you very much for your help Aditya Mookerjee Answer: There is no legal way to get a drivers license in India without visiting the RTO office. Of course this is for cities in India that have already adopted the new smart card license. The smart card license has a digital photo that is taken when you go to get your license at the RTO office by them. The old drivers licenses still can be had via agents who accept bribes and if you give them the money they want and copies of photographs they may get you a drivers license. Many smaller cities still have the old system. Indian driver licenses are valid all over India regardless of which state issued them. No amount of bribe will get you the smart card license and perhaps this is one of the reasons many cities are changing the system. Smart card licenses have a computer photo plus your thumb print on a computer chip. You are correct regarding the thirty day wait. The test for the issue of the Permanent license is conducted after a minimum of 30 days from the date of issue of the learner's license. In case of failure, a retest can be requested but not before a period of 7 days. A learner's license is valid for a period of six months. If the driving test for a permanent license is not passed during this period, a fresh learner's license needs to be obtained .