Apply Smart Card Driving Licence Online and Offline

Earlier, Driving Licences were only issued in the old book format with many pages of information. Usually, with conventional use, the pages of the booklet get torn or damaged. To turn it into usable condition, modern driving licences are issued in the form of a card so that they can be carried everywhere. These days, smart card driving licences are gradually replacing the traditional driving licence.

What is a Smart Card?

Smart Card Driving Licence (SCDL) is a damage-proof Driving Licence. It is a plastic card which is embedded with a microprocessor chip of 64 kb memory that has all information about the licence holder stored in it.

Even if it is not applicable in all Indian states yet, this Smart Card Driving Licence is a much better alternative to the normal driving licence since it has all the information of the licence holder. The biometric data like fingerprint, name, address, etc.

The most significant advantage of this Smart Card Driving Licence is that the licence owners constantly fret about damaging the driving licence and also they can now conveniently carry the smart card in their wallet itself. Another advantage of this Smart Card type Driving Licence is that it can help the transport department in maintaining and safekeeping the data of the licence holders, that can be used to trace the defaulters with the help of the biometric data that they provide for the smart card.

Advantages of a Smart Card Driving Licence

Here are some of the amazing benefits of the smart card driving licences that are going to be used in the future instead of plain Driving Licence:

• Stores all the personal as well as biometric details of the Driving Licence holder. Since these details can only be accessed through special devices, it is difficult to tamper with the details or the fake identity of another person.

• The State Transport Departments which offer Smart Card Driving licences will also be offering mobile handheld terminals to the traffic policemen who will be able to decode the information contained in the card easily.

• The information enclosed in the smart card including the issue date can only be modified. Information existing in the Smart Card Driving licence cannot be erased which provisions for a permanent audit trail.

• Smart Card Driving Licences will avoid the issuance of fraudulent registration certificates and false driving licences.

• The information in the Smart Card Driving LicenCe is stored in an optical strip that is designed to avoid unauthorized access and tampering of data.

• The Smart Card Driving LicenCes are assumed to positively influence road safety since the driving licences cannot be tampered with and all the information will be recorded. It will also improve the efficiency in law enforcement linked with road safety.

Eligibility for Smart Card Driving LicenCe

The eligibility for acquiring a Smart Card Driving LicenCe is the same as that of getting a traditional permanent driving licence. The eligibility criteria for a smart card is described below:

• Applicant ought to be at least 18 years old to apply for a smart card.

• For motorcycles with a gear/engine capacity of more than 50cc, the individual has to be older than 16 years to procure an intelligent card. If the applicant is less than 18 years old, then he/she needs to acquire a letter of consent from his/her parent/guardian.

• The applicant must have completed 8th standard and at least 18 years old to obtain a smart card Driving Licence for heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

Form Required for Applying for a Smart Card Driving Licence

The form that is required for a smart card driving licence consists of three parts:

Visual Inspection Zone

Personal information such as name, address, class of the vehicle and the signature of the applicant.

Machine Readable Zone

Chip serial Number and driving licence details like issue date, date of birth, class of the vehicle and the signature of the person are entered in this section.

Central Motor Vehicles Rules

This includes endorsements, fines, disqualification, settlement review, and date details must be entered in this section.

Smart Card Driving Licence Fee

The smart card driver licence will be issued to applicants on the payment of the application fee of 200 rupees. The applicant will be required to make the payment while submitting the documents and application form for Smart Card Driving Licence.

Documentation for Smart Card Driving Licence

While applying for a Smart Card Driving Licence, you must submit the documents mentioned below. Keeping the necessary document with you while applying for a smart card will save your time and makes the procedure more convenient.

• Filled up Application Form for Smart Card Driving Licence

• Medical Certificate which includes Form 1A and one that has to be certified by a Government Doctor

• Application Fees

• Passport-sized photographs

• Age Proof:

  You can submit anyone document as an age proof from the below-given list:
  • Mark Sheet for 10th standard
  • PAN Card
  • TC from any school
  • Birth Certificate
  • Passport                

• Address Proof:

  You can submit one of the documents mentioned below as address proof:

  • Passport
  • Aadhar Card
  • Ration Card
  • House Agreement
  • Latest Utility Bills(which can include electricity or gas bill)

If you stay in a different city, then you can submit a copy of the recent utility bill along with your rental agreement and the address proof. You can obtain a letter from your employer that states that you reside in a particular city.

Online Procedure of Getting a Smart Card Driving Licence

The method of applying for a Smart Card Driving Licence has been simplified to a large extent due to the online facilities introduced by many state RTOs. Here is a concise description of the procedure for applying for a Smart Card Driving Licence which can be used as a reference.

• Visit your state transport website.

• Download the application for the Smart Card Driving Licence from the website.

• Below described is the list of documents that you need to attach with the application form in your profile. You can check the list of documents that are given in the preceding section.

• You will be required to locate the table of fees to find out how much you will be required to pay for the Smart Card Driving Licence.

• To apply for the smart card Driving Licence, visit the RTO in your area.

• You can book an appointment with the concerned RTO in your area to procure your Driving Licence.

• You must first get your documents checked and verified by the concerned officer and then make the payment at the counter. After this, you will be required to provide your biometrics at the counter. There have been changes in the process and now you can even verify the information for factual correctness(Applicants can now cross-check the information that is provided by them).

• You should take a Driving Licence test and then complete the procedure successfully to acquire a smart card Driving Licence. The SCDL will be sent to the address that you had provided in the application form.

Offline Procedure for Acquiring a Smart Card Driving Licence

You can also acquire a Smart Card Driving Licence right at the RTO without any troubles. You can follow these steps to apply and get a Smart Card Driving Licence.

• Check whether your state has the Smart Card Driving Licence facility. It is comparatively easy to transform your existing Driving Licence to Smart Card Driving Licence - You need to visit the RTO, fill out the application form, make the payment and then submit it to the concerned officer.

• If you hold a Learner Licence(LL) and are applying for a permanent Driving Licence, you must obtain the application form for Smart Card Driving Licence and fill it.

• Attach photographs wherever it is required and also attach the mandatory documents like age and address proof.

• Submit the application form.

• Choose a particular slot to take your Driving test.

• It should be noted that the applicant must be present at the venue on the time slot that they selected earlier to take the Driving Licence test. If the applicant passes the test successfully, the biometric details like signature, fingerprints, and photographs will be kept in the records of the RTO as well as the smart card Driving Licence.

• The smart card Driving Licence is generally sent to the applicant to the registered address.