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You do not need to carry a physical copy of your driving license. The electronic form of driving license is now legally acceptable, as long as you have it in the DigiLocker app or the mParivahan app.

Driving Without A License

Last updated on Apr 8, 2022

While driving, it is mandatory to keep a copy of a valid Driving License with you at all times 1, and present it to a police officer on demand 2. Now, you can also carry an electronic copy of your driving license in the DigiLocker or mParivahan app 3. If you hold a valid driving license but do not have it when an officer asks you to produce it, you may be punished with a fine between Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 4. You may alternatively produce it to the officer/authority who has asked you for it, within a stipulated time period, which varies across states 5. 

 If your license has been submitted to or seized by, governmental authority or officer, then you must produce a receipt or any other form of acknowledgement, and produce the license within a stipulated time period that varies across states 2. 

If you drive a vehicle and you do not possess a driving license or have not attained the required age to drive it, then your vehicle can be seized and detained by a police officer 6. Furthermore, you can be punished with a fine of Rs. 5,000 or with jail time of up to 3 months, or both 7.

The applicable fine amount might vary across states. Given below are the fine amounts of different offences for two states.

State Type of Vehicle Fine Amount (In INR)
Delhi Not applicable 5,000
Karnataka Two/Three-Wheeler 1,000
Light Motor Vehicle 2,000
Others 5,000
  1. Section 6(3),  Motor Vehicles (Driving) Regulations, 2017.[↩]
  2. Section 130(1), The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.[↩][↩]
  3. Section 139, Central Motor Vehicles Rules,1989.[↩]
  4. Section 177A, The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.[↩]
  5. Section 130(4), The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.[↩]
  6. Section 207(1), The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.[↩]
  7. Section 181, The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.[↩]

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