[Published September 17, 2019 Last Updated June 6, 2022]
Three years ago, India introduced a unified driving licence format throughout different states. No more trying to convince a cop that your licence is a valid one while on a trip.
It is tough and has happened to everyone who has been on a road trip in India.
Once I had to convince a popular self-drive car rental service that the driving licence I have is valid and was issued in Delhi before the authorities changed it to a different format. It took me half an hour and multiple phone calls to the customer care to resolve this issue.
This problem was resolved with a unified format. The Indian government realised that the driving licence formats varied vastly in different regions of India, even though the licence issued is valid throughout India.
The initiative was coupled with the efforts to have a central repository of the driver’s information.
Table of Contents
Problems the new driving licence format addresses
Unified drivers licence formats for all states builds to a quicker verification by the authorities and helps in easy identification.
A unified driving licence format helps in reducing the forgery of the document and introduces a layer of security. It also helps in enforcing proper road laws. Imagine getting the driving licence blocked for a rash driving ticket. Digitally, with a central repository, it would be possible anywhere in India.
It is now easy to bar people and easier still to credit someone for good driving.
We like to look at it from an identity perspective. Apart from it being a document that allows you to drive motorised vehicles on a public road, a new driving licence format served as a valid identifier. The introduction of a central system helps in improving an individual’s identity.
Imagine the ease it is bringing for the technology companies. The ride-hailing apps and companies struggling with KYC (Know Your Customer) laws would be able to identify an individual with an image of their driving licence.
The Future It Guarantees
It is also a part of the Digital India initiative by the Indian Government. Digilocker has helped build a platform where your documents could reside digitally without a physical presence. DigiLocker marked the start of authenticity for every document issued by a government organisation.
The ‘documents’ word in itself is at risk of obsoletion.
The future in India for individual identity identifiers is looking bright with the new format of driving licence. The introduction of Aadhaar marked the first steps towards a digital identity. It is still the most advanced identity system India has seen yet. Driving licence has successfully added a layer to it. Individuals will have their driving histories online and can access it.
This system marked the start of true digital identity for the future Indians.
A unified driving licence format serves a critical purpose in the grand scheme of things. It, coupled with our Aadhaar cards, mark the solidification of the already existing digital identity framework.
It is precisely what the Apple Card did to Credit Cards. It made having credit cards, physical cards, obsolete.
We do not have to carry a card or a document altogether. It has become a reality faster than we thought it would.
About SpringVerify
SpringVerify is the modern take on the age-old problem of employee verification being costly, tedious, and out of reach of small businesses. We are trying to build a platform where the employee verification process happens seamlessly and with minimal effort required from both the company and the employee.
We believe that employee verification is a must for any business. It is a critical process in ensuring that every employee working with you is faithful and could be trusted. CareerBuilder survey shows that a company stands to lose on average $17000 on a wrong hire.
We have built the platform with blockchain and believe that it will change virtually everything it comes in contact with. Blockchain helps us in building a decentralized system; which keeps all our data secure and immutable.
FAQ
How many digits are in a DL?
A Driving Licence number is of 16 digits including ‘-’ or space.
What are the requirements for driving licence in India?
- Age Proof (Birth Certificate/PAN Card/Passport/10th Class Marksheet)
- Address Proof (Passport/Aadhaar Card/Voter ID)
- Application form
- 6 Passport size photos for Learner’s licence
- 1 Passport size for driving licence
- Application form
- Electricity bill
- Medical certificate
What are the 4 types of licence in India?
- Learner’s licence- this licence indicates that you are yet to polish your skills to get your permanent driving licence.
- Permanent licence: this is issued after you pass the driving test. This shows that you’re eligible and well-acknowledged to driving a car.
- Commercial Driving licence: A licence issued to drivers for driving heavy vehicles.
- International driving permit: As the name suggests, this licence permits an individual to rent a car and drive in a foreign land.
What is the validity of a driving licence in India?
The validity of a driving licence is 20 years or up to the age of 50, whichever is earlier.
We have built the platform with blockchain and believe that it will change virtually everything it comes in contact with. Blockchain helps us in building a decentralized system; which keeps all our data secure and immutable.
[Published September 17, 2019 Last Updated June 6, 2022]
That was all about Driving License, there are plenty of other documents you can use for verification purposes. If you’re searching for more details around it, here’s what can help you:
- How Vaccination Verification Is A Game-Changer For Your Company?
- How can Pan Card be misused? And ways to prevent them
- Importance of Identity Check and How It Works
- Aadhaar masking: Here’s what you need to know about
- Easy Steps to get your Aadhaar XML Paperless e-KYC Done
- Passport Verification Using MRZ – SpringVerify India Blog
