India Launches Uniform Driving Licences And Vehicle Registration Certificates

In 2018, the Road Transport Ministry of India announced uniform driving licences (DLs) and vehicle registration certificates (RCs) to be rolled out in Jul 2019.

Currently, different States and Union Territories of the country issue DLs and RCs in their own formats. This has created chaos for both Traffic Police and the Government.

From Jul 2019, DLs and RCs issued by all the States and Union Territories of the country will look the same. They will have same color, design and security features too.

The ‘smart’ driving licences and vehicle registration certificates will have QR Codes and microchips.

Also see how City admins are using QR Codes to make citizens’ lives simpler.

Why ‘Smart’ DLs and RCs

The idea behind smart DLs and RCs is to upgrade the system and make several operations easy. New driving licences and vehicle registration certificates will have several features such as:

1. Uniform design

It will solve the chaos that Traffic Police and the Government face due to different designs across the States and Union Territories.

2. QR Codes, microchips, and NFC system

The new DLs and RCs will have QR Codes, microchips, and Near-field communication (NFC) system. Hence, traffic police officials with hand-held devices will be able to access driver’s/vehicle’s credentials easily.

3. Emission norm feature

The feature of emission norm will be specified on the RC of a vehicle. This is to ease the process of carrying out pollution under control (PUC) test.

4. Driver’s declaration

Smart DLs and RCs will have driver’s declaration to donate organs.

Also, new DLs and RCs will mention if the vehicle being used is meant for the physically challenged.

How will smart DLs and RCs work

QR Codes, microchips, and NFC system will make it easier for Traffic Police to access vehicle’s/driver’s credentials. They will help the traffic enforcement personnel with multiple options such as:

• Keying in DL/RC number in hand-held device
• Inserting smart card in hand-held device
• Scanning QR Code to get driver details
• Quick detection of card credentials with NFC system

Old DLs and RCs will be replaced gradually. As one goes for renewal/re-registration of old DLs/RCs, the transport authorities will issue the new ones.

Adding new features will cost approx. 15-20 INR/ DL or RC.

This is one way how India is using QR Codes for various use cases.

That’s all you need to know about the launch of smart DLs and RCs in India.

 

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