Before anyone can get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive, they have to first have a valid driving licence that is issued by the RTO after clearing a driving licence test. In India, applicants for a driving licence can check the status of their licences by either visiting the RTO where they gave their test or they can check online through their smartphones or computers. There is one common website where anyone in the country can check the status of their licence and that is the Sarathi page of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways website. Alternatively, every state in India has its own Transport Department official website that can also be used to find the status of the applicant’s driving licence. From the time the applicant successfully clears the driving licence test. The RTO takes about two weeks to dispatch the licence and it takes another two weeks, on average, for the licence to reach the applicant. The RTO advises applicants to check the status of their driving licences only after the initial two weeks as it takes some time for the information to be entered into the system.
As mentioned earlier, the RTO from where you applied for a driving licence takes a minimum of two weeks to dispatch the driving licence and therefore, you can only find any information about your driving licence online from that time. It takes about 2 weeks from the date of the passing of the driving licence test for the RTO to dispatch your licence. This means that checking the status one day after the test will not bring up any results. From the time the driving licence is dispatched, it takes a minimum of another week to reach your address. You can start checking the driving licence status from about two weeks after you successfully clear the DL test. If you cannot find your driving licence status even after 3-4 weeks, you should contact the RTO for more information.
For anyone who has applied for a driving licence, a duplicate driving licence, an international driving licence, or a renewed driving licence, the steps for checking the status are listed below:
Tamil Nadu, like most states in India, has its own transport department and official website for it as well. Anyone who has applied for a driving licence in Tamil Nadu can also check their driving licence status through the official website for the state transport department. Here is what you need to do to check your driving licence status through the Tamil Nadu Transport Department website:
Checking your driving licence status online is considered the faster, easier, and more convenient option as it can be done in a matter of minutes rather than visiting the RTO and waiting in long queues. While most of the states in India have their own official transport department website where individuals can check the status of their driving licences, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways introduced the Sarathi platform where driving licence applicants and holders can find all the information they need in one easy to use location. Here is how you check the status of your driving licence in Tamil Nadu through the Sarathi website.
As mentioned above, the RTO only dispatches a driving licence a minimum of two weeks after the applicant has cleared the driving licence test at the RTO. Under normal circumstances, the driving licence is delivered to the registered applicant within a month after the test has been cleared. However, there might be a few driving licences that get delayed due to verification procedures or delays by the postal service. The RTO advises all driving licence applicants to start checking the status of their licences after a minimum of two weeks. It is also not advisable to check the status of your driving licence every day as the status does not change that quickly. When you want to check the status of your driving licence, it is best to do so once or twice a week at the max. In case you cannot find any information about your driving licence even after a couple of weeks, you can approach the RTO for more information.
There are a few facts about the driving licence status in India that must be known by all applicants as well as all driving licence holders in Tamil Nadu as well as in the country.