What is a driver's license?

Driver’s license is issued by a government agency that permits the holder of the driver’s license to drive the vehicle type for which the license has been granted.

Since the United States of America does not have an identity card, the driver’s license is one of the documents that is used as a proof of identity. When applying to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an immigrant visa, the USCIS may ask for the driver’s license as a supporting document to corroborate information stated in the application form. If the driver’s license is in Hindi, or one of the regional Indian languages, an English certified driver’s license translation must be submitted to the USCIS.

Indian driver license

Just as in the USA, issuing of driver’s license is a state subject and each state has its own “Regional Transport authority” (RTO) to issue driver licenses. India’s Motor Vehicles Act is the law related to motor vehicles and driver licenses. Minimum age for driving all vehicles is 18, except for motorcycles with an engine capacity of 50cc and less, where the minimum age is 16. In order to drive a commercial vehicle, the driver has to be over 20 years of age. Before applying for a permanent license, a driver has to apply for a learner’s license which is valid for six months. Only after passing the RTO conducted driving test is a permanent license granted for either 20 years or until the age of 50, whichever is earlier. RTOs also issue international driver licenses which are valid for one year.

The driver’s license has the Class of Vehicle (COV) mentioned on it which specifies which type of vehicle the license holder is allowed to drive. There are 24 COV, such as Motor car with gears (MCWG), Light motor vehicle (LMV), LMV-Tractor (TRCTOR), Road roller (RDRLR), etc. Previously driver’s licenses were issued in as manual booklets. The current driver licenses are smart cards.

A typical Indian driver’s license has the name of the state issuing the license, name of the license holder, father’s name, address, date of birth, signature of license holder, driver license number, date of issue, valid till date, Class of vehicle (COV) driver is allowed to drive with date of issue of each COV, signature and id of issuing authority and photo of the license holder.

India sadly has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of road accident deaths in the world. Close to 300 people die on Indian roads every day.

Hindi Certified translation of driver license for United States Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

In the United States, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the state level government agency that oversees driver licenses and vehicle registration.

The translators team at The Certified Translation translate and certify Hindi and other Indian regional language (Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, and Punjabi) driver licenses into English in the format that is required by the DMV. Our translators will certify that the Hindi to English translation of the driver’s license is both complete and accurate. Our translators will also certify that they are competent to translate from Hindi (and other regional Indian languages) to English.

Indian Tourist and Students using their Driver’s license in the United States.

Since India is a signatory to the Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Motor Vehicle Traffic (Washington, D.C., 1943), many US states allow Indian tourists to legally drive a vehicle using their Indian driver's license for a period of up to one year.

For Indian (and other foreign) students, the DMV laws vary from state to state. Most states have laws which are similar to the state of Wisconsin – “Foreign students attending school in the U.S. who are at least 16 years old and their privilege to operate a motor vehicle in Wisconsin is not suspended, revoked, cancelled or disqualified, can drive with their home country's valid license for up to one year. After one year, they must meet the same licensing requirements as a Wisconsin resident.”