Delhi residents can now get DOB, names on their driving licences changed online

An applicant needs to submit their Aadhaar card, Class 10 or 12 certificate, copy of passport, and birth certificate to get their date of birth changed in the licence

In a first for Delhi, citizens will be able to get their date of birth or name corrected on their driving licence (DL) without having to visit a regional transport office (RTO). Until now, details once printed on a licence used to be considered final with no provision to change it.

Nearly 300,000 licences are issued in Delhi every year. During the pandemic since March, approximately 150,000 permanent driving licences and about 350,000 learners’ licences were issued, according to transport department data. (Representational image)

The state transport department has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) listing the documents required to carry out corrections. “We used to have a lot of requests for name correction, especially from women driving licence owners who want to change their names after marriage. As of now, there was no provision for correcting such details on licences in Delhi,” said a senior transport official.

“Our software will go live from next week and people will be able to submit all the required documents online. No visit to the RTO will be required. The corrected licence will be sent by courier,” the official said.

As per the SOPs issued on Wednesday, an applicant is needed to submit their Aadhaar card, Class 10 or 12 certificate, copy of passport, and birth certificate to get their date of birth changed in the licence . For name correction, one will have to submit the Aadhaar card, copy of a passport, gazette notification , and copy of an advertisement in a Delhi edition newspaper declaring the change of name. For correction in the name, the applicant will also have to file an affidavit attested by a first class judicial magistrate or a notary public.

Women who want to get their names changed in their licences after marriage, or death of their spouse, will additionally have to submit a marriage certificate or divorce or death certificate of their partner.

Nearly 300,000 licences are issued in Delhi every year. During the pandemic since March, approximately 150,000 permanent driving licences and about 350,000 learners’ licences were issued, according to transport department data.