WARNING: from January 2015, VFS has changed its requirements and will no longer accept documents that have been authenticated. Documents must now be stamped with an APOSTILLE from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
What documents do you require for Indian Drivers Licence Verification (IDLV) in Australia?
If you are qualified to drive in India and you hold a valid and current Indian drivers licence, you might be able to apply for a drivers licence in Australia that acknowledges your driving history and past experience. If accepted by the authorities in Australia, it may also mean that you can be issued with a full drivers licence or a licence that matches your driving history rather than a learners licence or a probationary licence (ie, you do not have to 'start at the bottom').
In our experience, passports or other primary identification documents normally display a person's full legal name, however occasionally the Indian drivers licence may reduce that person's name to initials or omit 'family' names or father's name. There are various combinations of inconsistencies, but whatever the reason may be, any inconsistency will mean that the authorities in Australia will not recognise any prior driving history. Your name on all documents must be exactly the same.
If your name on your Indian drivers licence is different to your name on your passport or other primary identification documents then you need to follow the Indian Drivers Licence Verification (IDLV) process to confirm that you are the one and the same person.
For Indian citizens, the IDLV process to verify your Indian drivers licence is outlined by the VFS.
There are two options available to you IF your name on your Indian drivers licence and your passport are different.
Option 1 requires you to provide an affidavit from a court in India confirming that you are the one and the same person. That affidavit must also be notarised in India and attested by the Consulate or High Commission in India. Generally, this option is not practical if you live in Australia or otherwise are not present in India.
Option 2 of the VFS process involves documents prepared by a notary public to verify that you are one and the same person. As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney we regularly provide this service and have been doing so for many years and for countless number of clients/applications.
In order to complete the notarisation, you must:
- Attend our office in person. Our office is located at 6/83 George Street, Parramatta.
- Produce your original passport and your original Indian drivers licence.
You do NOT require this service if your name on your Indian drivers licence and your passport are EXACTLY the same. You can submit your application directly to VFS.
We will verify that you are the one and the same person and prepare a notary certificate attaching copies of your passport and your Indian drivers licence. Please be aware that we will compare you to your photograph appearing on your Indian drivers licence and your passport, and we will compare your date of birth and other personal details (such as father's/parents' names).
The second step in the process is to have the certificate authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). DFAT will authenticate any document that we have notarised by verifying our notary public's details and confirming that the documents (ie, the certificate, the passport and the drivers licence) have been properly notarised.
As a regular part of our notary public services, our clients enjoy the confidence and peace of mind knowing that we are able to assist them with the Indian Drivers Licence Verification process quickly and without hassle.
To obtain a quote on our notary public services for India, please visit https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/notary-fees/.
Acknowledgements
This blog is supported and maintained by Phang Legal. Phang Legal is a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney. With offices conveniently located in Parramatta, Phang Legal supports and services the Indian community across Sydney with readily available and easily accessible notary public services at highly competitive rates.
For more information regarding notary public services for documents going to India, view our notary publications at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/jurisdiction/india-notary/.
Frequently asked questions regarding our notary public services can also be found at https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/faqs/.
For Hindi to English translation services by NAATI accredited translators, see https://hindi-naati-translation.blogspot.com.au/.
Notary Public
Ern Phang is the solicitor director of Phang Legal and a notary public. Ern regularly writes about his experiences as a notary public, including the kinds of problems and solutions that his clients face when sending documents to India.
IMPORTANT: the information in this article is correct at the time of publication, however the law constantly changes. This means you should always refer to the most recent articles because we try to update this blog on a regular basis with the most current information.
