Indian Drivers Licence Verification FAQs
As a leading provider of notary public services in Sydney, we assist many
clients with the Indian Drivers Licence Verification (IDLV) process through
VFS. The IDLV process is necessary if they want to convert their Indian
Drivers Licence to a NSW Drivers Licence, but the name on their Indian
Passport is different to their name on their Indian Drivers Licence.
This article contains a number of Frequently Asked Questions that you may find
helpful as you are doing research or looking for more information.
However, if you want to jump straight to the quote, here is it:
https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/idlv-indian-drivers-licence-verification/
Why do I need to do the Indian Drivers Licence Verification?
If you wish to convert your Indian Drivers Licence to a NSW Drivers Licence
and the driving authority (RMS/RTA) does not recognise your Indian Drivers
Licence, then you must go through the IDLV process.
Who does the IDLV process?
For Indian nationals, the IDLV process is handled through VFS. You can find
more information about the IDLV process and the relevant checklist/application
on their website.
http://www.vfsglobal.com/india/australia/consular_miscellaneous/pdf/IDLV-Checklist.pdf
What happens if I don't go through the IDLV process?
You can still apply for a drivers licence in NSW, but your past driving
history and experience in India may not be reconigsed. If your driving history
and experience is not recognised, you will need to go through the normal
process of applying for and qualifying for your NSW Drivers Licence (ie,
starting with a Learner's Licence).
Is it better to go through the IDLV process instead of the normal process of
obtaining a NSW Drivers Licence?
The normal process of applying for a NSW Drivers Licence (ie, starting with a
Learner's Licence) can be quite demanding and time-consuming. It would be
extremely frustrating to go through especially if you already have many years
driving history and experience overseas. Despite the cost, the relatively
short time frame to obtain a full NSW Drivers Licence through the IDLV process
will probably be a more attractive option for most people.
Can I apply for the IDLV process if I am an Australian Citizen?
You will need to check with VFS. Our current understanding of the IDLV process
through VFS is that you must be an Indian citizen (ie, being an OCI is not
sufficient).
Why do I need a notary for the IDLV process?
If the name on your Indian Passport is different to the name on your Indian
Drivers Licence, in addition to the common requirements of the IDLV process,
you must also provide evidence that you are the one and the same person
referred to in your Indian Passport and your Indian Drivers Licence and you
are given 2 options - one of those options is to obtain evidence from a notary
and the apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The
other option involves obtaining an affidavit from a court in India as well as
other things and so this is generally less practical if you are already living
in Australia.
If I have already satisfied the requirements of the other option in the IDLV
process, do I still need a notary?
No. If you have already obtained the evidence necessary to prove that you are
the one and the same person appearing in your Indian Passport and your Indian
Drivers Licence (according to the VFS checklist), then you do not need notary
public services - you just need to rely on the evidence that you have already
obtained assuming that it has been prepared properly according to the VFS
requirements for IDLV.
What is a notary public?
In Australia, a notary public is a senior lawyer who has further
qualifications and appointment to notarise documents. The role is very similar
to the Justice of Peace or Commissioner of Oaths, except that a notary handles
documents that are intended to be used in other countries. When it comes to
the IDLV process, you may need a notary to notarise your document because
technically the document will be sent to VFS which represents the Indian
foreign office and consular services in Australia. As VFS also requires your
document to be stamped with an apostille, this can only be done if your
document has been notarised since the issuing authority for the apostille,
being DFAT will only accept documents that have been notarised by a notary
public in Australia.
What does your notary document say?
For the IDLV process, we will provide you with a notary certificate stating
that you came to see us, you provided us with your Indian Passport and your
Indian Drivers Licence, you appear to be the one and the same person referred
to in your Indian Passport and your Indian Drivers Licence. We will also
attach certified copies of your Indian Passport and Indian Drivers Licence to
the notary certificate.
Will your notary certificate be sufficient?
Yes. Our notary certificate is our declaration that you are the one and the
same person - which is similar to the affidavit referred to in the IDLV
checklist. The difference between the certificate and the affidavit is that
the affidavit would need to be signed by you. On the other hand, the notary
certificate is prepared by us and signed by us as confirmation of your
identity and the despite the inconsistency in your name on your Indian
Passport and Indian Drivers Licence, that you are the one and the same person.
VFS accepts our notary certificate.
Can I prepare my own affidavit?
Yes, of course. You can write your own affidavit if you wish however, we are
not able to check your document or guarantee that the format or the wording
that you use will be accepted by VFS. Our notary certificate has been accepted
by VFS for over a decade without any issues and so we are confident that if
you use our notary certificate, you will satisfy the notary requirement in the
IDLV checklist. This is why we offer the service as it is. Anything different
is not covered by in relation to the notary service.
There are many other notaries around, do I have to use your notary service?
Of course not! However, our experience and expertise in preparing the notary
document for the IDLV process and satisfying the IDLV checklist are beyond
comparison. We have been assisting members of the Indian community to convert
their Indian Drivers Licence to a NSW Drivers Licence for over 10 years. If
you have not received a referral from a friend, a family member or from
someone else within your social circles, then please read through our blog and
various material on the internet. You will understand what we do, how we do it
and most importantly - why we do what we do. There is no substitute for
confidence and peace of mind when you engage us to assist you with your IDLV
application.
I am working and cannot come to your office, am I able to send someone else or
are you able to come to my home or workplace?
We need to see you in person in order to complete the notary certificate. The
notary certificate clearly states that we have seen you and we have compared
you with your photograph on your Indian Passport and your Indian Drivers
Licence before we verify that you are the one and the same person. You cannot
send someone else to bring your documents to us. Unfortunately, due to the
cost of travelling, we do not offer home or workplace visits for the IDLV
process.
What is the apostille?
In addition to services from a notary public, you must also obtain an
apostille from DFAT - this is a VFS requirement for the IDLV process. The
apostille is an internationally recognised stamp from DFAT verifying the
details of the notary. We are registered with DFAT for this purpose.
Is the apostille free?
No, whether you apply directly to DFAT or engage us to assist you with
obtaining the apostille - there is a fee. As dealing with DFAT is a
significant component of the services that we provide in addition to our
notary services, we provide clients with a package and fixed fee for applying
for the apostille inclusive of the apostille fee charged by DFAT.
How much do you charge to help with the IDLV process?
To help with the IDLV process, we provide 2 levels of service, we can either
(1) prepare the notary document only (but this means you will need to apply
for your own apostille), or (2) prepare the notary document and apply for the
apostille on your behalf as well. You can submit a quote request to us by
clicking the link below
https://www.notary-parramatta.com.au/idlv-indian-drivers-licence-verification/
How long will it take to complete the notarisation and apostille?
We generally ask our clients to allow up to about 2 weeks. While we are able
to prepare your notary document within 2-3 hours, unfortunately, the
processing times with DFAT can vary up to about 2 weeks to obtain the
apostille - sometimes (especially around public holidays) it could take
longer. If your request is urgent, we can prepare your notary document for you
but you should make your own arrangements for the apostille.
Can I pay extra to make it go faster?
Unfortunately, no. The DFAT processing times do not change and there is no
option for 'urgent' or 'faster' services. In the past, DFAT would accept
urgent processing over the counter however even now over the counter
processing is no longer available. You can either call to make an appointment
(sometimes 1-2 weeks in advance) or make arrangements to send your documents
to them by mail.
Can I take your notary document directly to RMS/RTA to apply for my licence?
The statements in the notary document are generic and basically verify that
you are the one and the same person by comparison to both your Indian Passport
and Indian Drivers Licence, so if RMS/RTA or any other government department
requires some proof that you are the one and the same person it could be
possible that our notary document can be used for this purpose - however, it
was NOT designed for this purpose. Our notary document was designed to be part
of the IDLV process handled by VFS and so we cannot guarantee that it can be
used for any other purpose. You should make further enquiries with RMS/RTA.
The name on my Indian Passport and Indian Drivers Licence is the same. Do I
still need notary services?
No. If your name on your Indian Passport and Indian Drivers Licence is the
same, you do not need notary services but you may still need to apply to VFS
and go through their IDLV process. You may also want to check directly with
RMS/RTA to see whether they will accept your Indian Drivers Licence as
sufficient proof of your driving history and experience.
My father's name on my Indian Passport and my Indian Drivers Licence is
different. Can you help me?
We cannot verify that your father is the one and the same person for the
purposes of the IDLV process. You may need to make further enquiries with VFS
for more information about how to correct this inconsistency. However, for our
purpose in preparing the notary document, we do not refer to your father's
name and so we can still prepare the notary document to verify that you are
the one and the same person to satisfy the IDLV checklist requirement even if
your father's name is different on both documents.
My date of birth on my Indian Passport and my Indian Drivers Licence is
different. Can you help me?
No. We cannot help you if your date of birth on your Indian Passport and
Indian Drivers Licence is different. You will need to make further enquiries
with VFS for more information. We cannot prepare the notary certificate since
we use both your photograph and your date of birth in your Indian Passport and
Indian Drivers Licence to confirm that you are the one and the same person
despite the difference in your name.
I do not have my original Indian Drivers Licence. Can you help me?
No. You must have your original Indian Drivers Licence. This is a VFS
requirement and it is clearly stated on the IDLV checklist. If you do not have
your original Indian Drivers Licence, you will need to make further enquiries
with VFS or your licence authority in India about obtaining a replacement
licence.
My Indian Passport has been damaged. Will this be a problem?
As long as your photograph and your biographical details (ie, name, date of
birth, passport expiry date) are still clear and legible, we will accept your
Indian Passport even if it has been damaged. However, you may need to make
further enquiries with VFS as to whether they will accept your Indian Passport
in its damaged condition. Normally, a damaged passport will be invalid and
should be replaced. VFS may require you to complete Form V - the Affidavit in
lieu of a lost/stolen passport. Be aware that if your passport is replaced
(either because it's lost, damaged or expired/renewed) the notary document
that we provide to you may no longer be valid because it would refer to your
previous passport.
My Indian Passport has expired. Will this be a problem?
If you insist, we can still prepare the notary document based on your expired
Indian Passport, especially if it has only expired recently and you still
resemble your photograph. However, you may have problems with VFS and so you
should make further enquiries with VFS about using an expired passport for the
IDLV process. Be aware that if you change your passport after we have prepared
the notary document, the notary document may be invalid as your passport
details would have changed. If your Indian Passport has expired, we recommend
renewing it before you start the IDLV process.
Why do I need a letter from my licence authority in India?
The letter from your licence authority in India verifies the validity of your
licence (even if it is in a different name) and the details of your driving
history/experience. You do not need this letter for us to prepare the notary
document, but you will need it in your IDLV application to VFS. If you cannot
obtain a letter from your licence authority in India, you can visit the
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways website (see below) to print your
licence details.
I live in Australia. How do I get a letter from my licence authority in India?
There are 2 options to obtaining verification of your licence from India, you
can either print the details of your licence from
https://sarathi.nic.in
(the official application for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) or
you can obtain the letter directly from your licence authority. In the past,
our clients have either applied in person to their licence authority or they
have asked family members to assist them.
Will you send my IDLV application to VFS?
No. We will only provide the notary service or the notary service and
apostille (depending on what you choose). We do not provide any other services
in relation to the IDLV process. We are aware that there are some consultant
businesses that offer to handle the 'whole' process for you, however, before
you consider engaging someone else to do it for you, you should check out the
VFS website and IDLV checklist first. If you have the necessary documents,
including the notary document and apostille if your name on your Indian
Passport and Indian Drivers Licence are different, it should be fairly easy to
follow and do it yourself.
What next?
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/.
Ern
Phang
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.
