Sarathi Parivahan: A Plain Guide to the Sarathi Portal

What is the Sarathi Parivahan portal?

Sarathi is the NIC software for driving licences, and VAHAN is the matching software for vehicle registration. A government release of January 2019 said the version called SARATHI-4 was then running in 28 States and UTs and had a built-in check to spot duplicate driving licences by matching combinations of personal details. That is why you still see searches for "sarathi 4" and "sarthi4".

At that time the National Register held over 15 crore driving licence records. Under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, a National Register of Driving Licences is now kept and updated in real time by licensing authorities, and from 1 April 2021 the rules require the Portal to be used for licence work, with electronic payment and e-signature authentication allowed.

The National Government Services Portal describes the Sarathi services as learner's and driving licence applications, renewals, duplicates, updates to personal information, test scheduling, application status checks and downloads of licence documents.

Sarathi parivahan gov in: how to reach the real site safely

The official address used by state transport departments is sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. The state selection page is at sarathi.parivahan.gov.in/sarathiservice/stateSelection.do. You pick your state first, then the service. If you pick the wrong state, your application goes to the wrong licensing system, so check this step carefully.

Simple checks before you type any personal detail:

• Look at the address bar. The site name should end in .gov.in, as in sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. A look-alike name with extra words, a different ending or a ".com" address is not the official portal.
• Never share an OTP or your test password with anyone, including a person who calls claiming to be from the RTO.
• Pay fees only on the official payment step of the application. If something looks wrong, stop and contact your RTO.
• Remember that this site, sarathiportal.com, is a guide only. We will never ask for your Aadhaar number, OTP or payment.

Sarathi services: what you can do and where to read more

The official Sarathi service menu includes the items below. Each row links to our detailed guide for that service.

Not sure where to start? Read Sarathi login to see how you identify yourself on the portal, and documents required for driving licence before you begin. A Hindi walkthrough is at driving licence kaise banaye.

How the Sarathi process works, from learner's licence to DL

1. Choose your state. Open the official Sarathi site and select the state where you want the licence.
2. Apply for a learner's licence. Fill the online application, pay the fee and complete the online road safety tutorial and objective test within seven days of applying. You need at least 60 per cent correct answers to pass.
3. Get the LL. The LL is issued electronically in Form 3 once you meet the conditions. It is valid across India for 6 months.
4. Practise and wait. State transport departments say you can apply for the permanent DL 30 days after the LL is issued, and you must apply before the LL expires.
5. Apply for the DL and book a test. Upload documents, pay online and book a driving test slot where online booking is offered.
6. Pass the driving test. The test of competence is taken before a Motor Vehicle Inspector, unless you passed the test at an Accredited Driver Training Centre.

When you submit an application, an application number is generated and sent to you by SMS. Keep it safe: you need it for the status check, photo and signature upload and the online test.

Aadhaar based faceless services on Sarathi

Many licence services can now be done fully online with Aadhaar authentication, on a voluntary basis. A notification of 3 March 2021 (S.O. 1026(E)) first made 18 DL and RC services contactless, including the learner's licence, renewal without a test, duplicate DL, change of address and the International Driving Permit. On 16 September 2022, S.O. 4353(E) raised the total to 58 citizen-centric services.

The national services portal describes the learner's licence route as an online application and payment followed by an AI-proctored test using Aadhaar-based authentication and face recognition, with the LL downloadable once you pass. States roll out these options at their own pace, so the exact choices you see depend on your state. If you do not want to use Aadhaar, or your case needs checking, the RTO route is still there.

Which states use Sarathi?

The official Sarathi state selection page (checked 16 October 2026) lists 36 States and UTs where online services are available, from Andaman and Nicobar to West Bengal, including all the large states. We could not confirm any State or UT that is currently outside Sarathi for licence services.

• Telangana was the last state to move. MoRTH's 2023 year end review said Vahan and Sarathi were in all RTOs of 35 States/UTs except Telangana. News reports said Telangana was due to complete its Sarathi rollout across all RTA offices by 1 September 2025. As of 12 October 2026, the department's own LL page still linked slot booking to its older state system, so follow your RTA's current instructions.
• Andhra Pradesh is on the Sarathi list, but the aptransport.org home page still links some licence services to its older citizen portal. Use the Sarathi state selection page unless your RTO tells you otherwise.

See driving licence state wise for every state's transport department link, plus our state guides such as driving licence Maharashtra and driving licence Uttar Pradesh.

DigiLocker and mParivahan: is a digital licence valid?

Yes. A MoRTH advisory of 9 August 2018 asked States to accept a DL or RC shown electronically through DigiLocker or mParivahan as valid under the Motor Vehicles Act, because such records are deemed legally recognised at par with the originals under the IT Act, 2000. Rule 139 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules was amended in November 2018 so that documents, including the driving licence, can be produced in physical or electronic form.

From 1 October 2020, if an enforcement officer validates your documents electronically, physical copies cannot be demanded. Read driving licence download for how to keep a digital copy.

Official fees at a glance

Central fees are set by Rule 32 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (G.S.R. 1183(E) of 29 December 2016, amended in 2021). States add their own service or user charges, so the total you pay on Sarathi is usually higher.

The full table, late renewal charges and state examples are on our driving licence fees page.

About this independent guide

Sarathi Portal Guide is written for applicants, not by the government. Every rule, fee and date on this site comes from an official page, a Gazette copy or a clearly labelled news report, and each page lists its sources. Where a rule differs by state, we say so. Read how we check facts in our fact checking policy, and learn who runs the site on the about page.

Rules change. If what you see on the official portal differs from this guide, the official portal and your RTO are right.