Driving Licence Address Change may soon become free in India under proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989.
The Central Government has also proposed that address-change applications could be treated as automatically approved if the licensing authority neither accepts nor rejects them within 30 days.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued the draft notification on October 21, 2026, proposing changes intended to simplify driving licence services, reduce processing delays and remove fees for several routine updates.
However, these are proposals and have not yet come into effect.
Until the amendments are finalised and implemented, motorists must continue to follow the existing application procedures and pay the applicable fees.
Driving Licence Address Change Rules Under the New Proposal
Under the proposed Rule 16A, licensing authorities would have 15 days to approve or reject applications for changes to driving licence particulars.
If an application is rejected, the authority would need to communicate the reasons in writing, including through electronic means.
The proposal includes a separate provision for address changes.
If the licensing authority does not approve or reject an address-change application within 30 days, the request would be treated as approved.
This automatic approval provision would apply specifically to address-change applications rather than every request to update a driving licence.
The 30-day period relates to processing the application; it does not mean motorists must report a residential move within 30 days under this proposal.
The proposed changes are intended to make the process more predictable for applicants who currently depend on the relevant licensing authority to process their requests.
 Which Driving Licence Services Could Become Free?
The draft amendments propose removing the existing ₹200 fee for changing a driving licence holder’s name or other recorded particulars. Updates to an address, mobile number or email address would also become free under the proposed rules.
The government has also proposed eliminating fees for services obtained through online Aadhaar authentication under Rule 32.
These measures are intended to reduce the cost of routine transport-related documentation for citizens.
Vehicle owners could receive additional relief under the draft. The proposal seeks to remove the fee for recording a change of residence in a vehicle’s registration records.
It also proposes removing additional charges for delays in submitting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) when changing a vehicle’s residence details.
Under the existing provisions described in the draft coverage, the additional charge is ₹300 per month or part of a month for motorcycles and ₹500 for other vehicles.
These changes remain proposals, so vehicle owners should not assume that the fees have already been removed.
How the Proposed Online Driving Licence System Would Work
The draft introduces Form 2A for several services, including driving licence renewal, duplicate licence issuance, adding a new vehicle category and correcting personal details.
Applicants would submit requests through the online portal along with the necessary supporting documents. Identity verification could be completed through an electronic signature or another method notified by the Centre.
The proposal also seeks to reduce repeated data entry.
Existing driving licence information available on the Sarathi portal could be retrieved automatically, making it easier for applicants to submit updates without entering the same details again.
The draft identifies documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID, passports, electronic ration cards, government-issued identity documents and pension documents as acceptable address proof.
The exact documentation required would depend on the service being requested and the final rules.
An application to remove a vehicle category from a driving licence would also be processed automatically within seven days under the proposed amendments.
When Will the New Driving Licence Rules Take Effect?
The proposed rules are not yet in force. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has invited objections and suggestions for 30 days from the date copies of the Gazette notification are made available to the public.
The government will consider the feedback before deciding whether to finalise the amendments. The final provisions and implementation timeline will depend on the outcome of that process.
For motorists, the most important distinction is between a proposed benefit and a rule that is already operational.
Although the draft could make address updates cheaper and establish a defined processing period, applicants must continue to use the current system until the changes take effect.
Drivers planning to update their licence details should check the applicable requirements through the relevant transport department or official licensing portal before submitting an application or making a payment.
