Travel · Free tool
Driving Licence Decoder
Indian DL numbers follow the format SS-RR-YYYY-NNNNNNN: state code, RTO district, 4-digit year of issue, and a sequence number.
Format: SS-RR-YYYY-NNNNNNN.
How it works
Indian driving licence numbers follow the format SS-RR-YYYY-NNNNNNN — 2-letter state code (MH for Maharashtra, KA for Karnataka, DL for Delhi, TN for Tamil Nadu), 2-digit RTO district code, 4-digit year of issue, and a 7-digit sequence. We parse the string, look up the state and RTO from our mapping (covering all 36 states/UTs and 1,400+ RTOs), and report each component. Decoding does not validate that the licence is real — for that you need the Parivahan Sarathi portal.
Worked example
A DL number like MH-14-20180012345 decodes as: Maharashtra, RTO 14 (Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune), year of issue 2018, sequence 0012345. DL-01-20100098765 is Delhi, Mall Road RTO, issued 2010. KA-05-20210045678 is Bengaluru East RTO. The state code SS comes from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways list; the RR district code is assigned by each state's Transport Commissioner.
When to use this
- Cross-checking a driver's DL when hiring (Ola/Uber partner verification)
- Identifying which RTO to approach for licence renewal or address change
- Verifying date-of-issue for insurance NCB or experience-based commercial-DL claims
For renewal timelines see our DL expiry tracker, or read the DL issue process guide.
FAQ
Can I use this to verify if a DL is valid?
No — only the format. Whether the DL is currently valid (not expired / not suspended) requires lookup at sarathi.parivahan.gov.in or the state RTO portal.
My DL has fewer digits — is the format wrong?
Older DLs from some states had 6-digit sequence numbers. The validator accepts 6-7 digit sequences. Even older formats (pre-2000s) may not parse — those are typically reissued on renewal.
What does the year in my DL number mean?
Year of original issue. Subsequent renewals don't change the DL number. So your DL number can have a year decades earlier than the current expiry.