How to Apply
You can apply to any traffic police office/licensing authority in your area using Form as shown in Annexure 1, available from all post offices and traffic police offices.
Any person male/female of the minimum age of 18 years, who has a National Identity Card No. and proof of residence of the area in which a candidate is applying and must be able to read a car number plate from a distance of 20.5 meter (65').
Type of Licenses
Motorcycle | |
Car / LTV | |
LTV / PSV | |
GHGV | |
HGV / PSV | |
Agriculture Plant | |
Road Rollers etc. |
The present version of the new license format is being introduced from January 2002. The license shows your full entitlements in the “Stamp” column. The validity dates of your entitlements and any information codes which may apply are also shown on the license.
The “counterpart” of the license contains details of
Endorsements (as supplied by convicting court) | |
Provisional entitlements held including any goods vehicle or bus entitlement | |
Previous license history | |
Definitions of driving license categories and information codes |
You must be able to read a car number plate from a distance of 20.5m. You are also required to take a Theory Test which you must pass before you apply for your Practical Test in order to obtain your Full Driver's Licenses you must pass both tests.
Pre-learning is easy as long as you are aware of the traffic rules and situation.
Once you get a learner permit or provisional licenses, you should practice driving, learning the code in the presence of an experienced driver. And don't forget to display red L-Plate on your vehicle.
The system provides for phased issuance of licensing from learner to full license in a period of 2 years.
A provisional license to be issued to the driver who has passed the test. | |
After having one year of driving experience and a satisfactory performance record. The drivers is required to attend a 5 day refresher training course in the evening hours. | |
After 2 years of driving experience and if there are no serious traffic violations within a certain limit, the driver is issued full license after 2 years automatically. | |
In case of any other violations with more than normal violation limit the driver will have to go through another 5 day training course at an approved school and the award of full license shall be postponed. This procedure has to be particularly reinforced for PSV drivers. | |
Candidate drivers may only apply for a full PSV license, if they have at least 3 years experience on a wagon or some other heavy similar vehicles. | |
In case of license drivers, they are to be monitored for involvement in serious accidents and anyone involved in a accident with a fatality should undergo refresher training at the driving school. |
A Learner driver should be 18years of age and must be supervised. All learner drivers should display L-Plate on their vehicle. To supervise a learner driver the supervisor must be at least 21 years old and have a full license for at least 3 years. Anyone who does not comply with these requirements could be liable to maximum fine of Rs. 10,000/- discretionary disqualification or 3-6 penalty points (as could the learner driver). All applicants for a learner license are automatically granted provisional Motor car / Jeep category entitlement, provided they must meet the necessary health conditions.
A central driving office under DIG traffic in the provincial capital that has sole authority to issue licenses. The sub-offices in district shall recommend the application for the candidate drivers and perform all functions including testing. The central office could then check the application papers for correctness and issue the license by mail
Car driving entitlement (category of Motor Car / Jeep) will usually last until the age of 70 and then will be renewable every 3 years. Light Transport Vehicle including minibuses, (LTV), and Heavy Transport Vehicle (HTV) including trucks, buses, and other heavy commercial vehicles will last until the age of 65.and then renewed annually.
Once the driving test, both theory and practical, have been passed the licensee should exchange his/her test pass certificate for a full license as soon as possible. The licensee must apply for full entitlement within 2 years of passing the driving test otherwise another test has to be taken. The application for a full license can be submitted in the Traffic Police Office along with the test pass certificate and learner license. A fresh pass driver must display green L-Plate for at least six months.
The following are the categories of vehicles for which the driving tests are passed:
Description | Category | Min Age |
Motorcycles upto 80cc | A1 | 18 |
Motorcycles above 80cc | A | 18 |
3 or 4 Wheeled Light Vehicles | B1 | 18 |
Car and Jeeps (Manual and Automatic) | B | 18 |
Medium Sized Vehicles Between 3500kg and 7500kg | C2 | 21 |
Medium Sized Vehicles with Trailers | C1 | 21 |
Minibuses (Between 9 and 16 Passenger Seats) | C | 22 |
Heavy Transport Vehicles (Trucks and Buses) | D | 22 |
Agricultural tractors | AT | 18 |
Road Rollers | RRF | 22 |
License issuing department must be informed at once if:-
The licensee has any physical or mental disability which affects the fitness as a driver or which might do so in the future. This includes dependency on or misuse of alcohol, illicit drugs or narcotics. | |
The licensee may come to know in the future that of such a disability or condition. |
The driver while informing about his/her medical condition must write to the License issuing office giving his/her driver license number, full name, date of birth, and what the medical condition is in as much detail as possible.
If in any doubt whether to notify the License issuing office, the driver should consult a doctor for advice.
There is a minimum legal eyesight standard which must be satisfied at all times while driving. The standard is the ability to read a car number plate at 20.5m (67 feet). The driver can easily check this by reading number plate at around 23 paces (with the aid of glasses or contact lenses if necessary). If in doubt, seek professional advice.
More stringent medical standards apply to drivers of Light Transport Vehicles, and Heavy Transport Vehicles & PSV.
Tighter rules apply for drivers who have been disqualified for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol, drugs or narcotics. Such drivers will not regain their license until thay have satisfied the Medical Adviser at the Traffic Police Office that any drink / drugs problem he/she may have had is under control and there is unlikely to be any road safety risk if he drives.
The following is a guide to only a few of the traffic violations and the number of penalty points and fines a court may impose, it does not reflect the fact that some offences may incur a disqualification.
Offence | S No. | Penalty Points |
Failing to stop after an accident | 2 | 10 |
Driving with a suspended license | 3 | 10 |
Driving without a license valid for the vehicle driven | 4 | 6 |
Driving above the speed limit | 6 | 6 |
Reckless Driving | 7 | 6 |
Failure to stop when ordered by a Police Officer | 8 | 6 |
Driving wrong way on a one way street | 9 | 4 |
Driving a Defective vehicle | 10 | 2 - 4 |
Defective brakes | 11 | 3 |
Defective Steering | 12 | 3 |
Tyre-unsuitable type, over/ under inflated, tread less than prescribed, different types on different axles | 13 | 3 |
Driving under influence of drugs or alcohol | 14 | 8 |
Driving at night without proper lights | 15 | 4 |
Jumping traffic queue | 16 | 2 |
Changing lane or turning without giving proper signal | 17 | 2 |
Obstructing Traffic | 18 | 2 |
Improper turn | 19 | 2 |
Failure to yield the right-of-way to pedestrian | 20 | 2 |
Stopping on Zebra crossing | 21 | 3 |
Endorsements remain on a license for:
10 years from date of conviction for offences relating to drink/drugs and driving causing death by careless driving. | |
4 years from date of conviction for reckless / dangerous driving and offences resulting in disqualification | |
4 years from the date of offence in all other cases |
At the appropriate time, a driver can apply to remove the endorsements from the license by submitting an application in the office of the Traffic Police.
There are driving license issuance offices located in the following cities
Faisalabad | |
Hyderabad | |
Islamabad | |
Karachi | |
Lahore | |
Multan | |
Peshawar | |
Quetta | |
Rawalpindi | |
Sukkur |