MMVD to issue new QR coded driving licenses

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department (MMVD) will soon launch Quick Response (QR) coded smart driving licenses to make it easy for traffic police to differentiate between fake and genuine licenses. The department has also framed a digital renewal process for renewal of expired licenses. Therefore, commuters can apply online for renewal of their expired licenses which will be actioned through the department to prevent forgery. This will also be helpful to deactivate the fake licenses.

The QR code will provide the details of driver’s name, residential address, birth date, blood group, validity of the license and types of vehicles they are authorised to drive.

An MMVD official said, “The feature will ease the process for traffic police and officers of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) on field”. The department will appoint a new service provider who will provide new driving licenses within three months from the date of awarding the contract, he added.

Shekhar Channe, transport commissioner of Maharashtra said, “The QR codes can be scanned for a driver’s details using any QR code scanner application [from the play store].”

The Central government has accepted the common smart card formats for driving licenses and vehicle registration certificates. This was started to standardise the documents across all states and prepare a centralised digital platform to find duplication scam.