Learning Licence in Karnataka

• LMV or Light Motor Vehicles
• Transport vehicles and
• Two wheelers without gear

Guidelines:

Note: If you want to get a permanent driving license for transport vehicles in Karnataka, you are expected to first apply for a Learner License for Transport Vehicles while also having a valid driving license for light motor vehicles.

How to Apply for a Learners License Online in Karnataka

Online Learner's License Application in Karnataka entails the following steps.

• In Karnataka, you can apply for a learner's licence online on the Sarathi portal for non-transport vehicles such as gearless motorcycles below 50cc, geared motorcycles, light motor vehicles (jeeps, cars etc.), auto rickshaws, tractors/trailers and invalid carriages, as well as for transport vehicles. Applicants for a transport vehicle must also upload their driving licence and a medical certificate.
• The candidate can put in an application for learner's license for more than one class of vehicles (as mentioned above) in one go. He can pick one or more classes as required. The preliminary (written/ oral) test is the same for all applications.
• Submit age proof, residence proof and fees as directed on the site. Once you clear the preliminary test, you will be issued the learner's license, valid for six months.
• The learner's license registrations procedures can be found on the Karnataka Transport Department website and the Sarathi portal.

The Karnataka Transport Department now processes new learner's licence applications as a faceless service on Sarathi: your details are fetched from Aadhaar, and the fee payment, licence test and licence download are all completed online. Follow these steps: 

• Open the Sarathi portal, select Karnataka, choose Apply for Learner Licence and select the application for a new learner's licence. 
• Select Submit via Aadhaar authentication, enter your Aadhaar number and then the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Your personal details are fetched from Aadhaar and cannot be edited. 
• Select your qualification, enter your Aadhaar-linked mobile number, select the class of vehicle, fill in Form 1 and submit the application to generate the acknowledgement slip. 
• Upload documents where required: a medical certificate if you are above 40 years, proof of your present address if your Aadhaar was issued in another state, and your driving licence and a medical certificate if you are applying for a transport vehicle. 
• Pay the application fee online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway using a credit card, debit card, net banking or UPI. 
• Watch the road safety tutorial video completely, without fast-forwarding, as it is compulsory before the licence test. 
• Take the online licence test by entering your application number, date of birth and the test password sent to your mobile number. Your face is matched with your Aadhaar photo before the test starts. 
• If you pass, the RTO approves your application and you receive an approval message with a link to download your learner's licence using an OTP sent to your mobile number. 
• If you fail, pay the retest fee online and attempt the test again from the next day.

The details of filling up of online application for learner's license are given below:

How to Apply for a Learners License Offline in Karnataka?

• To apply for a learner's license by offline method, you have to collect an application form, fill it as directed and then submit it to your closest RTO.
• All the documents specified above must be submitted along with the application form.
• Disburse the prescribed fee, which is Rs.150 per each class of vehicle (as of October 2026).

Once the paperwork is complete, you will be given a date for a preliminary test (written/ verbal based on your qualification), which is basically to make sure that you are aware of traffic rules and regulations and what to do in a road emergency. Once you clear the test, you will be granted a learner's license from the RTO, which will be valid for six months. You have six months to practice on the ground and road before sitting for the practical test. It is mandatory that you practice at least for a month before going in for the test.

The Karnataka Transport Department lists the issue of a new learner's licence as a Sarathi service, so check with your jurisdictional RTO before applying offline.

Documents Required for Learners License in Karnataka

As driving license is not only a permit to drive on roads, but also serves as a national identity card and residence proof, it is important that documentation when applying for a license should be 100 percent accurate.

When you apply for a learner's license in Karnataka, you should all the papers mentioned below.

• Duly filled application as given in Form 2
• Age proof (as required for different class of vehicle) such as copy of your Ration Card, LIC Policy paper, passport, voter ID card, birth certificate or SSLC Book. It can also be certified by a medical practitioner.
• Age certification as given by a registered medical practitioner
• Application with the declaration regarding the physical fitness of the applicant as given in Form 1.
• Any residence proof such as Aadhaar Card, voter ID, passport, ration card, latest utility bills or house tax receipt.
• If you are not able to submit any of the aforementioned age proof or residence proof documents for any suitable reason, the licensing authority will also take a self-attested affidavit sworn before an Executive Magistrate, Notary Public or Judicial Magistrate.
• For candidates applying for a transport license, submission of a medical certificate as specified in Form 1A is mandatory.
• Four recent passport sized (less than six months old) photos of the applicant.
• If you are applying for a Learner License for Transport vehicle, you should produce your original driving license for Light Motor Vehicle (which you have been issued at least for a year).
• Keep your Aadhaar number and your Aadhaar-linked mobile number ready, as the online application is verified through Aadhaar e-KYC and an OTP. 
• If your Aadhaar was issued in another state, upload proof of your present address in Karnataka along with your online application.

How to Check LL Status in Karnataka?

Learner's license is given to the applicant soon after he clears the preliminary test on the same day. Once the RTO approves your application, you can download your learner's licence from the Sarathi portal by entering your application number and date of birth and verifying the OTP sent to your mobile number

How to Make Corrections in Learners License Online?

If you find any errors or need any correction to be made in your learner license copy after getting it, please follow the steps mentioned below.

• Contact the RTO in Karnataka, where you have applied for the learner's license. This cannot be done in any other branches. For instance, if you have received your learner's license from the Yelahanka RTO, you cannot get it corrected from the Hebbal RTO.
• Take the documents with the right information to make the required corrections. For instance for changing your name in the license after marriage, take the marriage certificate to the RTO.
• Apply online on the Sarathi portal by entering your learner's licence number and date of birth, and complete Aadhaar e-KYC authentication.
• Pay the fee online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway. Once the RTO verifies and approves the correction, you receive a message with a link to download the updated learner's licence.

In Karnataka, a change of name in a learner's licence is a faceless Sarathi service. To apply: 

• Open the Sarathi portal, select Karnataka and choose the Change of Name in LL service under the Learner Licence menu. 
• Enter your learner's licence number and date of birth, select Aadhaar authentication and verify the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. 
• Submit the application with the captcha and pay the fee online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway. 
• After the RTO or ARTO verifies and approves the application, download the updated learner's licence using the link in the approval message.

How to Change Address for My Learners License?

If you want the address in your learner's license to be changed, you can apply for the change online on the Sarathi portal by entering your learner's licence number and date of birth and completing Aadhaar e-KYC authentication.

Please submit proof for your new address to take the request forward:

• If you are an overseas applicant, proof of lawful residential status in India is required.
• Once the RTO verifies your application, it approves the change and you receive a message with a link to download the learner's licence with the updated address.
• If applied in a different RTO, the new learner's license with changed address will be sent after due verification.
• The applicant also has to disburse a nominal fee, which is paid online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway.

Test Procedure for Learners License in Karnataka

You will sit for a preliminary test and on clearing that you will be given the learners license once the RTO approves your application. A written test is usually held for all applicants who have completed SSLC or a comparable exam.

You have to answer objective multiple choice queries related to road rules and regulations. For those who have not passed SSLC, a verbal test will be conducted. The tests are overseen by an Inspector of Motor Vehicles. If you already have a license (for instance, a two wheeler license holder applying for a car license), you need not go in for a preliminary test. Learners License can be used to learn driving competently and is valid across India for six months.

In Karnataka, the licence test is taken online. After paying the fee and watching the compulsory road safety tutorial, you log in with your application number, date of birth and the test password sent to your mobile number, and your face is matched with your Aadhaar photo before the test starts. 

You can practise with the sample questions and the mock test for the learner's licence test, which are available under the Learner Licence menu on the Sarathi portal.

Learners License Renewal in Karnataka

• As said before, learner's license is valid only for six months, which is the window period for you to learn and hone your driving skills both on the ground as well as on the road.
• You have to practice at least for a month before appearing for the practical.
• On failing the ground test or road test, you will be given a new slot after a couple of weeks to practice more.
• If you fail the practical test thrice in a row, you will have to apply for a new learner's license.
• A learner's licence cannot be renewed. Once it expires, you must apply for a new one by selecting Expired Learner Licence Issue Again under the Learner Licence menu on the Sarathi portal, and you cannot apply for a driving licence after your learner's licence has expired. 

How to Apply for a Duplicate Learners License?

In case of loss or theft of your learner's license, you can get a new LL without having to go through the hassle of reapplying with the same cumbersome documentation and sitting for the prelims.

Please follow the steps mentioned below to obtain a duplicate learner's license.

• Open the Sarathi portal, select Karnataka, choose the Duplicate LL service under the Learner Licence menu, enter your learner's licence number and date of birth, and authenticate with the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
• Pay the nominal fee online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway.
• Please provide the necessary proof that your learner's license is lost/ stolen (FIR lodged at the local police station). Upload a copy of the FIR on the Sarathi portal.
• Recent (less than six months old) passport sized photos.
• Once the RTO verifies and approves your application, you receive a message with a link to download the duplicate learner's licence using an OTP sent to your mobile number.

How to Get International License in Karnataka?

Obtaining an International Driving Permit (IDP) in Karnataka has been made simple and easy now. All you have to do is follow the steps below.

• Step 1: Apply on the Sarathi portal: select Karnataka, open the International Driving Permit (IDP) service, enter your driving licence number and date of birth, select your RTO, authenticate with the OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and fill in the mandatory application details.
• Step 2: Pay the IDP (International Driving Permit) charge of Rs.1,000 online through the Khajane-2 payment gateway (as of October 2026).
• Step 3: Upload your driving licence, visa, passport, proof of citizenship and a medical certificate in Form 1A on the Sarathi portal.
• Step 4: A medical certificate and fitness certificate in form CMV 1 & CMV 1A must be given with your duly filled application and three most recent passport sized pictures.
• Step 5: To take the application forward, the applicant must be an Indian citizen and must submit proof of citizenship online.
  
• Step 6: The address given in the license application must be under the RTO dominion, where you are applying.
• Step 7: Your International Driving Permit (IDP) is valid only for 12 months or until the driving licence expires, whichever is earlier.

Once the RTO or ARTO verifies and approves your application, open the Driving License menu on the Sarathi portal, select the IDP Print License option, enter your application number and date of birth, and verify the OTP to download your International Driving Permit.

Summary

A learning licence in Karnataka is a provisional licence, valid across India for six months, that lets you learn to drive before you apply for a permanent driving licence. You can apply online on the Sarathi portal with Aadhaar e-KYC, pay the Rs.150 per class fee online, watch the road safety tutorial and pass the licence test. Keep your documents ready, practise with the sample questions and apply on the Sarathi portal today.