Forgot driving license at home? No problem as digital copies now made valid across India

Only documents uploaded and presented through either DigiLocker or mParivahan platforms would be considered valid.

New Delhi: The next time you are stopped by a traffic cop, flip out your phone instead of going for the wallet for the driving license. This and many other crucial documents are now valid in digital form across India.

The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has officially communicated to all states to make digital copies of driving license and vehicle registration certificate valid. As part of the government's push to digitization, carrying electronic copies of these documents would be acceptable but only when uploaded and presented through DigiLocker app or through mParivahan platform.

What this essentially means is that while drivers won't have to carry these important documents with them at all times - reducing the risk of loss or damage, they can't just scan these and store on their phone. The documents will have to be used only through DigiLocker and/or mParivahan for them to be considered valid.

If an offense necessitates that the documents need to be impounded, the ministry has said that there is now no need for confiscating these in their physical form as the electronic database would reflect the status. In addition to these, the ministry is also looking to minimise the chances of these documents being forged or illegally duplicated.