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Driving Licence for Persons with Disabilities: Rules and Tests
A disability does not by itself stop you getting a driving licence in India. The law refuses a licence only when a condition is likely to make your driving a danger to the public, and even then it allows a licence limited to an adapted vehicle. Since June 2020, people with mild to medium colour blindness can get a licence. Central advisories also cover people with vision in one eye (private cars and motorcycles) and deaf or hard-of-hearing applicants, who take the same road test as everyone else.
- Licence class
- Adapted vehicle
- Medical
- Form 1A from a doctor
- Colour vision
- Mild to medium allowed
- One eye
- Private car and motorcycle
- Where
- Sarathi, then the RTO
On this page
Can you get a driving licence if you have a disability?
Yes, in most cases. The Motor Vehicles Act sets one test: the licensing authority refuses a learner's licence only if your application or medical certificate shows a disease or disability likely to make your driving a danger to the public or to passengers (section 8(4)). The same section then says the authority may issue a learner's licence limited to driving an adapted vehicle if it is satisfied you can drive one safely. Section 9(3) does the same for the full driving licence.
So the question the RTO asks is not "do you have a disability?" but "can you drive this vehicle safely?". That is judged from your medical certificate and your driving test.
| Your situation | What the central rules say | More |
|---|---|---|
| Limb disability | Licence possible, usually for an adapted vehicle | Adapted vehicles |
| Colour blindness | Mild to medium allowed; severe or total restricted | Colour vision |
| Vision in one eye | Private car and motorcycle, if three conditions are met | One eye |
| Deaf or hard of hearing | Licence possible after the normal road test | Hearing |
| Cannot speak, but can hear | Can be certified fit for a non-transport licence (note on Form 1A) | Form 1A |
What is an adapted vehicle, and which licence covers it?
The Act defines an adapted vehicle as a motor vehicle specially designed and built, or altered, for a person with a physical disability, and used only by or for that person (section 2(1)). It is a separate licence class (section 10(2)(c)). Until 2019 the class was called "invalid carriage", and the current Form 2 still lists it as "Invalid Carriage (vehicles for use by Divyang)". If you see either name on a form or portal, it is the same class. See licence types for the other classes.
Adapted two-wheeler
- A 2008 central resolution lets a motorcycle be altered for a person with a disability in two ways: a side car on the left, or two extra rear wheels.
- The permission is valid only while the person with the disability is riding it. You must take the driving test and get permission from the licensing authority.
- The medical certificate comes from a district medical board chaired by the Chief Medical Officer (or a medical college board), and the change must be prescribed by an orthopaedic or physical medicine specialist.
- Retro-fitment kits must be approved and fitted by workshops the kit maker has approved. The vehicle carries red reflective tape at the rear and white at the front.
| Limb affected | 2008 criteria for an adapted two-wheeler |
|---|---|
| One or both legs, partly or fully | Can be considered |
| One arm, partly or fully | Can be considered |
| Both arms, partly | Only in special circumstances |
| One leg and one arm | Only in special circumstances |
Adapted car
- The same licence class applies: adapted vehicle, for a car built or altered for you.
- We found no central document listing approved car adaptations, such as hand controls. Ask your RTO, before you buy or alter a car, how it wants the change recorded on the registration.
- A new car being converted into an adapted vehicle can get a 45-day temporary registration while the work is done. See new vehicle registration.
- Take the driving test in the adapted car you will drive, and ask the RTO in advance whether to bring your own.
How does the medical assessment (Form 1A) work?
Every learner's licence application must include a medical certificate in the form the Centre prescribes (section 8(3)). Most people under 40 applying for a private licence only sign Form 1, a self-declaration. If you have a condition the form asks about, expect the RTO to ask for Form 1A, a certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner. Form 1A is also needed for any transport licence and from age 40.
Form 1: self-declaration
You answer yes or no about epilepsy or fainting, eyesight at 25 metres, loss of a hand or foot or weakness in an arm or leg, colour vision, night blindness, hearing, and any other condition that could make your driving dangerous. Answer every question honestly.
If you answer "yes" to any of these, it does not mean refusal. It means the RTO will want a doctor's view, usually on Form 1A.
Form 1A: medical certificate
- The doctor checks your vision (with glasses if you use them), whether you can read a number plate at 25 metres in daylight, your hearing, night blindness, and your arms, legs, hands and joints.
- Colour vision is tested on a standard Ishihara chart. The doctor certifies that you are not suffering from severe or total colour blindness.
- The doctor then states whether you are fit to drive a vehicle "other than an adapted vehicle". If you are not, but you can drive an adapted vehicle safely, that is the route the law allows.
- A note on the form says people who cannot speak but can hear may be certified fit for a non-transport licence.
- The doctor signs across your photograph and adds a registration number and seal. In states that use e-Form 1A, the doctor uploads it on Sarathi.
Some states send applicants with a disability to a medical board rather than a single doctor. Puducherry, for example, refers people with vision in one eye to its medical board, and the 2008 rules for adapted two-wheelers use a district board. Ask your RTO which it needs before you book.
Can you get a licence if you are colour blind?
Yes, if your colour blindness is mild or medium. On 24 June 2020 the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) amended Form 1 and Form 1A (G.S.R. 401(E)) after consulting medical experts. Only people with severe colour blindness are now restricted. The proposal, published in March 2020, noted that colour-blind people can do all driving functions except tell some colours apart, and that many countries already license them.
- The doctor tests you on an Ishihara chart and records the result on Form 1A.
- Older copies of the forms still online ask whether you can "readily distinguish the pigmentary colours, red and green". The current Form 1A on Parivahan uses the 2020 wording, so ask the doctor to use that version.
- If you are told you failed a colour test at the learner stage (Delhi, for example, checks colour vision), ask whether the result was severe or total. If it was mild or medium, show the Form 1A.
Can you drive with vision in one eye?
Yes, for a private (non-commercial) car or motorcycle. A MoRTH letter of 21 November 2017 (RT-11016/03/2017-MVL) told licensing authorities they may consider applicants with vision in one eye, if all three conditions are met:
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Sight in the better eye | 6/12 or better |
| Field of vision (side to side) | 120 degrees or more, by Goldmann perimetry or a confrontation test |
| Time since losing sight in the other eye | At least 6 months, to adapt |
- Get these measured by an eye doctor and carry the report to your Form 1A appointment.
- The advisory covers non-commercial vehicles only. It does not cover taxis, trucks, buses or other transport vehicles.
- Some states, such as Puducherry, want a medical board certificate. Ask your RTO.
Can deaf or hard-of-hearing people get a driving licence?
Yes. MoRTH issued advisories on 14 June 2016 and 28 October 2016, and repeated them on 6 November 2023 because some states were still not following them. The advisory says driving is "primarily a visual function with little inputs from hearing". If you hear reasonably with a hearing aid or cochlear implant, there is "little reason" to refuse you a licence.
- You take the same strict driving test on real roads as every other applicant.
- As an added precaution, the advisory asks you to display a sign on the car showing that the driver is hearing impaired.
- Form 1 asks whether you can hear the ordinary sound signal, and for a car this is "with or without hearing aid". Mention your aid or implant.
- States were told to follow the advisory "without any deviation". If an RTO refuses you only because you are deaf, ask for the refusal in writing and point to the November 2023 MoRTH letter (RT-11021/40/2014-MVL).
How do you apply?
YouSarathi / RTOFee or decision
Getting your first licence
- Get a Form 1A medical certificate (or a board certificate if your RTO asks)
- On Sarathi, choose your state and Apply for Learner Licence; pick the class you need
- Pay the fee and take the learner licence test
- Fit to drive an ordinary vehicle?No: the learner licence is limited to an adapted vehicle
- Practise for at least 30 days, then book the driving test
- Pass the road test; the licence is issued for that class
- See a registered doctor for Form 1A. Take your eye report, hearing aid details or specialist's prescription for the adaptation.
- Open Sarathi, choose your state and use Apply for Learner Licence. The full steps are in the learner licence guide.
- Choose the vehicle class. If you will drive an adapted vehicle, choose that class (it may appear as "Invalid Carriage").
- Upload Form 1A, pay the fee and take the learner test.
- After at least 30 days, use Apply for Driving Licence and book the test, as in the driving licence guide.
- Take the test in the vehicle you will drive.
You already hold a licence
- Get a Form 1A medical certificate that reflects your condition now
- On Sarathi, apply for a learner licence for the adapted vehicle class
- Pay the fees and pass the learner test
- Apply to add the class and book the driving test
- Passed the road test?No: pay the retest fee and book again
- The adapted vehicle class is added to your licence
- Form 2 lists "Addition of Class of Vehicle to Driving Licence" as a separate service. The steps and fees are in adding a vehicle class.
- If your condition changed after you got your licence, declare it honestly on Form 1 at your next renewal. From age 40 you need Form 1A anyway; see renewal medical rules.
What to take to the RTO
- Form 1A signed by a registered doctor, or the medical board certificate your RTO asks for.
- For one eye: the eye doctor's report showing sight in the better eye and the field of vision.
- For hearing: details of your hearing aid or implant, if you use one.
- For an adapted vehicle: the specialist's prescription for the change and the vehicle's papers.
- Proof of age and address, photographs and the fee receipt.
- For the car: a sign showing the driver is hearing impaired, if that applies to you.
What can go wrong, and how do you fix it?
| Your situation | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Refused for colour blindness | An old form or test standard was used | Get Form 1A on the current form with the Ishihara result. Only severe or total colour blindness is restricted (2020). |
| Refused because you are deaf | The office is not following the MoRTH advisory | Ask for the refusal in writing and cite the advisories of 2016 and 6 Nov 2023. Then use the complaint routes. |
| Refused with one eye for a taxi or truck | The advisory covers only non-commercial vehicles | Apply for a private car or motorcycle licence instead. |
| Refused with one eye, recent loss | Less than 6 months since the loss | Wait until 6 months have passed, then apply with an eye report. |
| Can't find "adapted vehicle" on the portal | The old name is still used | Look for "Invalid Carriage" in the class list, or ask the RTO. |
| Asked for a medical board certificate | State practice for some conditions | Ask the RTO which board and hospital; the 2008 rules use a district board led by the Chief Medical Officer. |
| Failed the road test | Same as for any applicant | Pay the retest fee and book again; practise in the vehicle you will drive. |
Frequently asked questions
Is "invalid carriage" the same as "adapted vehicle"?
Yes. The class was renamed "adapted vehicle" in 2019. Some forms, including Form 2, still use the old name.
Can a colour-blind person get a driving licence?
Yes, with mild or medium colour blindness, since June 2020. Severe or total colour blindness is still restricted.
Can I drive with one eye?
For a private car or motorcycle, yes, if your better eye is 6/12 or better, your field of vision is at least 120 degrees and 6 months have passed since the loss.
Can a deaf person drive in India?
Yes. MoRTH's advisories say hearing plays little part in driving. You take the same road test and should display a sign that the driver is hearing impaired.
Do I need a medical certificate?
If the self-declaration on Form 1 shows a condition, expect the RTO to ask for Form 1A from a registered doctor. Form 1A is also needed for transport licences and from age 40.
Can I get a transport (commercial) licence with a disability?
The one-eye advisory and the Form 1A note for people who cannot speak cover non-transport licences only. For other conditions, the RTO decides from your Form 1A and test.
Do I need my own adapted vehicle for the test?
We found no central rule on this. Ask the RTO in advance whether to bring your own adapted vehicle, and practise in the vehicle you will drive.
Sources
- Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (India Code): sections 2(1), 8(3), 8(4), 9(3) and 10(2) (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Parivahan – Form 1A, medical certificate (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- mParivahan – Form 2, with Forms 1 and 1A (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Citizens with mild or medium colour blindness to also obtain driving licence, 26 Jun 2020 (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- PIB – Suggestions invited on licences for colour-blind people, 23 Mar 2020 (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Puducherry – circular forwarding the MoRTH letter of 21 Nov 2017 on monocular vision (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Puducherry – circular forwarding the MoRTH letter of 6 Nov 2023 on hearing-impaired applicants (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- MoRTH resolution of 23 Jul 2008 on adapted motorcycles for persons with disabilities, Gazette of India copy (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
- Transport Department, Delhi – learner's licence (accessed 26 Oct 2026)
Page history: 26 Oct 2026: first published.