How to Use the Driving Licence Number Format Validator

Type or paste a driving licence number into the box above.
Click Check. The tool verifies it against the common 15-character state + RTO + year + serial structure and decodes the issuing state.
Read the decode table showing the state code, RTO code, year of issue, and serial number split out individually.
Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere — the whole check runs as plain JavaScript in your browser tab.

The Common Indian DL Number Structure

Most Indian driving licence numbers issued through the Sarathi system follow a consistent pattern:

[2-letter state code][2-digit RTO code][4-digit year of issue][7-digit unique serial]

For example,

MH1220110012345

breaks down as: state code MH (Maharashtra), RTO code 12 (a specific Regional Transport Office within Maharashtra — Mumbai Central, in this illustrative example), year of issue 2011, and a 7-digit unique serial number 0012345. The state code uses the same two-letter conventions as vehicle registration plates (MH for Maharashtra, DL for Delhi, KA for Karnataka, and so on) — this tool decodes it against a bundled list of Indian state and union territory codes.

Why This Is Marked "Common," Not "Universal"

India does not have one single format rigidly enforced nationwide the way, say, Aadhaar's 12-digit Verhoeff-checked structure is. Different states, and different eras of licence issuance, have produced licences with varying separators (spaces, hyphens, or none), and in some older or state-specific cases, different digit groupings entirely. This tool validates the most common 15-character pattern used across the majority of Sarathi-issued licences today — a licence that doesn't match isn't automatically fake, and one that does match isn't proof it's genuine.

No Checksum Available

There is no published check-digit algorithm for Indian driving licence numbers — RTOs assign the year and serial number sequentially, not through a self-verifying formula. This tool therefore performs a structural check only, the same limitation that applies to the UAN, TAN, and EPIC validators in this same tool family.

What This Tool Does NOT Do

This checks structure only. It does not query Sarathi or the VAHAN database, and cannot confirm a licence is actually issued, currently valid, unexpired, or unsuspended. For anything that matters — verifying a driver's licence before hiring, checking your own licence status, or confirming a renewal — use the official parivahan.gov.in "DL Details" lookup, which performs the real database check this tool intentionally does not attempt.

Common Mistakes

Assuming every licence follows the exact 15-character pattern — several states and older licences use variations this tool won't match
Confusing the RTO code (which office issued it) with the vehicle registration RTO code on a different document — they use similar 2-digit conventions but aren't the same lookup
Treating a format-valid result as proof of a real, currently valid licence — there's no checksum and no live database check here
Copying a licence number with the year and serial fields swapped, which will usually fail the format check outright

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my driving licence number uploaded anywhere? No — everything runs locally in your browser tab.

Does this tool confirm my licence is valid and unexpired? No — only the official parivahan.gov.in portal can confirm that.

Why might a real licence fail this check? Some states and older licences use formats outside the common 15-character pattern this tool validates — that's an intentional scope limit, not a bug.

Is this tool free? Yes, completely free, with no login and no usage limit.