Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence, and an International Driving Permit obtained in your home country before you travel
Proof of a Chandigarh address — the UT is strict about registering vehicles to genuine local residents
Valid passport and visa
Form 1 self-declaration of fitness, or Form 1A medical certificate where required

Step-by-step

1
Get the IDP before you leave home
India issues International Driving Permits only to holders of Indian licences, so there is no way to obtain one after arrival. The IDP is valid only alongside your original national licence — carry both or neither counts.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departure
2
Apply through Parivahan to the UT's licensing authority
Applications start on sarathi.parivahan.gov.in and route to the Registering and Licensing Authority for the address you give. A Chandigarh address goes to the UT authority; a Mohali or Panchkula address goes to Punjab's or Haryana's. Holding a valid foreign licence may let you skip the learner's stage, but that is discretionary rather than an entitlement.
OnlineWho: You, with in-person verificationDays to weeks after verification
3
Check the current position on new vehicle registration before you buy
The UT has used its electric vehicle policy to cap the number of new petrol and diesel vehicles registered in a year, and those caps have been reached in past cycles, producing genuine queues and waiting lists. Whether a cap is in force, and where it stands, changes by policy year. Ask the dealer to confirm in writing before you pay a deposit on a car or a scooter.
In personWho: You
4
Carry the four documents whenever you drive
Licence, the vehicle's Registration Certificate, valid third-party insurance and a current Pollution Under Control certificate. Digital copies held in DigiLocker or mParivahan are legally accepted at checks, which is the sensible way to do it.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Use the cycle network — it is real and it is unique in India
Chandigarh's V7 roads are separated cycle paths built into the original plan and extended since, giving something close to a connected network across the sectors. Almost no other Indian city has this. For sector-to-sector trips a bicycle is genuinely faster than driving and parking, and it is one of the real pleasures of living here.
In personWho: You
6
Plan around November smog and January fog
Post-harvest stubble burning across Punjab and Haryana degrades visibility and air quality for several weeks from late October, and dense radiation fog in late December and January cuts highway visibility sharply. Both are annual and predictable; both make the drives to Delhi and into the hills materially more dangerous.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign driving licence and International Driving Permit
Passport and valid visa
Proof of Chandigarh address
Form 1 or Form 1A as applicable, plus passport photographs

Things most newcomers don’t know

This is the easiest large Indian city to drive in, and it was designed that way.

Le Corbusier's plan classifies every road from V1 to V7 by speed and function, so through traffic, sector traffic, market access and cycling are physically separated rather than mixed. Combined with roundabouts on the main network, generous parking and a grid you can hold in your head, the result is a driving experience unlike anywhere else in the country. Newcomers from Delhi or Bengaluru consistently describe it as the single biggest quality-of-life difference.

Source: community-reported

The UT has capped new fuel-vehicle registrations in the past, and it is not a formality.

Chandigarh's electric vehicle policy set annual ceilings on registrations of new petrol and diesel two-wheelers and cars, and those ceilings have been hit within a policy year, leaving buyers waiting for the next cycle. Nothing about buying a car anywhere else in India prepares you for this. Confirm the current position with the dealer in writing before committing money.

Source: Chandigarh Administration

You cannot obtain an International Driving Permit once you are in India.

India issues IDPs only to residents holding an Indian licence, so arriving without one leaves no bridge at all — you go straight to a full Indian licence application, learner's permit and possibly a test included. That costs weeks. Getting the IDP at home takes an afternoon.

Source: Parivahan — International Driving Permit

Three jurisdictions means three road-tax regimes inside one metropolitan area.

Road tax in India is levied up front for the life of the vehicle by the state or UT that registers it, so a Chandigarh registration, a Punjab registration and a Haryana registration are three different transactions with three different rates. Moving house across a tricity boundary permanently can trigger re-registration. If you expect to move within the metro, ask before you register rather than after.

Source: Parivahan — vehicle registration

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without an IDP and discovering India will not issue you one.
Paying a deposit on a new vehicle without confirming whether a registration cap is in force.
Applying to the wrong licensing authority because the tricity looks like one city.
Ignoring the separated cycle network and driving trips a bicycle would do faster.
Driving to Delhi or into the hills in late-December fog without checking conditions.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.