Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence with an International Driving Permit for the initial period
Proof of Gurgaon address
Valid visa and passport
An understanding of how Delhi's vehicle restrictions affect a Haryana-registered car

Step-by-step

1
Decide whether you need a car at all
Within Gurgaon, app cabs and autos are cheap and plentiful, and the Delhi Metro's Yellow Line plus the Rapid Metro cover the main corridors. A full-time driver costs a fraction of a foreign salary. Many foreign residents here choose one of those over driving themselves.
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2
Use your foreign licence plus an IDP initially
A valid foreign licence with an International Driving Permit covers you for a limited period after arrival. Carry both plus your passport and visa.
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3
Think about where to register before you buy
Road tax and registration costs differ between Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi's age restrictions on older diesel and petrol vehicles apply to vehicles operating in Delhi regardless of where they are registered. If you will commute into Delhi daily, factor that in before buying anything used.
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4
Apply to the Haryana RTO covering your address
Applications go through Parivahan to the local RTO. Foreign nationals generally follow the standard route — learner's licence, statutory waiting period, driving test.
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5
Learn the flooding map before the monsoon
Specific stretches of the Delhi–Gurgaon expressway, the Hero Honda Chowk area and several underpasses flood predictably. The 2016 gridlock lasted over twenty hours. Ask colleagues which routes fail and have an alternative, or plan to work from home on heavy rain days.
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6
If you employ a driver, do it properly
Hiring a driver is a normal middle-class arrangement here and affordable on a foreign salary. Verify the licence, agree hours and overtime in writing, and understand you are an employer with obligations.
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Documents you’ll need

Valid foreign driving licence and International Driving Permit
Passport and valid visa
Proof of Gurgaon address
Passport photographs
Medical certificate, where required

Things most newcomers don’t know

A Haryana-registered car still faces Delhi's restrictions when it is in Delhi.

Delhi's age limits on older diesel and petrol vehicles apply to vehicles operating in the city, not just to those registered there. Someone who buys an older car cheaply in Gurgaon and commutes into Delhi daily can find the vehicle unusable for the trip that mattered. Check the current rule before buying used.

Source: Commission for Air Quality Management

Gurgaon floods on a schedule locals can recite.

The city's drainage has never matched its construction, and specific junctions and underpasses fail predictably in heavy rain — the 2016 event trapped traffic for over twenty hours. Long-term residents know the list. Ask for it in May, not in July, and agree a rain-day arrangement with your employer.

Source: community-reported

Employing a driver is ordinary here, not extravagant.

On a foreign professional salary a full-time driver is a small fraction of income, and it removes both the traffic and the parking problem. It is a completely normal middle-class arrangement in Gurgaon and most of your colleagues will have one.

Source: community-reported

Registration costs differ across the NCR's three states.

Road tax and registration charges vary between Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and a vehicle kept long-term in a state other than its registration one attracts paperwork. In a metro area spanning three states this is a genuine decision, not a formality.

Source: Parivahan — vehicle registration