Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence, and an IDP obtained in your home country before travel
Proof of a Jaipur address
Valid passport and visa
Form 1 self-declaration of fitness, or Form 1A medical certificate if you are over 40

Step-by-step

1
Obtain the IDP before you leave home
India issues International Driving Permits only to holders of Indian licences, so there is no way to get one after arrival. The IDP is valid only when carried with your original national licence.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departure
2
Identify your Rajasthan RTO
Jaipur has more than one transport office and jurisdiction follows your registered address. Confirm which covers your area on the Rajasthan Transport Department portal before making the trip.
OnlineWho: You
3
Apply through Sarathi Parivahan as a foreign licence holder
Applications begin online at sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. A valid foreign licence may let you skip the learner's stage and sometimes the road test, but this is discretionary at the RTO rather than an entitlement.
OnlineWho: You, with in-person verificationDays to weeks after verification
4
Carry licence, RC, insurance and PUC every time
Third-party insurance and a valid Pollution Under Control certificate are legally required alongside the licence and registration certificate. Digital copies in DigiLocker or mParivahan are accepted at checks.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Do not drive into the walled city
The 1727 grid has wide main bazaar streets and very narrow lanes behind them, and both fill with pedestrians, handcarts, cows and parked two-wheelers. Park outside a gate and walk. Locals do this too.
In personWho: You
6
Treat the Delhi–Jaipur run with more caution than it deserves
The 240-kilometre expressway run to Delhi looks like a straightforward three-hour drive and is one of India's busiest and most accident-prone corridors, particularly at night with unlit stationary trucks. The Vande Bharat train covers it in comparable time.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

Ride-hailing is thinner here than in the tech cities, and the autorickshaw meter is theoretical.

Uber, Ola and Rapido all operate in Jaipur but with far shallower supply than in Bengaluru or Delhi, especially away from the tourist corridor and late at night. Autorickshaws will usually refuse the meter and quote — and the quote for a foreigner starts high. Agreeing the fare before getting in is normal practice for locals too, and knowing roughly what a route should cost is the only real defence.

Source: community-reported

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 with a learner's permit and possibly a test. The IDP takes an afternoon to obtain at home and weeks to work around here.

Source: Parivahan — International Driving Permit

The 1727 street grid is the reason central Jaipur works and cars do not.

Jaipur was built to a formal plan with a defined hierarchy of street widths — nine main chaupars and bazaars, then progressively narrower lanes into the residential blocks. It is one of the earliest planned cities in India and part of why the walled city is UNESCO-listed. The design assumed pedestrians and animals, and the geometry has not changed. Park at a gate; the whole walled city is walkable in an hour.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Jaipur City

Summer changes what a car is for.

Between April and June a parked car in Jaipur becomes genuinely dangerous inside within minutes, air-conditioning load reduces range and efficiency sharply, and tyre blowouts on hot highway surfaces are a recognised seasonal hazard. Locals park in shade as a reflex, check pressures more often in summer, and avoid long highway runs in the middle of the day.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without an IDP and finding India will not issue one.
Carrying the IDP without the original national licence, which makes it worthless.
Driving into the walled city and spending an hour trying to leave it.
Assuming an autorickshaw will use the meter, or accepting the first quote.
Doing the Delhi expressway run at night.

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