Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence, and an IDP obtained in your home country before travel
Proof of a Kolkata 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
Get the IDP before leaving home
India issues International Driving Permits only to holders of Indian licences, so there is no route to one after arrival. The IDP is valid only alongside your original national licence.
In personWho: You, in your home countryBefore departure
2
Try the metro before deciding you need a car
The Blue Line runs the length of the city on the north-south axis and the Green Line now crosses the Hooghly in a tunnel thirty-two metres below the riverbed. Fares are a few rupees. For most Kolkata journeys this is faster and cheaper than any alternative.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
3
Identify your West Bengal RTO
Jurisdiction follows your registered address, and the Kolkata region has several transport offices. Confirm on the West Bengal Transport Department portal before travelling to one.
OnlineWho: You
4
Apply through Sarathi Parivahan
Applications begin at sarathi.parivahan.gov.in under the foreign licence holder category, with in-person verification. A valid foreign licence may let you skip the learner's stage and sometimes the road test, but that is discretionary.
OnlineWho: YouDays to weeks after verification
5
Carry licence, RC, insurance and PUC
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
6
Learn which streets reverse direction and which flood
Kolkata operates one-way systems that switch direction between morning and evening on some arterial roads, which confuses navigation apps and newcomers equally. Separately, specific junctions waterlog reliably in the monsoon. Ask colleagues for both lists rather than discovering them.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

The Green Line runs under the Hooghly, and it changed the Howrah commute completely.

Opened in March 2024, the East-West corridor's river crossing is India's first underwater rail tunnel — the Howrah Maidan to Esplanade section takes under a minute at thirty-two metres below the riverbed, replacing a bridge crossing that could take forty minutes at peak. Howrah Maidan is among the deepest stations in India. For anyone living on the Kolkata side and working near Howrah, or the reverse, this single tunnel is the difference between two commutes.

Source: Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation

Kolkata's trams are in the middle of an argument, and you cannot plan a commute around them.

The network, Asia's oldest operating tram system, was progressively cut back until the state transport department announced in 2024 that it would keep only the Esplanade–Maidan heritage stretch, a decision that drew sustained public and legal opposition; a couple of short routes have continued running through the dispute. In mid-2026 the incoming state government reversed course and announced a revival — modern air-conditioned and battery cars, restored routes — with RITES commissioned to produce a feasibility study. Nothing is settled. Ride the trams; do not build a journey to work on them, and treat any guidance more than a year old as unreliable.

Source: West Bengal Transport Department; state government tram revival announcement, 2026

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 — you go straight to a full Indian licence application, learner's permit and possibly a test included. That is weeks of process to avoid an afternoon at home before you fly.

Source: Parivahan — International Driving Permit

Some Kolkata arterial roads reverse direction between morning and evening.

The city runs time-dependent one-way systems on several major roads to manage tidal commuting flows, so a street that carried you north at nine in the morning carries traffic south at six in the evening. Navigation apps handle this inconsistently and newcomers driving themselves end up committed to a route that has reversed. This is the single most disorienting thing about driving here and no map will warn you.

Source: Kolkata Traffic Police

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without an IDP and finding India will not issue one.
Buying a car before trying the metro, which covers most of the city for a few rupees.
Being caught out by a time-dependent one-way system that reversed while you were parked.
Applying at the wrong RTO for your registered address.
Assuming the trams function as transport — the network is cut back to almost nothing and its future is unsettled.

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