Before you start

A valid foreign driving licence, and an International Driving Permit obtained in your home country before you travel
Proof of a Surat 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 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
Confirm which Gujarat RTO covers your address
Jurisdiction follows your registered address rather than your preference. Confirm the office on the Gujarat Transport Department site before making a trip — Surat district has more than one and the city has grown past its old boundaries.
OnlineWho: You
3
Apply through Parivahan for a licence for a foreign licence holder
Applications start on sarathi.parivahan.gov.in. Holding a valid foreign licence can let you skip the learner's stage and sometimes the road test, but that is at the RTO's discretion rather than an entitlement, so plan for a test.
OnlineWho: You, with in-person verification at the RTODays to weeks after verification
4
Consider a scooter seriously before you consider a car
Surat runs on two-wheelers to an unusual degree even by Indian standards, and the city's layout — dense markets, narrow older lanes, short trips — suits them. A used scooter is cheap, parks anywhere and avoids the traffic that defeats a car around Ring Road. If you take one, buy an ISI-marked helmet from a proper retailer rather than a roadside stall.
In personWho: You
5
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
6
Treat the monsoon as a driving season with its own rules
Surat's monsoon is heavy, the drainage in the older northern city is under real pressure in a bad week, and roads near the Tapi and the creeks can become impassable quickly. Do not drive through standing water of unknown depth — the number of vehicles written off this way every year in this city is not small.
In personWho: YouJune–September

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

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

Gujarat road tax is a percentage of vehicle cost, which changes the buy decision.

Registration attracts a one-off tax calculated on the vehicle's price. On a new car that is a large number paid up front; on a used two-wheeler it is trivial. In a city where a scooter genuinely covers most trips, that arithmetic is one more reason the local answer is two wheels.

Source: Gujarat Transport Department

Standing monsoon water is the specific local driving hazard, and it is not a metaphor.

Surat's rainfall is heavy, its older northern quarters drain slowly, and the combination of the Tapi and tidal creeks means water arrives faster than intuition expects. Driving into flood water of unknown depth destroys engines and strands people, and it happens here every year to residents who have been through several monsoons. The rule is simple and worth actually following: if you cannot see the road surface, do not drive over it.

Source: community-reported

The metro is coming but is not here yet — plan as if it is not.

Surat's metro has been under construction for several years with trial running under way on the first section and public opening repeatedly re-forecast. Treat any specific opening date you are quoted as provisional, and make your housing decision on today's road commute rather than on a future station. Confirm the current status with GMRC before letting it influence where you live.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without an IDP and discovering India will not issue you one.
Carrying the IDP without the original national licence, which makes it worthless.
Applying at the wrong Gujarat RTO for your registered address.
Driving into standing monsoon water of unknown depth.
Choosing where to live on the basis of a metro station that is not open yet.

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