Last updated: October 2026
A driving licence extract in Kerala is a certified history of your driving licence, issued through Sarathi Parivahan and your Kerala RTO. It is not a new licence and it does not let you drive. It is a record document that lists your licence number, the date your licence was first issued, the vehicle classes you hold, validity, renewals and endorsements, in a form that a foreign licensing authority, an embassy, an employer or an insurer can verify. Most people ask for one when converting an Indian licence abroad or building a visa file, because the card alone often does not show the first issue date or full history.
The extract is drawn from your Sarathi record, so a detail missing or wrong there will be missing or wrong on the extract too. Get the record corrected first.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Licence number and holder name | Matches the extract to your licence card and passport |
| Date of first issue | Foreign authorities use this to count your years of driving experience |
| Vehicle classes held, with dates | Shows, for example, when motorcycle and car classes were each added |
| Validity and renewal history | Shows the licence is current and how long it has been held |
| Issuing RTO and endorsements on record | Identifies the authority that issued and maintains the record |
The first issue date is the most common reason for the request. A renewed card usually shows the renewal date most prominently, and a foreign counter that credits experience from first issue will ask for a separate proof. The extract is that proof.
Three documents are often confused. A DL extract is a history certificate. An International Driving Permit lets you drive abroad for a short visit, covered in our guide to an international driving permit from Kerala. A digital licence in DigiLocker or mParivahan is a copy of the licence itself for traffic checks in India, covered in our guide to how to download a driving licence online in Kerala. Neither proves your first issue date. If the authority asked for an extract, a history certificate or a verification letter, the DL extract is the service you want.
Before you apply, read what the requesting authority wants. Some accept the Sarathi print, and some insist on an extract signed and stamped by the RTO. That detail decides whether the online route alone is enough.
There is no separate DL extract fee that I could verify on Parivahan's Licensing Related Fees and Charges page in October 2026, and parivahan.gov.in and mvd.kerala.gov.in did not respond at research time, so I am not presenting any figure below as an official Kerala fee. Treat the amount shown on your own Sarathi application and payment screen as the final fee.
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| DL extract fee on the official Parivahan fees page | No separate line verified for this service |
| Amount payable | The total shown on your Sarathi application before payment |
| Small amounts in secondary guides | Secondary sources describe only a small charge (one procedure guide lists Rs.25 online plus a Rs.5 stamp for a paper application; older applicant reports mention Rs.10 to Rs.20 at a counter). These are reported amounts, not a verified official fee, and they may have changed. |
If the payment screen shows a very different total, check that you selected DL Extract and not a duplicate licence by mistake.
Make sure the name on the licence matches your passport. If it does not, fix that first: our guide to how to change name in driving licence in Kerala covers that separate Rs.200 service. A name mismatch is a common reason foreign counters return the file.
No fixed Kerala processing timeline could be verified on an official page. Do not plan a foreign appointment around a reported time in a secondary guide. Apply well before any deadline abroad, and keep the acknowledgement.
Older paper licences and some early smart cards were not always digitised into Sarathi. If the portal cannot find your record, go to the issuing RTO and ask for the record to be entered or corrected first, with the original licence as proof, then apply again.
No. A duplicate licence replaces a lost or damaged card and is itself a licence. An extract is only a history certificate: it proves details about your licence, but it is not a licence and you cannot drive on it.
Apply through the state that issued the licence, selecting that state on Sarathi. A Kerala RTO cannot certify the history of a licence issued and held on another state's record.
Not always. Some require an extract signed and stamped by the RTO. If the request says certified, signed or stamped, use the RTO route.
No official validity period could be verified. It is a snapshot of your record on the issue date, and a requesting authority may ask for a recent one.
No Kerala rule on collection by another person could be verified. If you are already abroad, ask the issuing RTO what it will accept, and give whoever follows up your acknowledgement and application number.
Take the original licence and any older renewal papers to the issuing RTO, ask for the Sarathi record to be corrected, then apply for a fresh extract.
Fees and rules change without notice. Verify all fees and rules on parivahan.gov.in before applying, and treat the fee total shown on your own Sarathi application as the final figure.
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