That's good information for anyone else who is looking to convert their Indian license to a Singapore license.Wd40 wrote: ↑Fri, 26 Jan 2024 9:27 amJust to update here. During my trip to India in December, I managed to get my driving license renewed in Bangalore. It was still valid for 6 months, so kind of early renewal. I believe you are allowed to renew 1 yr in advance.smoulder wrote: ↑Tue, 13 Jun 2023 2:03 amI had a driving license issued in Mumbai in 1999! The old paper booklet. It expired in 2019 (20 years later.Wd40 wrote: ↑Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:11 pmJust to update here, you need to renew your license 3 years after its expiry date. If you fail to do it, you need to convert your foreign driving licence again.
My India license is very old from 2004, so the TP guys told me to get a new one. My India license will anyways expire next year, so during my next India trip I need to get it renewed.
Now I wonder what the issue date of my new India license will be, will it be the original 2004 issue date or the new issue date? If it is new 2024, then I guess I am screwed because I won't be able to convert it.
Anyways this is my own doing, so myself to blame.
I knew that Singapore only accepts the card license. So back in 2019, when I was in Bangalore (note, not Mumbai), I had the local RTO issue me a card. So if I recall correctly, since I applied for the license more than a month (?) before the expiry of my Mumbai license, they basically gave me a Karnataka card - the number on the license was the same as my Mumbai license and the expiry date was the same as well. I was able to sneak in to finish up the conversion of my license just days (2 or 3 days) before my Indian license expired!
Conclusion - my situation was similar but not the same. I was applying for a Singapore license for the first time, unlike you. Not sure if that makes a difference. My Indian license expiry date didn't change because I applied about 3 months before the expiry - if I understand correctly, they will give you a new 20 year license if you apply within 1 month from expiry or a little while after (I don't remember exactly how long).
They renewed it for 10 more years.
Thank God, the date of issue remains the original issue date 20 years ago, 2004. This is very very important. The date of issue should be prior to your 1st arrival date in Singapore, if you want to convert your license.
On a side note, I find it strange how they extended your Indian license by 10 years while retaining the issue date whereas in my case they changed neither - they just changed the "media" from paper to plastic. It's really strange how they operate.