Documents · as of 26 October 2026

Documents to carry on a two-wheeler

Four documents cover an ordinary private scooter or motorcycle on a commute: your driving licence, the vehicle's registration certificate, its insurance certificate and a current PUC certificate. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has advised every state to accept the versions in the government's DigiLocker and mParivahan apps, and Delhi Traffic Police says either the paper originals or those app versions are valid; check your own state's traffic police for its position.

What to carry

• Driving licence. Must be valid for the type of two-wheeler you ride; check the vehicle classes printed on it.
• Certificate of registration (RC). Issued for your vehicle by the registering authority; carry it or its DigiLocker / mParivahan version.
• Certificate of insurance. At least third-party cover is required by section 146 for any vehicle used in a public place.
• Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Issued by an authorised testing centre; the certificate shows its own validity date.

Section 158(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, as substituted by the 2019 amendment, requires a person driving a motor vehicle in a public place to produce the certificate of insurance, the certificate of registration, the pollution under control certificate and the driving licence when asked by a police officer in uniform authorised by the state government. Transport vehicles need their fitness certificate and permit as well. Section 146 says no one may use a motor vehicle in a public place without an insurance policy that meets the requirements of the Act's chapter on insurance against third party risks; section 147 says that policy must cover liability for death of or bodily injury to any person, and damage to third-party property, arising from use of the vehicle in a public place.

Source: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (No. 32 of 2019), Gazette of India Extraordinary, 9 August 2019 (Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), via PRS Legislative Research), checked 26 October 2026. We checked the amending Act's text; the Central Government brought its provisions into force on separately notified dates.

Digital copies: DigiLocker and mParivahan

On 23 September 2019 the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways wrote to every state and union territory asking that documents shown through DigiLocker or mParivahan be accepted. Its advisory says the Ministry amended rule 139 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, so that the registration certificate, insurance, driving licence, PUC certificate and other relevant documents can be produced in physical or electronic form when an officer in uniform, or another officer authorised by the state, asks for them. It adds that if you cannot show the digital copy, for example because your phone is unavailable, enforcement officers can check your licence and RC details on their own mParivahan or e-challan app from the licence number or the vehicle number. An advisory to the states is guidance to enforcement agencies, not a promise about how every stop will go.

Source: Advisory No. RT-11036/64/2017-MVL, 23 September 2019: Acceptance of the Driving Licence (DL), Certificate of Registration (RC), Vehicle Insurance or other information presented through Digi-locker or m-Parivahan platform (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MVL Section), hosted on the mParivahan site (Parivahan)), checked 26 October 2026. We have read the Ministry's advisory, not the amended text of rule 139 itself.

Delhi Traffic Police's FAQ tells riders stopped for a violation to be ready to show the licence, RC, insurance and PUC certificate, and says the physical documents or their DigiLocker or mParivahan app versions are valid. Its documents page links both official apps. We have checked Delhi's statement only; for other states, check your state transport department or traffic police.

Sources: FAQ — What should I do if I am stopped by traffic police for a violation? (Delhi Traffic Police); Documents required in original while driving (Delhi Traffic Police), checked 26 October 2026.

Practical points, from us: set the apps up at home, not at the roadside; pull the documents into the app while you have a good connection; and keep the phone charged, because a flat phone is no document at all. Note that Delhi's FAQ refers to the app versions, not to photographs of documents in your phone's gallery.

If you do not have a document with you

Section 158(3), in the same 2019 text, says a driver is not liable to conviction for failing to produce the required certificate if they produce it at the police station they specified to the officer within seven days. That relief does not apply to drivers of transport vehicles except as prescribed. Rely on the apps rather than on this window.

Source: The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (No. 32 of 2019), Gazette of India Extraordinary, 9 August 2019 (Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), via PRS Legislative Research), checked 26 October 2026.

What it can cost: one state's example

Amounts can differ in other states: section 200 lets states compound some offences, and section 210A lets each apply a multiplier between one and ten.

Sources: Traffic violations & penalties (Delhi Traffic Police); The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 (No. 32 of 2019), Gazette of India Extraordinary, 9 August 2019 (Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), via PRS Legislative Research), checked 26 October 2026.