The First 90 Days

-->

By Rajkamal Rao

See Also:
Section 9b:  Cell phone
Section 9c:  Transportation
Section 9d:  Home
Section 9e:  Cooking Gas
Section 9f:  Appliance purchases
Section 9g:  Health Insurance
Section 9h:  Receiving your shipment
Section 9i:  Connecting Appliances
Section 9j:  It’s time for a toast!

After the initial euphoria of landing in India and spending time with family/friends, you will immediately notice something different.  There’s no longer the hurry of previous trips when every acquaintance extends you an invitation to visit - and you had to somehow prioritize those invitations into a stacked vacation schedule.  People now know that you are going to be around for a while so that urgency is gone. 

Your own priorities are now more mundane:  reintegrating into Indian life.

Identity Cards

The first things you will need to procure are identity cards.  The two most valuable forms of ID that you will need are to validate your identity (i.e. who you are) and verify your address (i.e. where you live).  Unlike in the US, the standards for these are not always the same.

The Indian Railways organization recognizes any of the following as valid proof of identity for travel on its vast train network:  Voter Identity Card; Passport; PAN Card; Driving License; Photo ID card issued by Central / State Govt;  Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School or College for their students; Nationalized Bank Passbook with photograph; Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph.

But not all organizations are quite so lenient.  In general, Voter ID cards and PAN cards are accepted nearly everywhere as proofs of identity.  If you are a returning citizen from another country, Voter ID cards are not an option for you.  However, as we note in the “opening a bank account” sub section, obtaining a PAN card is rather simple.  Agents offer services to get this document to you at very little cost.

For proof of address, a Ration Card is always accepted.  This is a document which is issued under an order or authority of the State Government for the purchase of essential commodities from fair price shops.  But unless the returning Indian’s name was never purged from prior Ration Card rolls, it is cumbersome to obtain a new Ration Card.

Another good document for address proof is your driver’s license.  The easiest way to obtain your India state license is to have fresh life breathed into your expired India license if it is still around.  However, if your old license was from a different state than the one you are settling in now, note that transferring expired out-of-state licenses is extremely cumbersome. 

Luckily, all is not lost.  Many state Road Transport Offices (RTOs) recognize your US/UK driver’s license, if valid, and will grant you an India state license without your having to take any test.  One issue may be to prove your address, so it may be best to use your last name and leverage the address of another family member (father, brother) who already lives in India to say that you have returned to live with that person.  Remember, you just want to get through the hurdle of having to prove where you live.  RTOs have significant discretion and if they can be convinced that your case is genuine, your application will be approved. 

Note that RTOs don’t recognize your two-wheeler driver’s license from the US (if you have one).  For this type of license, you will have to take a written (i.e. computer) test to obtain a temporary license and after about 30 days, you are expected to appear for a road test to prove your ability to drive on Indian roads.  Never mind that you may have ridden motorcycles prior to going to the west.  Most RTOs are pretty strict about granting this license without review.