Foreign Driving License Conversion in Singapore: The Definitive Guide (No Selling!)

I have been planning to convert my Indian driving license into a Singapore driving license for a long time and have finally found the time and motivation to do so. After asking friends about the process and conducting extensive research on the internet, I was able to begin the process and successfully convert my license.

While conducting online research, it came as no surprise that everyone is trying to sell something related to driving - driving courses, mock tests, and more. The information was scattered and often buried under marketing intentions. Despite my research efforts, I still had to make unnecessary visits to the Traffic Police office because I was unaware of certain details. Therefore, I have made an effort to explain the overall process of converting a foreign driving license into a Singapore driving license. And I want to clarify that I am not selling anything!

Before we start, here are few things that you may hear from your friends which are NOT true.

1. You need to take driving lessons before you can apply for the DL. They cost you more than 2K SGD.
2. You need to take mock theory tests before you can take the actual theory test.

With that in mind, lets go through the process -

Step 1 - Register for Basic Theory Test

To obtain a driver's license in Singapore, you need to pass a basic theory test. To do this, you must register for the test in advance with one of the three driving centers in Singapore.

• Singapore Safety Driving Center (SSDC)
• Bukit Batok Driving Center
• Comfort DelGro Driving Center

You need to first create an account with one of the above driving centers, and then you will be able to book a slot for the theory test. There is a registration fee and a fee for booking the test itself. It doesn't really matter which center you choose, as you don't want to enroll for the driving lessons. I recommend you base your decision on - 

• The location of the center
• The availability of the slot for the theory test
• Registration and test fees charged  by these centers

Getting slots can be challenging, so I recommend planning and booking in advance. Don't worry about studying for the test right away. You will have enough time between booking the slot and the actual test date. Personally, I chose SSDC because they offered the earliest available slot and were more affordable compared to the other two options.

Step 2 - Prepare for the Test

Once you have successfully registered for the test, it is time to prepare. You might come across sites selling courses and mock tests. Well, I am not advising against any of these, but all you need to pass the test is. 

• Common sense of Driving 
• The Basic Theory of Driving Handbook from the Singapore Traffic Police

You can spend maybe 10 minutes a day familiarizing yourself with the traffic rules in Singapore. You can even do this while you commute to work.

Step 3 - Write the Basic Theory Test

You are required to go to the testing center in person to write the test. Take your Work Pass and the test confirmation email for verification at the test center. Be there 15 minutes before the scheduled test slot.

Here are few things to be aware of regarding the theory test

• Theory test consists of 50 multiple choice questions with each question having 3 choices and only ONE correct answer. You should score at least 45 out of 50 to pass the test in 50 minutes
• The test is computerised. You don't need pen and paper. I am not sure about other driving centers but SSDC has monitors with touch screen for taking the test.
• I found that around 50-60% of the questions were common sense type, while the remaining ones required familiarization with the handbook.

Once you complete the test, you will receive the outcome (PASS / FAIL) immediately on your monitor. You will not receive a report card via email (at least I did not receive one from SSDC).

Step 4 - Apply for the DL Conversion

Well, I have never stood in the queue until now during this process. It is time to face some waiting in the queue.

Once you pass the BTT (Basic Theory Test), you need to personally visit the Traffic Police Headquarters to apply for the license conversion. The police office is open on weekdays and the first half of Saturday (8:30 am to 12:30 pm). As most of us work on weekdays, there tends to be a large crowd on Saturdays, resulting in some waiting in the queue outside the office compound. I recommend arriving before 8 am to get ahead of the queue. No appointment is needed for this process.

Here is the document checklist for the application

• Your original passport and its photocopy (first and last page). If you had a different passport when you first entered Singapore (which was the case for me), you need to carry that along with the photocopy of the first, last, and the page containing the Singapore immigration stamp of your first arrival in Singapore. I was not aware of it; fortunately, I carried both of my passports.
• Your work pass and its photocopy (both sides)
• Your foreign driving license and its photocopy (both sides)
• One passport size photo

At the police headquarters

• Stand in the queue outside the gate to get the visitor pass
• Once you have to visitor pass, follow the crowd to the entrance where you take a queue number at the kiosk.
• Pick up a pink form near the waiting room and fill in the details. This is the DL conversion application form.
• Proceed to the waiting room and wait for your number to be called. I found the staff at the counter quite fast. You need not expect lot of waiting here.
• Once your number is called, submit the documents listed above.

To my surprise, I was made aware that since the Indian driving licenses do not contain a watermark, we are required to bring a confirmation letter from the embassy. The staff at the counter nicely compiled all my documents with some remarks and handed them over to me, asking me to get a confirmation letter from one of the three Indian embassy service centers.

• The Indian embassy itself
• Two service centers from BLS International (third-party service provider to Indian embassy)

You need to book an appointment with either one of them to get the confirmation letter. I went with BLS service center at Tanjong Pagar as it was closer to my workplace. You can find the list of documents that you need to carry for this appointment here

You need to wait for 3 - 5 working days to get the confirmation letter.

Step 5 - Final Application Submission

Once you have the confirmation letter, go to the traffic police headquarters for the final submission. Please note that they do not accept submissions on Saturdays, so you will need to find time during the weekdays. Follow the same steps outlined in step 4. After successfully submitting the required documents, you should typically receive your license within two weeks.

That's about it. You will be put on 1 year probation from here on and you can start driving in Singapore 🏎️🚘

If you are holding non-Indian DL, you may not need the confirmation letter from the embassy. Remaining processes are still the name as of this date.