Kuwait introduces ‘Smart Home Vehicle Impoundment’ service
- Motorists opting for the smart home vehicle impoundment service will be charged a two dinars fee for each day the vehicle remains under home impoundment.
- An additional KD10 fee applies if the vehicle owner requests a traffic officer to visit the residence to install the electronic monitoring device.
Kuwait has introduced a new smart home vehicle impoundment system that allows motorists to keep impounded vehicles at their homes instead of having them held at the Directorate-General of Traffic, under a ministerial decision published in the latest issue of the official gazette Kuwait Alyawm.
Under the new system, eligible impounded vehicles can be parked at the owner’s residence using a smart electronic device installed on the vehicle. The system will operate under rules and conditions set by the Directorate General of Traffic.
According to the decision issued by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, motorists choosing the home impoundment option will pay a two dinars daily fee.
An additional 10 dinars fee will be charged if the vehicle owner requests a traffic officer to visit the residence to install the smart device. The fee applies to each vehicle separately if more than one vehicle is involved.
The decision defines smart home impoundment as a system that allows vehicles to remain at their owners’ homes while being monitored through modern technology instead of being kept in a traffic impound lot.
Who can use the service?
The GTD may apply the home impoundment system for traffic violations covered under Article 207 of Ministerial Resolution No. 81/1976.
Vehicle owners whose cars are already impounded by the Traffic Department may also request to transfer the impounded vehicles to their homes, subject to approval and the Directorate’s regulations.
Vehicle owners’ responsibilities
Drivers using the smart home impoundment service must comply with several conditions, including:
- Not tampering with, damaging or removing the smart monitoring device.
- Paying the replacement cost of the device if it is damaged or tampered with.
- Not moving the vehicle except within the limits approved by the General Directorate of Traffic.
- Returning the smart device to the Traffic Department on the day after the impoundment period ends.
- Reporting any technical malfunction in the device to the Traffic Department immediately.
The new system is part of Kuwait’s efforts to modernize traffic services through digital technology while allowing eligible motorists to serve vehicle impoundment periods without leaving their vehicles in government impound yards.
