The Ministry of Interior, from December 26, 2021, will begin withdrawing the driving licenses of expatriates who are legally not eligible or rather those who have acquired them illegally by submitting forged documents.
According to Al-Rai, the expatriates find themselves facing the big problem because the General Traffic Department, almost without a warning has stopped renewing the driving licenses until it puts in place a mechanism for renewal to single out those who have acquired them illegally either by forging documents, through ‘wasta’ or they are no longer being used for the purpose for which they were issued in the first place.
The authorities began the implementation of the decision unannounced about a week ago by blocking access to the automated system for electronic renewal of licenses, and then publicly issued directives not to entertain renewal of expatriates’ driving licenses or replace lost documents until a mechanism is established by the technical committee formed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry Interior team Faisal Al-Nawaf.
Security sources said the decision includes all residents, even if they meet the conditions for holding a license, as the GTD has stopped receiving renewal and other transactions requests, warning that those whose licenses have expired will face legal problems if they drive with an expired document. The decision will also affect citizens who hire drivers to work for them or their establishments.
The traffic and rescue patrols have been instructed to issue a citation if expatriates are caught driving with an expired license.
The daily added, from Dec 26, the Ministry of Interior will begin withdrawing licenses who had acquired them illegally, and only those who meet the conditions will be allowed to renew them. Meanwhile, the sources pointed out work is being done to link driving licenses with PAM and Residence Affairs Authority and the information systems in the Ministry of Interior, to help immediate verification of eligibility for conditions, the most important of which is the profession, salary and university degree.
The situation looks almost chaotic at a time when the Public Authority for Manpower has yet to solve the issue of the non-graduate expatriates 60 years and above.
Read Today's News TODAY... on our Telegram Channel click here to join and receive all the latest updates t.me/thetimeskuwait
