| Kuwait tweaks driving license - Minimum salary KD 600 |
| | Tue, 25 Nov 2014 |
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The Interior Ministry has exempted some categories of persons from some of the conditions required for obtaining a driving license.
In this regard, the Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalid Al-Sabah has issued a ministerial decision amending some provisions of the executive bylaw of the Traffic Act, and an expatriate applying for commercial or private driving license should have a valid residence and must have resided in the country for at least two years, with a salary of not less than KD 600, besides a university degree.
All applicants will have to pass a test conducted by the General Traffic Department in order to receive a driving license.
The decision sets more stipulations organizing the process of obtaining driving licenses in an attempt to curb some categories of persons that exploit career titles save for their true professions just to get driving license, indicating the new conditions will also provide a solution to the issue of traffic jams in the country.
Applicants for driving license are grouped as follows:
The decision identifies the groups which are exempted from the above mentioned conditions:
1- Non-Kuwaiti women who are married to Kuwaiti men, non-Kuwaiti women who are widows or divorcees of Kuwaiti men and with children.
2- Non-Kuwaiti men married to Kuwaiti women and their children.
3- Bedouns who hold valid security card.
4- Students provided they are registered in any of the universities or applied institutes in Kuwait.
5- Expatriate housewives who have children provided that their husbands are eligible to obtain driving license and exempted from the period of residence and salary (Judges, members of the public prosecution, consultants and experts) and those exempted from the condition of period of stay (general managers and their deputies, irrespective of their job description).
6- Members of the diplomatic corps.
7- Professional players in the clubs and sports federations in government sector.
8- Drivers, general company representatives (Mandoubs) and Mandoubs solely in charge of passports and issues concerning the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor who hold valid driving license issued from their countries of origin or any other country.
9- Domestic worker who serves in the same position for at least five years in a row under the same sponsor and decides to change the profession to a driver.
10- Nursing staff and specialists of natural treatment and all categories of technicians in the medical field.
11- Pilots, captains, and their assistants.
12- Undertakers
The decision exempts some categories of persons from the period of residence and salary condition:
1- Judges, members of Public Prosecution, consultants and experts.
2- Teaching staff in the universities and applied institutes.
3- Journalists and media practitioners
4- Doctors, pharmacists and engineers
5- Teachers and social specialists
6- Researchers irrespective of their job description, legal practitioners, translators, librarians, Imams of mosques who are working in government authorities.
7- Sports trainers working in sports federations and clubs in the government authorities
The decision exempts also some groups from the condition of period of residence as follows:
1- General Managers and their assistants irrespective of their job description
2- Managers irrespective of their job description
3- Accountants irrespective of their job description
4- Mandoubs irrespective of their job description The decision cancels the driving license of a driver, general company representative (Mandoub), the Mandoub for passports, and Mandoub for affairs of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor once he cancels the residence or changes the profession by which he obtained the driving license, and he will not be issued a new driving license unless he waits for two years from the date the previous license was canceled and follows new procedures.
It is worthy of note the driving license will be canceled once the holder changes the profession by which he obtained it, particularly if the new job title is not included in the list of professions entitled to a driving license.
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