KUWAIT CITY, Oct 5: First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah issued a decision to amend some provisions of Ministerial Resolution No. 81/1976 on the executive regulations of the Traffic Law and its amendments, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Article One of the decision stipulates the revision of items 1-5 of Article 85 of Ministerial Resolution No. 81/1976 to read as follows:

- A private driving license issued to drive private cars with no more than seven passengers, transport vehicles with a load capacity of no more than two tons and taxis is valid for 15 years for Kuwaitis and the nationals of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and three years for non-Kuwaitis, while the validity period for Bedouns depends on the validity of the security card.

- General driving license category ‘A’ is issued to drive passenger transport vehicles with more than 25 passengers, public transport vehicles, transport vehicles, locomotives, trailers and semi-trailers with a load exceeding eight tons, vehicles transporting hazardous materials and for teaching how to drive a vehicle.

General driving license category ‘B’ is issued to drive passenger transport vehicles with more than seven passengers up to 25 passengers, public transport vehicles, and transport vehicles with a capacity of more than two tons up to eight tons.

- General driving license categories ‘A’ and ‘B’ are valid for 10 years for Kuwaitis and nationals of other GCC countries, three years for non-Kuwaitis, and the validity period for Bedouns depends on the validity of the security card.

- It is not permissible for anyone holding a general driving license category ‘B’ to drive any of the vehicles under category ‘A’.

- The general driving licenses granted before the issuance of this decision are valid until their expiry date.

- Motorcycle driving license: category ‘A’ license is issued to drive all types of motorcycles and teach how to drive motorcycles and vehicles. Earlier, the General Traffic Department (GTD) in the Interior Ministry announced that driving licenses for expatriates will now be valid for three years, instead of one year, upon issuance or renewal under the legal conditions. It added that driver licenses must be used through the ‘Kuwait Mobile ID’ application; hence, it is no longer required to print the license.

The department also confirmed that the first technical inspection of newly purchased vehicles and motorcycles will be carried out three years after the date of purchase, then three years after the first inspection, and two years after the second inspection; for a total of eight years. Private transport vehicles are subject to technical inspection three years after the first inspection, instead of two years.