Some residents, such as Westerners, may obtain a Kuwaiti driving license on the strength of their national driving license only. Other nationalities, even if they have a driving license from their home country, are obliged to apply for a learner’s license and pass a driving test.
To obtain a driving license on the basis of a home-country license, an expatriate must present the following at the Traffic Department in the governorate in which he or she lives:
- passport and photocopy of pages showing personal details and residence stamp,
- letter from sponsor stating the applicant’s position in the country (employee or dependent), and showing the applicant’s full residential address,
- proof of residential address, such as copy of tenancy agreement or electricity bill,
- original driving license from home country,
- photocopy of original driving license certified by applicant’s embassy in Kuwait,
- blood group certificate from a local clinic,
- sight test certificate if the applicant wears glasses or is over 50 years of age,
- four colour photos (2.0 x 3.0 cm)
- fee of KD15.
To get the eyesight certificate, a paper from the local traffic department must be obtained and taken to the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) testing clinic in Qortuba.
Persons who are not allowed to get a Kuwaiti driving license on the strength of their national license must go to the License Section in the main Traffic Department in Shuwaikh and obtain approval for a learner’s license (istimara). To obtain approval, an expatriate must satisfy conditions mentioned in the box above. However certain persons (see facing box) are exempt from these conditions.
Once approval has been granted, the applicant must go to the License Section in the Traffic Department in the governorate in which he or she lives. Documents required include passport, original and copies of civil ID, four passport-sized photographs, as well as (if relevant) company employment letter and copy of work permit from Ministry of Social Affairs & Labour or letter of employment from a ministry. A KD10 stamp must be affixed to the application form. Then the learner must go to the Traffic Department in Qurtoba for eye and blood tests. The results of the texts, which can be picked up after two days, must be submitted to the License Section for registration. Then the learner must go to the driving test centre at the governorate’s Traffic Department to fix a date for a driving test, for which a KD10 booking fee is levied. KD10 must also be paid on the day of the test.
(Source: Kuwait Embassy Website)
