Expats Drivers License

1- Laws
2- Corruption

But what is the difficulty that you're having? Maybe you'll find good advice/help from here.

Interestingly enough the same topic got me depressed this morning so much that I wanted to leave the country.

I have been trying to get the driving license done but the endless paperwork is delaying it for the tenth time now. No wonder people resort to alternative way of getting it, but I am a legalist, however ridiculous that might be.

Supposedly certain nationalities can get their national license translated and converted to Kuwaiti one, but I wasn't able to find a definitive list of nationalities who are eligible.

What ticked me off is when I found out that my wife who is here as a dependent will be treated as a retarded child (with a Ph.D. though) and prevented to get a license. I wouldn't be upset if there was a decent public transport or taxi service as an alternative but there isn't any. What may save the day is that it seems that the women with children are still eligible to get one.

I am getting so tired of this, and I did give my best shot. Sorry for hijacking the thread.

@Ribosom I'm sorry you had to go through this. I understand you pain, believe I do KNOW how it is. I still remember how I felt my neck get engorged to the point thought I was gonna turn into the Hulk.

The law permits dependent ladies who have children whose husbands have degrees (any idea why? ) to produce a driver's license. But I think this law is there only to psyche us into it.

What is the problem? Does it not take three weeks, six visits to three different office buildings (forgot how many offices) and 16 signatures to get a license transferred where you come from? If not, I am sure you could afford the X00 KWD to buy one. (Sarcasm).  Do not know why but a person I worked with took only three months to get his while another six plus.

The answer to that question is about the same as the meaning of life. No one really knows, plenty of ideas but no clear response.

My version is that too many people benefit from inefficiencies and do not realize that they could benefit even more from being efficient. Afraid of becoming like Abu Dhabi.

Welcome to Kuwait, tax-free money but you pay for that luxury in the BS you have to go through to get anything done.

TriniMario wrote:

What is the problem? Does it not take three weeks, six visits to three different office buildings (forgot how many offices) and 16 signatures to get a license transferred where you come from?

That would be about right...so it is probably easier (or better put, less hard) to take the damn driving test again.

I hope it is just a phase as I feel the energy getting drained out of my poor soul.

If you have a Kuwaiti friend or sort of cable, getting driving license is nothing. Many of my friends with various nationalities got this way. I have license of Iran and Malaysia for motor and car, but I'd like to keep that way. All I did is I made it international and I renew it every 6 months.

Once you pass all of these procedures it becomes easier, the license lasts 10 years so only residency will have to be renewed.

I want to get a drivers license too

You can apply for a license if you meet the minimum requirements.

I knw d minimum requirements. Bachelors degree university graduate, more than 2 yrs residence and above 400 kd salary. I met those all. But y they dnt give me. Last yr i applied. But they refuse becoz they said my job titile dont need to drivers license. But y? I need help coz i really need this because i always rush going to work and in the afternoon always come late

my friend was trying to get a licence for his wife (housewife), and after taking out the istimara and going thru the tests and having her pass the driving test, hes informed that his job title cannot give his wife a licence.

so yeah, it kind of changes as to the whims of the traffic dept. and given that the chief of police or minister of interior has to personally sign each and every new driving licence, if they dont want u to get it u wont get it.

your best option will be to chek with your company, see if they can amend your job title.

The only thing I saw partly work with those guys at traffic department are wasta (corruption) or bribes neither of which are favorable options. I'm not suggesting that you should go that way, but I just want to tell you how bad it can get. There is little help you can get on this matter from other expats.

@lotba I could understand what you say with not having the right job title. Ask you company to give you a temporary title, "Sales Manager" or "Service Engineer" that might help.  Once there is Engineer or Manager in it should not be a problem, "Condiments Engineering Manager" sounds about right.

The guys at the police station could not understand what a geologist does (there are degrees in geology?) and wanted me to prove its equal to an engineer.  Luckily my rock hammer was in stoorage.  Eventually they saw my MBA and agreed that having a MBA would make me a manager and then agreed that I could have have a driver's license.

Alternatively buy one.

(Moderated: Illegal advice)

Well, I seem to prefer "wrong" social circles.

basically if you know the right people they will make it happen for you that's how I did it

Hope that this link can help >>>

arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/203506/reftab/96/t/List

apparently expats are the sole cause of all traffic problems in kuwait...

u know, not the fact that the road system here has not been updated to cater to an increasing population size, which is growing pains for all countries in the world. and ofcourse, the fact that inner roads in areas such as hawally, jabriya and salmiya that used to cater to buildings not exceeding 4 floors are now having to cater to buildings in excess of 10 floors.

no, its the expats fault.

the above url did not seem to work for me.   anyone get it to work or have a working one?

@wadha url didn't work for me neither

It seems to be a link to a news article. I doubt there are any good news for expats in local Kuwaiti newspapers

10 years licence stopped in Kuwait. As of today only one year validity licence is given.